Having recently watched the new Harold and Kumar movie, I
can safely say that my patience with big business entertainment has finally
come to an end. While the latest installment of Harold and Kumar was true to
the franchise, it was a sad and unacceptable movie that had not business in
theatres and should have been released straight to DVD.
Unlike the first movie,
which was not only ridiculously hilarious, but surprisingly clever, the sequel
appeared to employ unnecessary and graphic displays of grotesque comedic humor.
The sole purpose of this encore production was to line the pockets of some
already wealthy producers who were interested in a quick turn around from a
relatively inexpensive project. Sequels have become a menace to viewers
everywhere and don’t appear as if they will leave our lives any time soon.
Money isn’t the only reason we have had to endure nauseous
productions like the Star Trek movies and Ocean's 11; two projects that started
off well, but should have been put out of their misery long ago. It is obvious
that the entertainment corporations are interested in milking the cash cow of
their success, but there is another reason that more and more Hollywood predators are regurgitating past projects. Laziness is the issue at hand and
while entertainment big wigs may claim otherwise, we are seeing numerous
examples of movies whose quality reeks of old urine, with a level of enjoyment
equal to visiting a 70 year old dentist with Arthritis.
But who can blame Hollywood? A sequel often
means that the script requires less work, characters have already been
developed and a loyal fan following is in place. Can we really blame Hollywood for making
smart business decisions in an economic climate that is migrating more and more
to capitalism every day? Viewership of these sequels has been strong, as
audiences have resigned themselves to watching lower standards of movies. This
in turn has caused producers to feel more comfortable rehashing old work, as
opposed to finding or creating something a little bit more original.
The only
sure fire way to stop this unfortunate habit, is for viewers to put some effort
into deciding which movies to see and not blindly following the herd to the
sequel of their favorite movie. The only way Hollywood will start to exhibit better taste,
is if the fans improve their own.
Ozzy Neav
De Novo Magazine
**Read more articles by Ozzy Neav**
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