The smell of buttery popcorn, a large IMAX screen and an enticing plot were all reasons for students to spend time watching a movie this past summer. Whether one enjoys sequels to long-standing movie franchises, adaptations of classic stories, or completely original storylines, the movies that studios have released in recent months have had something to offer almost every cinema fan.
Some movie fans prefer films based on a completely original idea. An example of that kind of movie that has recently gone viral is “Obsession,” which is an original horror film that was released on May 15. The buzz surrounding it then led it to become a hit all summer long. The film follows a socially awkward character, Baron “Bear” Bailey, who wishes his crush Nikki would fall in love with him; that wish leads to scary and unexpected consequences.
Students enjoyed the movie’s portrayal of modern dating that stayed true-to-life despite the horror elements.
“[‘Obsession’] didn’t try to paint one side as really evil,” said junior Caroline Forsythe. “There was nuance to it, which I really appreciated. It was also realistic in what it depicted and how it reflects on human society.”
The movie was directed by Curry Barker, someone who gained attention through his YouTube channel “That’s a Bad Idea.” Many have observed this pattern of former YouTuber content producers creating popular original movies.
“I think in the past year or two we’ve seen an increase in people coming up with unique films previously from the YouTube space,” said senior Felix Dschung. “A lot of these YouTubers are becoming directors, and I think that we’ll probably see more films come from those indie places rather than mainstream corporations.”
Hollywood also relies on creative depictions of pre-existing material to drive their profits. Movie adaptations of a book or play, for example, allow the director some creative freedom in how to depict the source material without having to start from scratch.
An example of a popular adaptation released on July 17 was “The Odyssey,” an epic tale attributed to the ancient Greek bard Homer that follows the Greek king Odysseus on his 10-year journey home from the Trojan War. Rotten Tomatoes’ “Certified Fresh” rating for this movie reflected a 94% approval from critics, though the general public reception has been more mixed.
“I did not like the part in the movie where this lady turns these people into pigs,” said freshman Harper Wilson. “However, I did like at the end [when] Odysseus’ wife [said], ‘Odysseus hasn’t returned; I will remarry whoever can string his bow’ because no one could and he strings it and that’s when she realizes that he’s back.”
Another extremely well known strategy studios employ to generate hits is creating sequels to or continuations of already existing movies or franchises, and this summer such films included “Toy Story 5,” “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” “Camp Rock 3,” and “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”
The popular Marvel franchise sequel “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,”was released July 31. This movie follows Spider-Man four years after everyone’s memory was erased of his identity and existence, creating a plot twist that many found engaging.
“There’s a handshake moment between Peter [Spider Man] and Ned, Peter’s best friend, where it clicks for Ned like, ‘Oh Peter, this is who you are,’” said Madelyn Lucente. “That made me cry. That was probably one of my favorite moments, and it was so heartwarming.”
While “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” was met with many positive reviews, another sequel “Camp Rock 3” was not, with a very low 39% Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes, the site’s statistic on audience approval, or in this case dislike, of the movie.
“Personally, I liked it, but some parts of the movie made me mad,” said freshman Luana Gallo. “I like the other Camp Rock movies, and I think they should have brought back more people from the [those] movies, and incorporated more of the other movies’ [plots].”
The reason why certain movies receive more negative reviews might be because the original films are sometimes made without the intention of a sequel, leaving the sequels with a challenge of how to extend the plot..
“I think that a good amount of sequels come from a place where it’s less about building on a story and actually appealing to the audience and more for a monetary purpose,” said Dschung. “Movies that came 10 years ago like ‘Moana’ having a sequel are really not for me. The sequel is not horrible, but I do think that it ruins the conclusion that many people have already had in their minds.”
While not every sequel is met with bad reviews, even some fans of those films would like Hollywood to take more risks on original scripts.
“A lot of the new movies that I had watched are secondary movies or installments of a series, and I think that it unfortunately is what Hollywood is trying to bank on right now,” said Lucente. “I would love to see an influx of new, creative ideas in Hollywood.”
