In a scene in the new “Terminator” movie, Christian Bale gives an impassioned speech to fellow soldiers resisting Skynet’s control of Earth. The shot changes to show groups of men and women huddled around old radios to hear Bale’s words, looking concerned but hopeful. Behind them are computer-generated landscapes of cities reduced to twisted steel and crumbling concrete.

I’d like that image to set the tone for this week’s column. Like the pitiful humans of 2018, we’re struggling against a stronger and better-organized enemy whose lack of humanity makes it terrifying. Namely, the movie studios that make crappy additions to classic film franchises, like the new “Terminator.”

Our enemies don’t share Skynet’s objective to destroy the human race. Instead, they are motivated by greed. They know a new “Terminator,” “Star Wars” or “Indiana Jones” film is guaranteed an audience of fans so eager to see their favorite characters that they’ll watch the movie whether or not it’s any good. Instead of preserving the vision of the original, they make the movie with the same formula they use for all blockbuster action films: attractive young actors, lots of explosions and non-stop computer-generated special effects. If the minds behind the original film don’t want to join the effort, they continue without them.

This process is what made the new “Terminator” such a bland movie. Much of the original’s charm came from its gritty look. The actors looked and acted like real people getting real injuries. There was nothing ostentatious about the sets, the action scenes or the special effects. In contrast, the new film uses special effects to give each shot a breath-taking background. All the actors look like models, with gel in their hair and makeup on their faces. They rarely get hurt in any of the over-the-top action scenes. They have none of the vulnerability that made the first movie’s characters so appealing.

New franchise films are almost always bad, but what’s worst about them is that they offer no artistic value. The original films became classics because they were imaginative as well as entertaining. The new ones are, for the most part, nothing but Michael Bay films in alternate universes. If studios didn’t use so many resources for such movies they could make more modern classics.

Studios should think of new plots for movies instead of recycling old ones, but they won’t because it’s more difficult and expensive. That’s why I’m calling for a boycott of remakes and additions to old franchises. Instead of rewarding filmmakers for rehashing old stories, we should buy tickets for movies that show originality.

It won’t be easy – sometimes they charm you with a franchise addition that’s actually good, like the new “Star Trek.” Unfortunately, we don’t have the time machines humans use to fight Skynet in the future, or we could have prevented Jar-Jar Binks’ existence. But to quote Christian Bale, “Humans have a strength that can’t be measured.” With luck, we’ll be able to turn our soulless enemy into a pool of molten metal – symbolically, of course.

In a scene in the new “Terminator” movie, Christian Bale gives an impassioned speech to fellow soldiers resisting Skynet’s control of Earth. The shot changes to show groups of men and women huddled around old radios to hear Bale’s words, looking concerned but hopeful. Behind them are computer-generated landscapes of cities reduced to twisted steel and crumbling concrete.

I’d like that image to set the tone for this week’s column. Like the pitiful humans of 2018, we’re struggling against a stronger and better-organized enemy whose lack of humanity makes it terrifying. Namely, the movie studios that make crappy additions to classic film franchises, like the new “Terminator.”

Our enemies don’t share Skynet’s objective to destroy the human race. Instead, they are motivated by greed. They know a new “Terminator,” “Star Wars” or “Indiana Jones” film is guaranteed an audience of fans so eager to see their favorite characters that they’ll watch the movie whether or not it’s any good. Instead of preserving the vision of the original, they make the movie with the same formula they use for all blockbuster action films: attractive young actors, lots of explosions and non-stop computer-generated special effects. If the minds behind the original film don’t want to join the effort, they continue without them.

This process is what made the new “Terminator” such a bland movie. Much of the original’s charm came from its gritty look. The actors looked and acted like real people getting real injuries. There was nothing ostentatious about the sets, the action scenes or the special effects. In contrast, the new film uses special effects to give each shot a breath-taking background. All the actors look like models, with gel in their hair and makeup on their faces. They rarely get hurt in any of the over-the-top action scenes. They have none of the vulnerability that made the first movie’s characters so appealing.

New franchise films are almost always bad, but what’s worst about them is that they offer no artistic value. The original films became classics because they were imaginative as well as entertaining. The new ones are, for the most part, nothing but Michael Bay films in alternate universes. If studios didn’t use so many resources for such movies they could make more modern classics.

Studios should think of new plots for movies instead of recycling old ones, but they won’t because it’s more difficult and expensive. That’s why I’m calling for a boycott of remakes and additions to old franchises. Instead of rewarding filmmakers for rehashing old stories, we should buy tickets for movies that show originality.

It won’t be easy – sometimes they charm you with a franchise addition that’s actually good, like the new “Star Trek.” Unfortunately, we don’t have the time machines humans use to fight Skynet in the future, or we could have prevented Jar-Jar Binks’ existence. But to quote Christian Bale, “Humans have a strength that can’t be measured.” With luck, we’ll be able to turn our soulless enemy into a pool of molten metal – symbolically, of course.

Weinberg senior Richard Webner can be reached at [email protected].