Revenge Of The Unoriginal

I'm a big fan of "Revenge of the Nerds", at least the original and not the little I have seen of the countless sequels on cable television. The original is even currently on the short list of movies I'm considering showing when I host MNFBBQ in a few weeks. That being said, it's ridiculous that a remake is reportedly coming soon.

Hollywood is almost totally devoid of originality. With a few exceptions, like Charlie Kaufman ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "Being John Malkovich"), David Fincher ("Se7en" and "Panic Room") and M. Night Shyamalan ("The Sixth Sense" and "Unbreakable"), the movie industry seems full of writers and directors who are incapable of a new idea. Remaking "Revenge of the Nerds" is just one more example of copying a successful idea rather than having a new one.

Here is a list of the top ten grossing movies of 2005, with their "sources":

"Star Wars: Episode III"-sequel/prequel
"The Chronicles of Narnia"-book
"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"-book/sequel
"War of the Worlds"-remake
"King Kong"-remake (for the second time)
"The Wedding Crashers"-original
"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"-book/remake
"Batman Begins"-comic book/prequel
"Madagascar"-original
"Mr. & Mrs. Smith"-original

The movie industry questions why people aren't going to the theatre as often as in the past. Other entertainment options, like the Internet and higher quality home theater accessories, are certainly factors. So is the price. Lack of originality just may have something to do with it too.