Hollywood is running low on ideas. Things have gotten really repetitive in the movie industry and as a result, movies have become more and more formulaic and predictable. In addition, the type of movies that are coming out including remakes, adaptations, or even sequels have started to make up a large part of the market. The great fear of taking a risk with something new in Hollywood has been getting much more attention lately with critics and audiences alike, all saying they have seen this before.

Remakes and adaptations are everywhere, but by no means does a movie being a remake or adaptation make it bad. There have been dozens of great movies adapted from books including films such as The Shawshank Redemption and Harry Potter. Clever directors can bring a whole new look, feel, perspective or even experience to previous works. Movies like The Magnificent Seven (1960) and The Evil Dead (2013) are prime examples on how to make remakes stand out in their own way without chasing away its market.

The Magnificent Seven changed its setting and characters enough to hook in newcomers. The Evil Dead had new kills, better effects, and new characters to make the movie its own thing, but kept the basic plot and setting the same. By making big changes, both of these movies became their own variations while still keeping their original audiences by having quality similarities. These types of movies can be really good when done right, but many times they are too exact to their original source or too different. The movie makers’ inability to throw in anything original hurts the end product making the film seem generic and boring. This is heavily showcased in the 1998 remake of Psycho. The movie was basically a shot for shot remake that angered many viewers. The movie received a mere twenty-eight percent on the audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. On the other hand, when it is too different, people get angry that what they loved so much was turned into something that has no resemblance to it. This is seen in the 2010 adaptation, The Last Airbender, which changed character personalities and cut plot points. Studios continue dishing out remakes and adaptations nonetheless, and it seems that they believe that without an existing fanbase, no one will come see their movie.

Sequels are a little different in where they exist as they continue a story that could not be told in the span of only one movie. The problem with sequels is that often, they are only made to make more money for the studio, and it tends to really show. Studios usually have to try to make lightning strike twice and often with lower budgets. A perfect example would be the Blues Brothers 2000 film which harvested much hate from the devoted fan base for its cartoony nature and for filming it even after one of the stars from the first movie died.

When studios do take the hint and start a completely original project, they can easily be led down the same boring path and they start to succumb to movie cliches. Tropes like a “chosen one”, “the new kid”, “dead parents” etc. are overused and make movies blur together and seem formulaic. It is not just story elements, however; characters, dialogue, styles, and homages are also usually similar in different movies. For example, in comedies, when a fight scene is about to begin it is very common to have Matrix references in the fight. Some cliches have become so popular that they are mocked in other movies, like the closet being the most common hiding spot. The story is not the only thing that can get repetitive, style can also turn monotonous. The perfect example of style being overused would be Tim Burton. While Tim Burton is a really talented director that has put out many amazing movies, it is hard to argue that a lot of his movies are not starting to look the same.

It is understandable that after over a hundred years of film things would be less original, but that is no excuse to stop trying. Hollywood needs to start thinking out of the box more and truly come out with something people have not seen, even if it means taking some risk. A lot has changed since a Trip to the Moon and now anything that can be imagined can be put on screen. With all the creative people that make up the world, it is ridiculous to think they are all out of ideas. Hollywood needs to climb out of the mile deep rut they are in and start giving audiences something new and fresh.