Hollywood Is on a Roll — Backwards. Whatever Happened to Originality in Moviemaking?

I drove by my local drive-in theater (yes, they still exist) the other afternoon, and the first two words I saw on the billboard were “Superman” and “Jurassic.”

Let’s see: “Superman” as the comic hero appeared in 1938 to save everyone from FDR and the Great Depression (my take), and the first movie version 40 years later in 1978 (following the 1950s TV version). Since 1978, there have been 12 additional “Superman” flicks, including the current one.

PLAY THE AUDIO BY PUSHING BUTTON BELOW 

“Jurassic Park” the granddaddy came out in 1993, and since then there have been six further adaptations, including the latest one titled “Jurassic World Rebirth.”

Now, some of these repeats have no doubt been worthwhile, and others just money grabs. The point is that modern cinema has been taken over by feeding the 14-year-old in all of us, but don’t count me among those with a teen worldview when it comes to entertainment.

Anyway, if you don’t like “S” or “J,” just wait a bit for the comic heroes “The Fantastic Four” to take over a screen near you for the fifth time.

“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” will hit the popcorn circuit next Friday, July 25.

Can’t wait.