Deja view

Is it just me, or has Hollywood lost a ton of originality? I know, the golden days of movies with striking women, dashing men and new plotlines has been over for quite some time, but I can't help thinking that this summer season is a lot like watching repeats.\nMaybe I'm overcritical. But during my latest visit to the movie theater, I could say that every movie showing was either a sequel, a remake, adapted from a novel or touted as being like another movie.\nI went to see "The Da Vinci Code" -- a choppy, long movie based on some book you may have heard about. I'm also planning to see "X-Men: The Last Stand," which qualifies as both a sequel and a comic adaptation. What about "Mission Impossible III," a TV adaptation that also (hopefully) completes a trilogy?\nWell, if adaptations of other media aren't enough for you, let's go for "Poseidon," a crappy modern remake of a crappy 70s movie. Funny enough, if you watch this movie, you can watch a trailer for "Casino Royale," a remake of an adaptation of Ian Fleming's novel that introduced Bond, which is now revamped to introduce, well, Bond again. Coming to you in November!\nThis season you can also see "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," which was shot at the same time as the finale of the trilogy. Now, while "Pirates" wasn't based off a book, it was based off a ride that was copied in California, Paris and Tokyo. Speaking of Tokyo, someone in Hollywood decided that "The Fast and the Furious" really needed to become a trilogy. I want to kick that person in the shin.\nAll kicking aside, I'm eager to see "Superman Returns," which follows the storyline from Christopher Reeve's "Superman" and "Superman II," which both roughly followed canonical comic book lore. Don't worry, even before its release Warner Brothers has already commissioned -- guess what? A sequel! Coming at you, summer 2009!\nPersonally, I think that "Superman Returns" is just following the new formula of "Batman Begins," which will have its own sequel for summer 2008. Even the new "Batman" followed the formula of "Spiderman" and "Spiderman 2," with "Spiderman 3" coming at you in May 2007!\nI'm torn between two possibilities. Either the moviemakers in Hollywood have taken to heart the old adage of "Good writers borrow, great writers steal" -- or, possibly, corporate interest has taken hold so firmly that movies are being stamped out like the discs they're printed on.\nI gotta hand it to them, it's a great plan. Take a recognizable figure, a couple of famous actors for legitimacy, a successful format and slather on a creamy coating of CGI. Who can argue with success?\nI can't. I'm just as guilty as the rest of the horde that will go out and accept the regurgitated (but deliciously packaged) sequels of remakes of adaptations. America loves a success -- but not as much as a trilogy of successes!