Are Remakes and Adaptations a Good Idea?

The entertainment industry has generated many remakes and adaptations that entertained the public. Remakes are movies or television dramas that are new versions of old ones previously released. On the other hand, adaptations are movies or dramas based on a stage play or a written material, like novels and comic books.

Hollywood is not the only one doing remakes and adaptations. Sometimes, drama adaptations are even produced across countries. An example of an adaptation that sparked many more adaptations in Asia is Meteor Garden. It is a television drama based on Boys Over Flowers, a story from a famous Japanese comic book called Manga. Following Taiwan's Meteor Garden is Japan’s version entitled Hana Yori Dango. In 2009, Korea also released their version also entitled Boys Over Flowers, which became an instant hit all over Asia. A few years after, India also aired a drama loosely based on Boys Over Flowers.

Some say remakes have nothing new to show. However, a country making its own adaptation or remake of a foreign movie or drama is not a bad idea. Korea's My Sassy Girl, for example, made so much noise across the globe. To make it more mainstream, Hollywood also released their American version. For me, this kind of adaptation makes televiewers feel closer to the characters when a version is released in their own country. The story connects better with its audience if circumstances that surround the characters mirror their own country’s. More viewership is drawn when the plot of a story unfolds according to the country’s own cultural context.

Many killjoys think it is useless to remake something that has been watched and enjoyed before. The Spider-Man series is a classic example. Spider-Man 3 was released in 2007. Five years later, the series had a reboot. The question that is often raised when a remake of a successful movie comes out is, “Why make another one when it already became successful?” The answer is simple: profit. Like what the editor of Box Office Guru said, “If you do it well, you’ll have access to a gold mine!”

It should not be forgotten that the entertainment industry is known as show business. Producers are also businessmen and women who produce a movie because they see that it can bring them bigger bucks. Remakes are not just pieces of art, but items sold to those who are willing to buy.