This week it was announced that British actor Tom Holland will star in the latest reboot of Spider-Man.
Whilst we’re delighted that yet another Brit has bagged a top Hollywood part (Hello Ruth Wilson and Dominic West in The Affair), I can’t help but ask, ‘Really? ANOTHER Spider-Man reboot?’
In the last 12 years alone, we have had Spider-Man 1, 2 and 3 starring Tobey Maguire and The Amazing Spider-Man 1 and 2 with Andrew Garfield. The new reboot is slated for 2017. Will we really be craving another incarnation by then? Are we all doomed to spend the rest of our lives having a new Peter Parker crammed down our throats at three year intervals?
There is no denying that these Marvel reboots make for entertaining movies. They are slick, big budget productions and Andrew Garfield in particular made a great, sensitive, charming Spidey. The real problem is they are part of a never-ending cycle of remakes and reboots dominating today’s cinema listings.
Has Hollywood run out of inspiration. Have we reached 2015 only to find a note on the studio floor reading, ‘Sorry, there are no ideas left’?
I grew up watching brilliant, original films. From The Breakfast club and Back to The Future to Forest Gump and Pulp Fiction, the 80s and 90s were jam packed with unique, clever, innovative films. Today, it seems like every second film is a rehash.
Who the hell asked for the Total Recall remake in 2012? Nothing can better Arnie and Sharon Stone in the original 1990 film. Yet my memory of the last decade is littered with prequels, sequels, remakes and reboots (Mad Max, Iron Man, Avengers, Jurassic Park – I could go on and on).
I won’t pretend that I haven’t watched and enjoyed many of these films so hands up, I’m complicit and there is clearly an appetite for the stuff, but there’s just something so depressing about it.
There is no limit on creativity. It’s not like there are a finite number of stories in the world to tell – the arts, literature, film and TV are testament to that. I’m not naïve and I understand that this is big business that generates billions of dollars but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.
Where will it end? News of a Point Break remake was particularly bruising. And let’s not even speak of Annie. Is nothing sacred?
All I can say is, if anyone goes anywhere near Pretty Woman, Dirty Dancing or Clueless, it really will be end of days.
