Throughout the last three months, producers released three movie remakes or adaptations of previously made films. With “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes,” “Wonka” and “Mean Girls” all hitting the screens within weeks of one another, students expressed their opinions on the lack of originality within the world of cinema.
Movie recreation is a familiar concept, and it has existed for years now — whether it was the 1996 live-action adaption of the originally animated “101 Dalmatians” or the vibrant 2013 version of “The Great Gatsby.” However, production of these remakes is at a higher rate than ever.
Although some audiences thoroughly enjoy modernized versions of classics, Stephanie Donnelly, visiting instructor of English, expressed a different feeling toward the trend.
“When this phase began, I wondered, ‘Why does a film still appreciated by a contemporary, all-ages audience need to be remade?’” Donnelly said. “The answer is that it doesn’t.”
“The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes”
Out of the recent remake releases, sophomore Sidney Brown said “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” was her favorite.
The film premiered Nov. 17, with Rachel Zegler, Tom Blyth and Viola Davis as the headlining stars. Currents Magazine Editor in Chief Samantha Torre reviewed the film Dec. 7.
“It was generally a good, solid movie, and it added something new to the series,” Brown said.
If she had one critique of the movie, Brown said it would be the underdevelopment of the story’s authoritarian leader, Tom Blyth, who played President Snow.
“Obviously, you knew he was evil, like from the future, but I would have liked to see how that progressed and how he actually became evil,” Brown said. “I heard that his monologue in the book was what made him really look evil, but they didn’t have any monologue or components like that that came across in the film.”
Despite the room for development on the film’s villain’s origin story, Brown said she still thoroughly enjoyed the storyline and the fact that it added to the pre-existing excellence of the series.
Similarly, Sophomore Anastasia Maloney was also impressed by the film.
“I read the book before I went to see it, and I felt like it was really well done,” Maloney said. “The acting is definitely phenomenal, and it was on par with the original.”
Maloney found the film particularly interesting because it is a fresh tale attached to an existing universe, she said.
“Wonka”
After Johnny Depp hit the screens portraying the charismatic Willy Wonka 18 years ago, Timothée Chalamet took the role into his own hands. The new film is based on both the beloved Roald Dahl “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” novel as well as the 2005 Warner Bros film.
Maloney found the new film retold the original story in a different light. She said she noticed the change in age for the film’s lead character, which she thought helped bring in a much younger audience.
“I really liked how they chose Timothee Chalamet, as he’s a lot younger than Gene Wilder was when he played Wonka,” Maloney said.
There is quite a challenge that comes with playing a role that has already been done before, Maloney said.
“Not only do you have to live up to the expectations of the previous actor, but you also have to add in your own flair so that people don’t just see you as a copy and paste,” Maloney said.
Despite this barrier in the production process of a remade film, Maloney said she thought the actors in “Wonka” kept a good balance between keeping the original character alive while simultaneously incorporating something fresh.
Brown found the movie entertaining but said she found it lacked the spice the 2005 film presented to viewers.
“I was looking for a little bit more depth because what I like about Wonka, especially in the Johnny Depp version, is that he’s interesting and even a little bit crazy,” Brown said.
Despite the absence of a deeper dive into Chalamet’s character, Brown said she still respected the producers’ intent to attract a younger audience.
“This was kind of a straight shot kids‘ movie — but super fun,” Brown said. “I saw it with my little brother and would recommend it if you have siblings.”
“Mean Girls”
Donnelly went to the theater for only one of the three recent remake releases, as she was a fan of the original “Mean Girls” film from 2004. She said she went into the new film with a reasonable level of anticipation, as she thought the trailer did not seem too bad.
The new version of the pink and quirky original hit the screens Jan. 12. Just like the 2004 film, Tina Fey both wrote and starred in the remake as well.
“Disappointingly, the new material lacked the mischievous wit and quotability of the original, and the refreshed moments from the first film didn’t zing,” Donnelly said. “It was a bit of a muddle.”
Despite the film bringing a new musical aspect to the screen that the original did not, this addition was still not enough to live up to the perfection of the 2004 film, Donnelly said.
“Its musical numbers also failed to spring life with that sing-along, earworm quality I crave in a pop song,” Donnelly said.
Although the musicality was not impressive, Donnelly said she still appreciates the creators’ efforts.
Brown found the dynamic of the new “Mean Girls” movie interesting, considering it combined elements of both the original 2004 film and the 2017 hit Broadway show, she said.
“I personally like to see the dance numbers and songs,” Brown said.
For anyone who likes musicals or scenes featuring dance numbers, the movie would definitely be worth watching, Brown said.
Although she did not see the Broadway musical, Brown said she heard some of her friends felt the performances and songs did not quite live up to the on-stage performances.
The Future of Cinema
With the ever-increasing production of modernized classics, audiences ponder what this means for the future of the world of cinema.
Brown said she notices a lack of originality in the media world as a whole, with old movies and television shows constantly being remade. She thinks this trend will only increase as time goes on — which is disappointing to her.
“I haven’t seen many remakes that I liked more than the original,” Brown said.
Maloney, on the other hand, said she has hope for the future of films. Considering the recent writer’s strike, she thinks big companies such as Disney are starting to recognize audiences are not in favor of these remakes.
“We’re wanting creativity from human minds,” Maloney said. “So, I would hope that these big companies would set aside their capitalistic ideas and look more to a creative aspect.”
Donnelly said she is not always the biggest supporter of remade films; nonetheless, she finds herself curious to see what the future of cinema will hold.
“This all makes me wonder if we will, one day, cease to use the term ‘original’ and instead opt for something like ‘first interpretation,’” Donnelly said.
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Contact Amanda Monahan via email: amanda.monahan@pepperdine.edu
