Originality in movies is overrated.
Who really cares if a movie looks like it has been done before? It's not like people really go out of their way looking for movies that actually are original in the first place. In fact, I've noticed people who actually avoid certain movies BECAUSE it looks too original. In some cases they are right to think that, because a movie that is original doesn't necessarily mean it'll be good. But still, if you act like a disciple of all things original, by all means I expect you to make an attempt to actually support "original-looking" movies.
There are far too many people crying that a movie is unoriginal, as if it really matters in the end. Take a movie like Star Wars "A New Hope," that helped bring us this fantastic story that is still being enjoyed by everyone, decades later after it's release. Was the story of that movie original? No, it really wasn't. Despite the characters and space fantasy setting, the basic premise of the movie has actually been done before. Most people don't care what elements Star Wars borrowed from though (Samurai, War films, King Arthur), because people have gotten over the fact that it isn't really original, and just enjoy it for what it is. In the end it's not that the story has been done before, it's HOW it's done is what matters.
The most recent famous case about people complaining about originality is the 2009 blockbuster movie "Avatar." Avatar was brought up over and over again about how it's "unoriginal" and what not, but I don't see much people complain about some of the predictable plot elements in The Hurt Locker. How about other movies like Up In The Air, District 9, Up, Precious, or The Blind Side (THIS movie of all things)? In general, how about the stories in video games or anime, which has a high level of unoriginality and predictability. Why "Avatar" was targeted by the majority of complainers about originality I don't know. Maybe it was the "hip thing to do" at the time.
People said that "Avatar's" story was predictable, and thus the story was bad. I completely disagree with that line of reasoning. Just because you are able to predict what's going to happen next, does not automatically mean the story is bad. If that's the case, then you may as well stop watching movies, because predictability is not going away anytime soon. This is more so true when you've seen a lot of movies (or read a lot of novels), and you learn to have an idea about how a story usually unfold in a movie. You start to notice particular themes or plot ideas that run through a lot of movies out there. Some times when I'm watching a movie at home with a group, there will be somebody wondering out loud what's going to happen next, and there are times when I'll just go "haven't you seen enough of these kinds of movies, that you should already know what's going to happen next?" Don't let predictability ruin what could otherwise be a fun viewing experience, 'cuz you'll just sound pretentious in the end.
So while it can be valid to complain about a movie being unoriginal, that shouldn't be the be all end all that decides the overall quality of it. Judge a movie by it's overall product, and not just a portion of it. You'll be a better person for that.
P.S. One thing I've observed is that mainstream movies are the ones that tends to get some people to proclaim that "it's been done before." It's like crying "The Simpsons did it already!" You don't normally see people make that complaint with "independent" films much, even though they are just as much to blame as others. Go figure.
Recent Comments