It goes without saying that 2020 was a year unlike any other. People were trapped in their houses for a few months, travel was all but forbidden, and many industries took a toll, one of which was the film industry. Movies were delayed, projects were canceled, and theaters were closed all across the nation. Because of this, ready-made films that were supposed to be released in theaters were held back as well. Now, as we open back up, movie production has gone into overdrive. The list of films set to release this year is massive. However, many of them, you will find, are Prequels, Sequels, and Remakes of already standing films. I know this doesn’t seem like a big deal, every year we get a couple of these big blockbuster movies. However, this year seems to be mostly made up of these continuations or retellings of existing stories, with only a couple of original films in between, which will leave fans…suspicious and cautious, because with each of these types of films, there always comes the risk that it will be worse than the first installment. But which of these films are thrown that caution? And which are anticipated?
Now obviously, I don’t have the time, nor the page space to cover all of these movies. Instead, I will look over two in each category, one anticipated and wanted film and one that will just make audiences shake their heads in caution and disappointment.
PREQUELS
It’s no secret that the word “Prequel” in cinema is a bit of a…trigger word. But in recent years, it’s proven to be a resounding success with movies goers, especially within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That’s where Black Widow comes in, set to be the first Marvel movie released in 2021. The story involves the backstory of the famous heroin Black Widow, set before her death in Avengers: End Game. Its original release date was set to be back in May of 2020, already having been pushed back once before, and because of Covid, it was pushed back once more, now setting it a full year later in May of 2021. Yet this has not deterred fans of the MCU, as many still look forward to seeing it in theaters by May of this year, and may continue to do so even if it is delayed again.
Returning to my first statement, “Prequel” is still considered a trigger word. Especially with films that audiences have grown and been taught to hate. Illumination’s Minions: The Rise of Gru is one such film. Set decades before the blockbuster success Despicable Me, Minions: The Rise of Gru is a prequel-sequel, banking off of the financial success of the first Minions Film. In it, we follow the titular/immortal little yellow creatures as they follow a young Gru at the beginning of his career as a villain. Like many films, it was pushed back to 2021 due to Covid and is now set to be released in July, but to be frank, not many people, other than small children, were looking forward to watching it. It has become a bit of a meme on the internet that companies like Illumination take advantage of trends or a single successful concept and attempt to milk. It. Dry, meaning they release certain films only to make money, not caring about the film itself, or its quality. With audiences, this film and its predecessor both line up with that analysis and as long as little kids force their parents to watch it, Illumination and others like them will make more just like them until there’s no interest whatsoever.
SEQUELS
Sequels are usually known as the default reaction to a good and/or successful movie, with some franchises grossing sequels in the double digits. These include the MCU, Star Trek and Star Wars, James Bond, and of course the big bad lizard himself: Godzilla. The newest in his collection of 36 films, Godzilla Vs. Kong, is set to be one of the most anticipated films of 2021. Also pushed back to 2021 due to Covid, and set to come out in March, this film will be one of the first blockbusters to hit theaters and streaming services, pinning two monster movie titans against each other in this epic, third installment of the modern Godzilla series. I could also rope it in with the “Milk it dry” concept, but subjectively, everyone loves these movies. No one watches a modern Godzilla movie for the plot, they go to see giant, well-designed CGI monsters beat each other up and destroy everything. It may not win Best Picture at the Oscars, but it will certainly satisfy viewers’ need for action, destruction, and designs pleasing to the eye.
There is also the adage that a sequel is usually worse than the first movie. This is usually the case for films like Transformers, Fantastic Beasts, and an old franchise up there with Godzilla in the number of films: Tom and Jerry. Kids will watch anything with fun, colorful cartoon characters, and Tom and Jerry films are usually full of them. This film however only features a select few as Tom and Jerry chase each other throughout a real-life hotel in New York and beyond. These films are also known to be bad in both quality and substance and gain bad reviews from critics and audiences alike, but if it makes the kids laugh, then milk it dry, right? The film is set to be released on February 26th and is being shown in theaters and on HBO Max. Let’s hope people get their money’s worth.
REMAKES/REBOOTS
The crown jewel of controversy in Hollywood and as of late a headache for many viewers, remakes and reboots are a slippery slope for studios, as bringing back a well-loved film and changing it completely can leave fans irritated, hurtful, and murderous. But, in some rare cases, it can leave them delightfully surprised. I believe one of these rare gems will be Dune, a remake of the 1984 film under the same name. Considered a cult classic by fans, and slow by critics, 1984’s Dune was a Sci-Fi epic with a Game of Thrones vibe containing court intrigue, assassinations, and giant sandworm battles with weapons that use sonic waves to make things explode! It used very early 3D special effects and models, as stunning as they looked, and I, among many others, are curious in a good way as to what they will improve in the upcoming modern adaptation with modern CGI. The film is set to be released in October later this year, so fingers crossed it remains that way.
Then there are films that create headaches for viewers, many of which are produced by Disney, and oh boy have they really taken the cake with one of their latest films: Cinderella ….AGAIN. If that sounds confusing, let me explain. Cinderella is a classic Disney renaissance story that was released in 1950. However, the film was remade into live-action back in 2015 and was a resounding success with audiences and critics alike. But now, Disney has decided to do it again this year, supposedly with a release date in July. From what I can tell this is a separate movie from the 2015 version as it employs a completely new cast of actors. The reason I think people will shake their heads at this is that Disney live-action movies in the last few years have been frowned upon by audiences, and a remake of a remake seems like the last thing they should do to garner support for that group of films.
There are many more to count in these categories. While I can’t speak on what the quality of all of these films will be like, since they haven’t been released yet, I can look at previous films related to these titles and their various reputations on the internet, as well as audiences feelings about what these three categories represent for the industry. We will simply have to wait and see as studios begin to hype these films more and more until their release to the public.
INFO AND IMAGES PROVIDED BY:
https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/black-widow-still-set-for-may-theater-debut
https://www.minionsmovie.com/
https://www.republicworld.com/entertainment-news/hollywood-news/godzilla-vs-kong-cast-plot-release-date-and-more-details.html
https://logos.fandom.com/wiki/Tom_and_Jerry_(2021_film)
https://www.playbill.com/article/cinderella-movie-starring-camila-cabello-billy-porter-and-idina-menzel-delayed-to-summer
https://variety.com/2020/film/box-office/dune-release-date-delayed-2021-1234767105/
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