You might have read somewhere that a movie based on the Monopoly board game is in the works, to be directed by Sir Ridley Scott (no, really!). Did you also know that they’re making a movie based on Stretch Armstrong? No foolin’! Every so often, we say that creativity in Hollywood has truly hit its nadir, and every year we’re wrong.
It’s not so bad once you realize that Hollywood is not in the business of making good movies and never has been. No sir, they’re in the business of making money, and the two concepts don’t always go hand in hand. For every Iron Man, there’s an Elektra; for every Dark Knight, there’s a Catwoman. You can’t underestimate the stupidity of the American public when it comes to entertainment. Now, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, though it seems like it is. We like dumb movies. Indiana Jones movies are kind of dumb, right? They’re escapist movies, that’s all, nothing wrong in that. So there’s a miniscule chance that these game/toy movie adaptations will be dumb-funny. But there’s also a huge chance they’ll be dumb-dumb, too.
