Sequels, prequels, remakes, oh my!

I have a theory about major movie studios. Here's what I think happens: two filmmakers walk into an executive's office to propose an idea for a film. One says, "I want to make a movie unlike anything American audiences have ever seen. It'll be clever, interesting and cerebral - and it'll focus on a character people will talk about for years to come." The other says, "I want to take this movie that was released two years ago and make a sequel. I've figured out how to make it more violent than the original. The plot may not make as much sense as the first one did, but it'll be shocking. It'll also draw in audiences on name recognition alone." The executive considers both ideas briefly - and green-lights only the latter.

I'll grant that sometimes a sequel - or a series - is a good thing. "Star Wars" is a great example of this. But lately it seems there are as many sequels, prequels and remakes hitting theatres as there are original films. "Resident Evil: Extinction" (the third in the series) is in theatres now, "Saw IV" will reach the big screen on Oct. 26 and "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" comes out just in time for the holidays. While I'll save my judgment on the last two until they come out, I can certainly say "Resident Evil: Extinction" was a film that suffered the plot degeneration from the original (and even the sequel).

I'm disturbed to know that though "Shrek the Third" has yet to reach DVD, there's already talk of "Shrek 4" (rumored to be titled "The Next Shrek") slated for release in 2010. Though I haven't heard anything substantial as of yet, I won't be surprised when they announce "28 Months Later" or "Saw V" - I'll just be disappointed.

Still, perhaps the sequels are better than remakes. After Rob Zombie's "Halloween" fell apart before the halfway point, I've lost hope that even the best directors can do better than what is already done well in previous films. And with remakes on the way for "Day of the Dead," "Footloose" (as a musical, apparently) and Hitchcock's "The Birds," I can see this trend isn't going away fast enough.

Originally published in The Chronicle on October 21, 2007