The Student News Site of Westfield High School

Hi's Eye

The Student News Site of Westfield High School

Hi's Eye

The Student News Site of Westfield High School

Hi's Eye

Remakes ruined

By Meghan Pettit

With the upcoming release of the movie Annie and the debut of television performance Peter Pan LIVE!, it’s apparent that a current trend in the entertainment industry involves remaking original movies of movies already made. Too often, classic films are recreated to compensate for the writers’ and directors’ lack of originality. But ultimately, this only ruins the original version despite its attempt to modernize the story.
 
Recently, the number of remakes has skyrocketed. In the past, writers and directors still creatively produced fresh, new movies that allowed audiences to venture into a different world, unaware of the story they might encounter. However, today, this is not the case. With remakes, people know exactly what to expect; the thrill is gone.
 
These new renditions ruin the original version of the movie and often raise the question “Why was this movie made?” A prime example of this is Peter Pan LIVE!, which premiered Dec. 4. This performance was horrible. It included poor acting and an unrealistic set. But, it was only designed to increase the viewership, not quality. While Peter Pan LIVE! attempted to portray the classic story in a new, alternative form of media, through a live television production, it appeared cliché and failed to please.
 
While remakes are an attempt to revamp previous films that are still relevant today, it does not make sense to spend time producing a movie already written. Rather, a new movie should be created. For example, take Miracle on 34th Street, the holiday classic from 1947. With little changes to the story, the film attempts to make the movie more relatable. However, this was completely unnecessary. In no way was it a movie worthy of the money spent to remake; no actors or actresses could replace the original cast. An entirely new story would have be more worthy and creative. The original magic was gone.
 
Writers and directors need to challenge themselves to    produce new, original movies or at least thoughtful remakes worthy of studios’ time and money.

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