it's all be done before

Originality is dead. Creativity is gone. Unique is nonexistent. Unfortunately, it has all been done before.

I was one of the nerds to have the honor to go to the midnight premiere of the newest Harry Potter movie. Needless to say, I was very disappointed with the movie, but that is not my reason for this post. We sat impatiently in the packed theater, bearing through the previews. Now, I generally like the previews, it gives me a chance to get excited about upcoming films, but something was wrong with the ones I saw last night. Here is a line up of what I can remember.

New Moon
GI Joe
Shorts
Where the Wild Things Are
Sherlock Holmes

See a pattern here? Most of these films are based on books that have already been published. The GI Joe film is based off an action figure, so that is just as unoriginal as the rest. The one movie that isn’t based off a book is about a child who finds a magic wishing stone. Sounds nearly as bad as New Moon, right? So what the fuck world. What happened to creating, to inventing something new, something that didn’t already have a copyright label attached to it? I find it very disheartening to know that we have run out. We no longer posses the ability, or perhaps simply the work ethic, to be original. So what we’re left with is a generation of movies that are far better being books.

Par example, almost all the Harry Potter movies pale in comparison to the books. There are numerous events left out of the movies because no one but only the true Harry Potter fans would sit through a six hour movie. And that’s just not feasible because films are no longer about the art, they are just like every other industry in the world. They’re fueled by money and controlled by greed. And the die hard fans, although impressive, are not a big enough demographic compared to what it could be. I would bet that half of the people who see this film haven’t even read the first book let alone the sixth, but no matter. The movie industry still has made its money, what does it care about preserving art?

While I enjoy the Harry Potter movies I must say they ruin the book a bit for me. The same thing happened with the Twilight movie. Just puttin’ it out there, I read that book way back in 2005, shortly after it had been released. I was among the first to be in love with the fictional although attractive Edward Cullen. But if I had gone around talking about how I wanted to marry this pasty skinned vampire, people would have thought me mad. But now, because of the movie, his image has become commonplace, and so has therefore been ruined. Everyone wants him, and while I’m totally up for sharing, I must admit I am disappointed. Everyone who doesn’t want his bod, i.e. every straight male, hates him. Whenever the topic of Twilight is brought up you get eye rolls. Whenever they say his name, they say it with such disdain. But what they fail to understand is that Twilight, the book, was captivating. Perhaps I’m simply becoming one of those unhappy housewives who have become addicted to quick, cheesy romance, but I believe there is something in that book that makes it good. But the movie has failed in the representation, giving it and him a bad name.

We as a species have run out of ideas and now recycle the ones we already have. By doing so, we both ruin the classics, as well as pollute the present. Whatever, I’ll just block this realization out with Robert Downey Jr. in Sherlock Holmes.

peace