It's definitely not you, brother. Originality is most certainly dead, but that can't be avoided. Just like in literature or any other artform. With the changing times, the best we could hope for is to stand on the shoulders of giants that came before us. Even those we feel are original may be just a copy of things done in the past, even if it's unintentional.
Talking about mainstream media, their products seem formulaic because they are. With the enormous investment they put in, they would rather go for what has worked before rather than experiment on something radically new. Sure, some still risk it, and while some succeed, a lot of other fail. Miserably, at that. Independent movies have more leeway because they seem like they have nothing to lose. A few pay off, and receive the due recognition, but a lot of others just fizzle out into obscurity.
It's a sad fact, but we can't fault these moneymaking juggernauts. They have the means, and they can do whatever they want since the audience just gobble it up. If there would be a collective disapproval, rendering their film a box office bomb, then they would most certainly go back to the drawing board. But, if they profit from something, they won't ever stop hacking at it until everyone is saturated.
Hey, my brother!
Thanks you for your pearls of wisdom! Haven't we seen very conceivable plot-line already? From romance to action to horror. All encompassing, my bro. How many times can we be fed the same story in a different way? And that problem also exists for us as authors. Coming up with new and inventive ways to tell our stories can be quite a daunting task.
But in terms of movie-making, they have the blueprints to work from. Namely, Marvel, DC and Star Wars. Almost unending threads leading to numerous branching story arcs. The possiblities are endless and don't get me wrong, they've been doing a stellar job. But when does that saturation point kick in? Maybe it'll take decades, who knows? But one thing looks certain. As far as mainstream movies are concerned, this looks like it's got as good as it's gonna get.
Thank you, my bro!
Personally, as someone whose originally from comic books, I don't mind it being brought to life. I do take some offense whenever they lean on a protocol. There's a balance that must be struck there, and I just hope that they anticipate it before people get saturated.
We drew the short end of the stick. Even if we feel we like we've stumbled upon an original idea, there is already someone out there who will think that it's derivative. The best that we could do is to innovate as best as we could, so as not to grow stale. You're a master of that, so following your example is a good first step :)
Oh yes, my bro! The quality of these latest comic book adaptations is top notch. However all the "creative" work has been done for them. Innovation is key, as you say! But when that'll take a proprietary role in regards to mainstream cinema, is another matter altogether.