&t;I&gt&uot;There is no new thing under the sun.

Tuesday, March 26, 2002

“There is no new thing under the sun.” – Ecclesiastes 1:9

Last Friday marked the 20th anniversary of the original release of the movie “E.T.” I saw that movie during its initial run when I was about 12 years old. Now it has been re-released, but it isn’t quite the same as before. Some previously deleted scenes have been restored, and the word “terrorist” has been deleted. The re-release of “E.T.” made me notice just how many movies coming out are either remakes, re-issues or sequels. The concept of originality seems to be cast aside a little further every year.

Perhaps the least original of film companies is Walt Disney. After years of making films based (loosely) on classic literature, a few years ago they actually started remaking some of their own films. “The Absent-Minded Professor” became “Flubber.” At least that time they used a new title. The remake of “That Darn Cat!” was named “That Darn Cat!” At least they never updated “The Love Bug” films to fit the times. Somehow, “The Love PT Cruiser” just doesn’t sound right. The folks at Disney seem to have shifted their focus lately, though. Now they are cranking out sequels to movies based on books that never even had sequels, such as “102 Dalmatians,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame 2,” “Cinderella II: Dreams Come True” and “Return to Neverland.”

Speaking of sequels, when will Hollywood learn to leave the audience wanting more? They thankfully seem to have stopped making “Police Academy” movies, but this summer we are in store for an eighth movie in the “Halloween” series. The people who are still watching are probably people who figure that they’ve seen all the movies so far, so they might as well just stick with it. I can relate to that. This spring we can expect “Jason X,” the tenth entry (of 13, supposedly) in the “Friday the 13th” series. The movies have grown progressively worse and less credible (if that is even possible) with each entry, but I think I’ll finish out the series. Why stop now?

Not all sequels are bad, though. As long as we never see “Dude, There’s My Car,” or “Joe Dirt Returns,” they do have their place. Having been a fan of the series since I was seven years old, I am looking forward to “Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones.” Rumor has it that we will get to see Boba Fett unmasked and that Jar-Jar Binks will be killed off early in the film. Those scenes alone are, for me, worth the price of admission. I was initially hesitant about this movie when I heard that the members of boy-band ‘N Sync had cameos as Jedi Knights, but I understand that the one scene that they appeared in has thankfully been taken out.

Many comic books and cartoons have been made into movies. Sometimes this works. I did enjoy the first movies in the Batman and Superman series. Other times, the movie falls short. Remember, someone actually thought that “Howard the Duck” would make a good movie. This year will see the release of the film version of “Scooby Doo,” with live actors and a computer-generated dog. The sad part here is that we can probably expect a live-action “Captain Caveman” movie next. I just hope Hollywood stays away from “Calvin and Hobbes.”

Another trend seems to be basing movies on video games, most recently “Resident Evil.” Before that, we were fed silver-screen versions of “Street Fighter,” “Tomb Raider” and, most horrifyingly, “Super Mario Brothers.” Maybe next will be a film-within-a-film based on “The Sims,” in which the characters will go merrily about their lives until they discover to their horror that they truly are pawns in somebody else’s game.

Sometimes adaptation comes full circle. Last winter, the first of three films based on the Lord of the Rings trilogy was released. The funny part is that now somebody is writing a novelization of the film. I guess there is a demand to read a version that was truer to the film than the original novel upon which it was based.

Maybe I’m just meticulous about originality. I do like to see something that I haven’t already read or seen in another form. But then again, movies like “Black Knight” and “Crossroads” can make one actually favor plagiarism.

Dustin Petersen is an Albert Lea resident. His column appears Tuesdays.