To accurately gauge just how desperate Hollywood really is these days, one has to only see the recent string of summer movies release slated for release in 2007. There was a time when new films took original ideas, original scripts, and made them into magic. Magic that children remember even when they become adults and pass on to their own offspring. These days, however, it is becoming more and more apparent the overwhelming motive of making money as quickly as possible is taking over the notion to make a noteworthy film.

Just look at the trio of trilogy-enders released in May. Spider-Man 3, Shrek 3, and Pirates of the Caribbean 3 were all lauded as mediocre movies by movie reviewers and the general public everywhere. Yet all three movies were created with a solid foundation, as all three of the original films were highly successful in both the box office and the critic reviews.

But creating a movie legacy just isn’t as important as keeping the dough flowing into already-lined pockets anymore.

It’s no wonder why internet piracy and online downloading has reached such highs in recent year; who wants to pay eight to ten bucks, or more, to see an average movie? Instead of focusing on interesting plots and good acting, all the media seems to care about is the name of the movie. It should come as no surprise that those long-time fan favorite characters such as the Transformers and Nancy Drew have been created for and released this summer. And it was only going to be a matter of time before Hollywood convinced Bruce Willis to Die Hard again.

And the trend isn’t limited to just 2007. Jurassic Park is getting a fourth sequel made despite a drop in quality in the second and third installments from the first film. The Mummy franchise, with Brendan Frasier, is getting a re-launch despite the fact that the leading female star of the first two movies won’t be returning. Even the board game Monopoly is getting a feature film. Where will it end?

The fact is that nothing in popular culture is safe from Hollywood exploitation anymore. Studio executives will use any and all popular characters, concepts, and even movies of the past to draw in loyal fans. And they’ll do so without spending the time necessary to do the movie adaptation justice nine times out of ten.

Meanwhile, genuinely good movies get overlooked and the creative writers and directors out there get punished for not using marketable figures. It is a sad state of affairs for the entertainment industry when the majority of movies released are all flash and no substance. And the worst part is that moviegoers keep paying the price of admission, no matter how many times they leave disappointed.

And as we all should know by now, as long as it makes money it can be a franchise these days.