Viewers are tired of watching the same story redone over and over at the expense of new, refreshing stories that could redefine the film canon.
As I sat down to watch the 2025 Golden Globes on Jan.7, I was reminded of the brazen lack of originality that’s currently thriving in Hollywood. The various titles that were nominated for awards included Mr & Mrs. Smith, a show based on the 2003 movie by the same name, Moana 2, a sequel to the original Disney film, and The Wild Robot, based on Peter Brown’s 2016 book.
As award season kicked off, I was looking forward to seeing great, original movies receive the recognition they deserve. My high expectations were
deflated when Conclave, a film that was adapted from a 2016 novel by the same name, won Best Screenplay.
While Conclave is receiving relatively warm reviews and has an impressive score on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s disappointing to see an adaptation honoured for its writing at the expense of the other unique and original nominations like Anora, a new film that follows a young escort from Brooklyn who impulsively marries the son of a Russian oligarch, and A Real Pain, a dramedy about two cousins travelling Poland together to honour their late grandmother.
READ MORE: Sean Baker’s ‘Anora’: A dizzying, jaw droppingly good time
Sequels and remakes can be entertaining. Trust me, I was shaking with anticipation for the release of Wicked, and as an avid reader, I find the book to movie pipeline very rewarding. However, there’s no reason adaptations, remakes, or sequels should be completely dominating the entertainment sphere over stories that inspire creativity and new ideas.
The snub of original ideas by the Golden Globes only confirmed the existing notion that Hollywood doesn’t care to commemorate and encourage new stories. It instead seeks to pump out movies built off of pre-existing material, most likely because it’s easier story-wise, and leads to larger fiscal revenue. Movies with an already established fan base, like Gladiator, will guarantee more revenue than an innovative low-budget indie film.
Movie making is being reduced to centre around the easiest way to make the most money. The art of film-making is being lost within Hollywood.
The amount of American films that are created off of pre-existing material has drastically risen over the past 25 years. In 2000, the films in Hollywood were almost evenly split between original and non-original plots. Whereas in 2024, non-original plots dominate more than 80 per cent of Hollywood’s entertainment.
Art is being forgotten and ed over for films like a shot by shot live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon, releasing in June 2025. I love the film—who doesn’t—but based on the trailer, it doesn’t seem like we need a live-action remake that’s identical to the animated original.
When there were rumours about a remake for the popular 1987 film, The Princess Bride, actor Cary Elwes who played one of the main characters, Wesley, tweeted “there’s a shortage of perfect movies in this world. It would be a pity to damage this one.”
In other words, if it ain’t broke—don’t fix it. If a story already exists in the ether, there’s no reason to tamper with it.
This transition away from originality may not seem relevant, but audiences deserve clever and imaginative stories for stimulation and inspiration. Fresh stories help to broaden our perspectives and challenge our thinking.
These original stories that I speak of do exist—they aren’t entirely extinct. There are many creative storytellers with a tale to tell. There are plenty of aspiring directors and creators capable of bringing something fresh to the scene, like Jane Schoenbrun did this year with I Saw the TV Glow or Andrea Arnold with Bird. However, their voices are being drowned out and ignored in Hollywood by the non-stop propulsion of stories we’ve seen or heard before.
READ MORE: ‘I Saw the TV Glow’ redefines Transgender narratives
Hollywood must begin offering more opportunities for screenwriters and filmmakers outside of their direct sphere. Emboldened with creativity and imagination, these new voices will shake the lazy and sleeping spirit of Hollywood awake and help invigorate the contemporary film canon.
For those of you who appreciate movies and are bored of repeated material, go to an independent cinema, like The Screening Room, and explore the world of film that exists outside of Hollywood and the many wonderful works that weren’t recognized at this year’s Golden Globes.
I don’t know how much more of the repetition audiences can take until movies altogether lose their appeal—and I don’t want to imagine a world without stories and listeners.
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