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I just got finished reading the summary of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice on HitFlix, and here is what it says:

an innovative and epic comedy adventure about a sorcerer and his hapless apprentice who are swept into the center of an ancient conflict between good and evil.

Okay, as I recall from the original poem by Goethe, it is a story of a young man who tries to make his work easier by bringing a broom to life, and then he’s in a big mess. I’m pretty sure that I’ve seen a version with Mickey Mouse. However, if you watch the trailer, I see only one shot of the title character with his out-of-control mops.

Granted, the film looks pretty neat, and honestly, I probably would have watched it no matter what it was titled. However, this raises an important question: are we, as movie audiences, so in need of familiarity that we won’t see anything unless it has a title that catches our attention. I mean, look at all the films out that have been released with titles that are signal a tie to a franchise, but are in no way related to them.

Think back to Final Fantasy: The Spirit Within. Why was that movie called Final Fantasy? It has nothing to do with Final Fantasy: Advent Children or the video game series at all. Does Hollywood think we wouldn’t see a CG animated film called The Spirit Within? Think of how Disney has used the Pirates of the Caribbean, when it has little to do with its source material. Why did 20th Century Fox call what essentially was a good Will Smith robot action movie I, Robot? I personally liked the film, but it was really only “suggested” by Isaac Asimov.

In short, I think studios are banking that we will invest in a franchise, or something we have “at least heard of” before. However, familiarity breeds contempt, and what brings me much contempt is naming a movie after something that has been done before, and then make it not like it was done before. Just cut it out, please?

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