Opinion: Movie remakes

Breanna Cataldo, Features Editor

Movie remakes have been on the rise in recent times. Live action “The Jungle Book”, “Aladdin” and the upcoming “Lion King” are just a few examples of recent films that have been brought back. With all of our childhood movies being remade into live action films, some debate has sparked as to whether these films deserve the hype.

After gathering the opinions of friends, I realized I am one of few who think that remakes are over-rated. In my opinion, if the movie “Aladdin” looks good to you, then you could simply just turn on the original film and re-watch it. That being said, I also understand that films and the technology used in them have evolved since I was a child.

Every director is different in film style. Remakes can provide a “fresh eye” to movies that were previously made. Not only this, but live action movie remakes can make the original cartoon films seem more personal.

Now let’s discuss the intended audiences, considering this is one of the most important factors that goes into forming an opinion on remade movies. Obviously, I grew up with the cartoon films that are being transformed today, so I have evident bias as to which I’d prefer. Children today are being raised with technology and graphics people my age didn’t have, so the original “Lion King” might not suit their fancy to begin with.

Live action remakes allow for today’s youth to enjoy a film just as much as we did, but in a different way. It’s this aspect that leads me to believe that remakes can be beneficial, just not to me personally.

Aside from the children, a lot of people that have seen the original films also see the remakes. I am unsure as to whether this is to compare them, or simply for sheer pleasure. Either way, both reasons are acceptable in my eyes.

All of this being said, my opinion on remakes remains the same: they are not for me. They are, however, made for the intended audiences previously mentioned, and for that I believe they are completely necessary and justifiable.