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Hollywood is redoing movies because they do not feel like doing something original or lack the ability. So much easier to do a remake.

True, but I blame the movie-going public for supporting the overabundance of remakes with their wallets more than I blame Hollywood. Since a large enough audience has demonstrated a willingness to pay for a movie that's already been made, why take a chance on an original film that might flop? Might as well rehash an old movie that proved successful in the past if most viewers have no interest in the original anyways. I'm one of those film snobs* that refuses to watch a remake. However, I accept that everyone has different reasons for watching movies.

I know a lot of people who have an aversion to watching old movies, regardless of quality and substance, because they don't like the look and feel of older films. They want to see modern special effects and the latest hot movie stars that they follow in entertainment news. A shallow attitude, imo, but people like what they like. It's this crowd that makes up a large portion of the remake audience. Also, there is a built-in audience for any remake of a film that has cult status. Hardcore fans of the original will go at least once, if only to confirm that the remake is an abomination. Then there's people like my best friend, who watches nearly every new movie that comes out, with an open mind and without expectations.

* Not really. I enjoy a lot of mindless screwball comedies and cheesy action flicks, dislike many of the great classics that are universally considered by film scholars to be among the best films ever made, and hate analyzing movies too deeply. I just don't see the point of remakes; I detest the idea of having a favorite classic reinterpreted in the context of contemporary sensibilities, nor would I bother to watch a newer version of a movie I didn't like much the first time.

I like remakes. For one thing some stories seem to take extra tries to get right (watch the first two tries at Maltese Falcon). For another I think they help bring an audience to the old movie (part of this is how the studios work, they didn’t put the original Oceans 11 out on DVD until they were making the remake). Thirdly good movies are rewatchable (hence the DVD market), and if it’s rewatchable it’s remakable. I own Last Man on Earth and love it, I own Omega Man and love, I’m going to see I am Legend Monday I’m hoping to love it.