Culture Clash: Movie remakes and retakes — Some should be left alone

P erkins: Meo, my gripe of the week is movie remakes and retakes. I think movie studios are copping out in this recession and cranking out easy-to-remake popular or nostalgic franchise flicks. This recent “Wolverine” epic is clearly a retake on the popular “X-Men” series. How many “X-Men” movies are there now? The answer: too many. I want some originality for a $10 ticket.

Meo: “Wolverine” isn’t a retake or a remake. That would be tough to do when the “X-Men” movie franchise is only a few years old. “Origins” should be the big hint there. Likewise with “Star Trek,” to which I assume you’re also referring. This “Star Trek” takes place before the others, even the TV series, so, it’s a prequel yes, but it’s a fresh take on the characters and story. If a franchise works, I say run with it. Until it doesn’t. And the fans will say when that is. Besides, these two franchises are venerable and don’t get much more original.

Perkins: Prequels are just as bad. Did you ever see the prequel to “Silence of the Lambs,” “Red Dragon”? It was garbage. “Footloose” does not need to be remade. The Kevin Bacon version is a classic. Now that Zac Efron dropped out, we’re stuck with Chase Crawford. I don’t see the Kevin Bacon resemblance. “G.I. Joe” was a classic 1980s toy and cartoon, which is now going to be ruined by big, graphic explosions and Sienna Miller. Another take on “Star Trek”? Aliens, meteors, other spaceships, oh my! Maybe, just maybe I’ll give “Fame” a shot.

Meo: You’re jealous because boys get all the cool stuff. The “Transformers” sequel is going to be fantastic. “G.I. Joe,” well, that could be a mess, but it also could be non-vomit inducing. You’re not fooling anyone. You’ll be first in line for the “Sex and the City” sequel, because that is so necessary. I’ll buy into your “Footloose” annoyance, though. Not much to be done there. Who’s Chase Crawford?

Perkins: It’s not that I’m jealous of boys and their toys. It’s just that boys are so easily amused. Throw in some action heroes, blow something up and add a femme fatale and presto, instant dude movie. For the record, they should not be making another “Sex and the City” because the first one came full circle. It’s just greedy. Chase Crawford is part of the “Gossip Girl” ensemble and he’s hoping this cheesy remake will give him some solo spotlight. Oh, and here’s another: “Final Destination.” The word “final” is in the title!

Meo: Here’s a history lesson in “Final.” In 1987, “Final Fantasy” was released on the Nintendo Entertainment System. (I still have it, by the way, it was and is awesome.) In 2006, “Final Fantasy XII” released. In between, there have been countless versions and variations. In the world of money, there’s no such thing as “final.” The new trend is to announce a sequel while the predecessor is still in the theater. This is brilliant. I just wish I could announce a sequel, or even a prequel of myself while I’m still in my prime.

John Meo is design editor at the Norwich Bulletin. Too many people joked this week he had swine flu. Emily Perkins is news assistant at the Norwich Bulletin. She totally thought Meo had swine flu.