More than fifteen movie sequels and reboots will be unleashed this summer. Hundreds of millions of dollars were spent on over fifteen motion pictures that will be derivative, unoriginal, retreads, and boatloads of people will pay to watch.
The track record of sequels is not good. Based on content, the majority of sequels are far worse than their predecessor. So why will more than 200 sequels be made between now and 2020?
The movie studios make them because they are safe and bankable.
Consumers watch them because they are familiar and comforting.
Comic-Con loves them because there is more to geek out about now than ever before.
I am not a big fan of movies. I think they tamper with our senses of reality. Rocky Balboa has a statue of himself (Fake people should not get status).
Early movies, as quaint, campy and innocent as they seem compared to what’s being made today were brimming with creativity, innovation, and originality. I’m sure that not too long after, they started making reboots and sequels.
When I think about movies and capturing your imagination my mind goes to Star Wars. Star Wars was so dynamic. Everyone who saw it wanted a light saber, a Darth Vader mask, and their own X-wing ( I had none of those but I do have the Ewok Movie on a VHS at my parents’ house!). It inspired kids everywhere to explore and create. Some of the kids who saw those movies back in the 70’s and 80’s are making movies today…like Star Wars (More than 10 sequels and spinoffs and counting- Yay Ewok Movie!)
Admiral Grace Hopper Said: “The only phrase I’ve ever disliked is, ‘Why, we’ve always done it that way,’ “… “I always tell young people, ‘Go ahead and do it. You can always apologize later.’ ”
Reboots and sequels are not just found in the movies. Life imitates art in so many ways. At the end of the day, a lot of people want to play it safe and too many of us want familiarity and comfort instead of a better idea (my last job for instance).
Our tired schools are one example of this and so is the way we go about choosing schools and vocations. Wasting your money on something that looks visually dazzling but ultimately ends up being a mashed-up bag of unoriginal, repackaged, contrived nothingness is a foregone conclusion for the movies. Why do the same thing with your future?
Please have the inner fortitude to blaze a new trail if you need to and break the mold if you have to. Make sure the path you are on is the one you chose. Some of the life decisions we make and paths we follow on daily basis are so formulaic and sometimes so utterly foolish, it is enough to make a thinking person cry…kind of like the movies.
I hope that we can one day outgrow Batman, James Bond, Jack Sparrow and Dr. Who. Oh yeah, and the Ewoks.
This is Loit! 
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