How original are 2016's summer blockbuster movies?
March 9, 2016 Anthony Media
It's time once again to take a look at this summer's blockbuster films, and see how they'll rank on the basis of originality. That's as outlined by an episode of the 90s TV series "The Critic," where Jay Sherman stated one should skip seeing a film if it's:
Based on a TV show.
After Roman numeral II.
A remake of a classic.
Going by that logic, I'll sort which films this summer are reasonably original fare, and which ones aren't. Much like the famous Bechdel Test, this analysis doesn't guarantee what passes is actually good. In this case, it just draws attention to an overreliance on a lack of creativity.
Here's the list of major release films coming out between the first weekend of May and last weekend of August. Films released are as of this writing and based on what's on Box Office Mojo.
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising
Mike & Dave Need Wedding Dates
Captain America: Civil War. It's a part three.
X-Men: Apocalypse. It's part six by now. And that's excluding the various Wolverine films.
The Purge: Election Year. It's a part three.
Ghostbusters: It's a reboot.
Ice Age: Collision Course. It's a part five.
Star Trek Beyond. It's based on a TV show and a part three.
Jason Bourne. It's a part five.
Pete's Dragon. A remake of the classic animated/live-action 1977 film.
Mechanic: Resurrection: A sequel to a remake. I'll assume being a part two doesn't exempt it from failing (since it'd be odd that a remake and remake's part three could both fail, but not a part two.)
That makes 38 out of 47 films that pass, or 81%. A pretty decent rate, about even with last year's 79%.
As usual, I assume comic-based movies are based on the original comics, versus being reboots of a previous series of comic films. I also assume films based on public domain material (like Tarzan) are OK.
I'll probably revise this list as it gets closer to summer blockbuster season, given film release dates can shift. And, of course, I'll also do an end-of-summer look back at the summer movie season.
Here's previous years' analyses in comparison:
What films do you plan on watching this summer?
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"Inside Out" wins the 2016 Golden Globe Awards best animated feature
Cartoons at the box office: The "Age of Ultron-of-Cash" continues
"The Force Awakens" breaks tons of records, "Road Chip" survives?
blockbusterfilm originalityJay ShermanmoviesThe Critic
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Zatar says:
I feel like at this point there should be a fourth rule mark against originality if the film is a sequel to a film released at least a decade before.
Heh. Think the idea was you're allowed one sequel, though no stipulation when it was made. Though these days, 20 years between "Independence Day" films does feel like a longish stretch.