Quotation (with page number or parag number or time stamp if video/audio)

“Of the ten highest grossing films per year for the last ten years, 74/100 are either sequels or remakes of earlier films or adaptations of comic books, video games, books, and so on. Transforming the old into the new is Hollywood’s greatest talent.” 6:36.

Comment (250-500 words)

I chose this quote to comment on because it is a great example of how so many things in the media are a remix. I think nearly every film I enjoy is based on something that already exists like a book, comic book, or even mythology. With books it’s always interesting, especially to me as a big reader, to see who is cast, what scenes make it and which ones don’t, and just if the movie can capture the same feeling as the book (hint: it pretty much never does). I’m also a somewhat big Marvel fan and even though I haven’t read any of the original comics, my dad has so I enjoy discussing the differences with him. I also love when a movie takes inspiration from past films or mythology/folklore, and remakes are sometimes good. A good example (in my opinion) of a remake is A Star is Born (2018) which is a remake of two past versions of the same story. I’ll be honest, I haven’t seen either of the originals, but I really enjoyed the 2018 version and so I think it was a worthwhile and enjoyable remix. It’s a similar story for all of the Spider-Man franchises. Tobey Mcguire’s spiderman is incredibly nostalgic to me, I like how Andrew Garfield’s had more angst with Gwen Stacy, and I love how Tom Holland’s spider-man is finally getting to interact with the rest of the MCU. However, sometimes a remake or sequel is so bad or unnecessary that I just choose to pretend that it doesn’t exist, like Mean Girls 2 and almost any Disney sequel. 

Question

What makes a movie sequel or remake worthwhile when the original still exists?