VIRGINIA CALCAGNI — Staff Writer
There is a long laundry list of things that are wrong with the movies these days, starting with ticket prices being $12 or more (depending on what theater you go to), concession prices being crazy, and 3-D (I am not a fan.) And the most depressing reason of them all: there are no original ideas anymore.
Now you could argue that there were never original ideas. You could say that something is always piggy-backed off of something, but at least there used to be something a little different. Now every movie is the same.
Books, movies, comics, remakes, sequels (that never end), and the same alien invasion movies that were in theaters two months ago are some of the examples of the dwindling of ideas.
I don’t go to movies anymore, and it isn’t just because of being a “broke college student.” It is the fact that I don’t want to spend money on these blockbusters that aren’t blockbusters; disappointment sucks.
The book and comic trend is really getting annoying, between “Harry Potter,” “Twilight,” “Water for Elephants,” “Ramona and Beezus,” “Iron Man,” “Superman,” “Batman,” “Thor,” “Captain America” and countless other ones that I am not listing.
The worst part about watching these movies is seeing the changes that the directors, producers, and writers of the film make. I liked the book the way it was, that is why I am seeing the movie; not to see you take out half the chapters and change the story.
Now, I understand that some things just don’t work from page to motion picture, so then why do it? Why not come up with something else?
“Harry Potter,” “Twilight,” and superhero movies roll in the dough because of the fan base, and I am sure that there are some people that think some of these movies are cinematic masterpieces. That is half the problem.
I have found that movies on Netflix or in the Redbox that weren’t released in theaters are so much better than the ones I would be seeing at the theater.
I was watching ABC Family the other weekend, and they were playing 90s movies. One of them was “Get Over It,” and I realized how much I’ve missed movies like that. I miss movies that were goofy, cheesy, and had heart and a decent story line.
When I go to watch a movie, I am looking to be entertained, and I am looking to not be watching the same thing. I will use the examples of “No Strings Attached” and “Friends with Benefits” here. It was like the same movie, twice.
Come up with a different concept. It was okay in “No Strings Attached,” but then it got ruined by them taking the same idea and getting two more hot people to play the roles.
And what was with making like seven “Saw” movies? The first couple were good. It was a good, interesting, crazy, scary, mind-numbing idea. That is, until it reached sequel number “whatever it was,” – in 3-D no less.
There are even talks of a fourth “Jurassic Park,” and re-releasing “Titanic” and “The Lion King” in 3-D. I really don’t like 3-D, so I don’t get the point.
All I am asking for is for some thought. Let’s not take every book, movie, comic, and redo it a hundred times, or use different concepts with it. I just want to see something original.
The people making most of these crappy movies are making enough money, so why can’t I see an idea or a movie that isn’t about the end of the world and aliens taking over?
