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    Thursday, April 25, 2024

    It's the '80s again!

    I love the ’80s, but, really, this is too much.

    This week, three movies are opening that are remakes of films made in the 1980s.

    The unholy trinity are: “Endless Love,” a new version of the 1981 release; “About Last Night,” 1986; and “RoboCop,” 1987.

    We all know that Hollywood has gotten lazy, chasing dollars by reviving old titles. If they’re not churning out a remake, it’s a sequel or a prequel. But, even considering those weirdly regurgitative tendencies, this week’s trio is a particular low point in terms of creativity.

    “Endless Love” wasn’t good to begin with, and early reviews say this version hasn’t upped the quality.

    The original Paul Verhoeven-Peter Weller “RoboCop” was actually quite effective, so why bother trying to create something that will be measured against that?

    “About Last Night” is the only one of these three that merits a second chance, in part because the original movie was okay but had a lot more potential than was realized and in part because this new version features a black cast, so it brings something new to the table. Any time you can get Kevin Hart in a movie, do it!

    Will we be consigned to more 1980s makeovers in the future? Probably. I mean, if studios learned nothing from the ill-fated remake of “Footloose,” they won’t learn at all.

    Best thing we can do as moviegoers is turn out for films that are new and different and have some original thought behind them. Our only power seems to lie in our ticket-buying choices.

    What do you think of this trio of remakes?

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