By Kaitlyn “Harper” Skrzypczak, Editor-in-Chief.
When I heard that “Jumanji,” the 1995 film about a magical board game come to life, was being remade I was furious. “Why,” I asked myself, “does Hollywood feel the need to cash in on nostalgia instead of creating new engaging stories?”
It seems to be a trend that has gone on in Hollywood for most if its history. It’s certainly easier and cheaper to take a film that was made 20 years ago and remake it. You already have the bones of the story and a large portion of the fan base that loved the original film; but those two things do not instantly equal a great film.
“Jurassic World,” one of highest grossing films of all time, is not impressive to me and I love “Jurassic Park”! However, “Jurassic World” was drawing shot-for-shot on its inspiration. The producers forced parallels with the first and fourth film in the series. These events, which were iconic when they first occurred, only carry weight for those who have invested in the original. Those who are not in on the joke are lost, essentially devaluing an already high priced movie ticket.
One of the first scenes pans over the park as the musical theme that we’ve all come to love from the original plays; but instead of sweeping shots of majestic and powerful dinosaurs, what do we get? A nice long extended shot of the welcome center. What else was missing from the film? Powerful women.
We get no one on the same level as Dr. Ellie Sattler, the female paleobotanist from the original film. Claire, the lead female in “Jurassic World” seems like an empty shell of a character, who stays prim and proper most of the film, only to somehow run through the jungle in stiletto heels and escape the dinosaur seconds behind her. Even the child siblings in “Jurassic World” are both male.
Film remakes are not inherently a bad thing. There are plenty of movies that have been remade over the years and ended up being better than the original (True Grit, Dawn of the Dead, etc). What makes a film remake great is that it gives justice to the original film. Don’t just give me today’s hottest actors/actresses and the latest in CGI. Don’t give me smoke and mirrors. Give me substance.
