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We were watching television last night and a commercial for a movie came on. As I watched it, I commented that the story was just a ripoff of Total Recall, a 1990 movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Guess what? They’re remaking Total Recall. Now, I’m not saying it’s a bad movie. In fact, it’s a pretty engaging story. A man thinks he’s just an average Joe, but turns out to be a secret agent whose entire life is a fabrication implanted in his brain. Interesting.
BUT. When there are SO MANY great stories, do we really need to see this one made into a movie AGAIN? Oh, I know, storytelling is basically a rehashing of the same storylines over and over. The seven standard plots include:

  • man vs. nature
  • man vs. man
  • man vs. the environment
  • man vs. machines/technology
  • man vs. the supernatural
  • man vs. self
  • man vs. god/religion

I’m thinking Total Recall is primarily man vs. man with a little man vs. technology thrown in. But just because we tell the same stories over and over again, can’t we tell them differently? Sure, it’s Hollywood, which is even more about money than other industries in the business of telling stories. But that’s no excuse. All I’m asking is that Hollywood find a good story and help tell it. I’ll watch Arnold on Netflix if I need a refresher on this one.