The common trend for Hollywood over the past decade plus, has been to remake products from long ago. Rarely have mainstream audiences been presented with truly new material. Instead, we pay our $10 (if you're fortunate enough to live in a reasonable market) to see a copy and paste which in many cases doesn't paste well.
These remakes tend to be disappointing to the purist fans of the originals and add nothing new to the movie going experience.
Look at Robocop's remake. The original is awesome. It is an 80's action movie with some memorable scenes and a message to society that can be completely overlooked if you don't want thought in your shoot-em-ups. Very straightforward and satisfying.
The remake is not that. I do like the remake. I do NOT like that it's a remake. Had this movie been titled, Police Officer Robot, I would have been much more satisfied. Instead, I was forced to compare a classic model that has sentimental value to a vehicle with hot new features.
I shouldn't have to compare. If Hollywood is running out of ideas, fine. Feel free to dip into the classics and punch them up. Just don't tell me you're doing it. I'll be far more pleased if I say, "that was a lot like Robocop" than "that was not the Robocop I remember."
I guess a lot of movies have become franchises now. It is a business after all. And you also have the argument of newer generations coming into the market all the time, ones that are not too curious to get acquainted with old movies, so they need a fresh production to stimulate their interest.
There's no need for the new generations to get acquainted with old movies like Overboard, for example. Make the fresh product for the new generation, Hollywood. Slap a different title on the package, is all I'm asking for.
I think stories with the same old cliches under different character names are constantly being regurgitated by Hollywood anyway. At least with the sequels they're being honest about coming up with nothing new.
Nevertheless, I don't think I can name too many sequels that were close in value to the original.