What New Films Are Looking to Replicate Past Successes?
A lack of originality in big budget films isn’t anything new, but there are now more and more examples of new releases looking to the past for inspiration. And we’re not just talking sequels – the world of films is now packed full of expanded universes, ‘re-imaginings’ and straight up copies of successful classics. We take a look at some recent trailers and releases as well as a few reasons why you should also re-visit the originals…
Beauty and the Beast
Disney appear to be on a mission to make live-action versions of their entire back catalogue, and with a hugely successful new Cinderella story proving that there is still much to be mined from these fairy tales, a long list of titles is now in the pipeline. Perhaps the most anticipated of the lot is the new Beauty and the Beast live action remake, and when the full-length trailer was released earlier this week, it broke records for the amount of times a trailer was watched in the first 24 hours – that’s 127 million times, for the record. We anticipate there’s just a small chance this might be a bit of a hit, no matter whether it’s any good or not.
And that trailer has sparked a bit of a debate about exactly how good the final film will be, with gripes about the CGI beast (not scary enough), the yellow dress (not glam enough) and the casting of Emma Watson as Belle (not Belle enough). To be fair, the original animation set such a high standard that anything is going to pale in comparison, and if you want to remind yourself exactly how good it is, you can use Zavvi voucher codes to save 10% on the cost as a new customer.
T2 Trainspotting
There has long been speculation about a possibility of a sequel to one of the most successful British films of all time, and with this year marking the 20th anniversary of the release of the original, it feels like there has never been a better time to go back to these characters. But can it live up to the hype and the cultural status of the original? Those involved certainly think so and let’s hope they’re right. If it’s been a while since you’ve watched Trainspotting in all its glory, you can purchase a copy using our HMV promo codes as it’s available on the 2 for £10 DVD deal.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
More beasts, and this time it’s those who reside in the Harry Potter literary and film universe. Released this week with the amount of fanfare you’d expect from something associated with Harry Potter, this prequel is based on the very short book of the same name that was published in 2001 to raise money for Comic Relief. Written by JK Rowling, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was a spoof textbook mentioned in the Harry Potter novels on various occasions, and even though short, it was recently announced that it is to form the basis of not just one but 5 new films in total.
Although we all thought the Harry Potter story was well and truly done with following the last Deathly Hallows book and film, the lure of the movie universe has proved a too strong to resist. But the good news is that the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them film has garnered glowing reviews, so here’s hoping it has enough mileage to keep fans happy for a few years to come at least.
Other remakes, sequels and re-telling to look forward to include a new Mary Poppins film as well as a number of other Disney remakes including Mulan and Peter Pan. Whatever your opinion on these types of films, it seems the movie industry is onto a winner for the foreseeable future at least…
By Anna Scott, 18th November 2016