My Thoughts On TV & Movie Reboots

Lately, one of the biggest trends in television and movies are reboots of beloved classics. If it already wasn’t enough that most movies get numerous (and usually not so good) sequels and TV shows having multiple spin offs, now we’ve moved on to something else which is reboots. It seems that Hollywood doesn’t know how to come up with any unique or original content anymore. Rarely do you see any movies or television shows today that are completely original or aren’t already based off a published book (that’s a separate issue for another post).

My personal thoughts about this topic? Just leave it alone! I understand Hollywood tries to reboot beloved series and films in order to appease/create a new generation of fans, but in doing so they isolate and ruin it for fans of the original piece. I can’t tell you how many times I’m reading online articles and seeing commercials that say a show or film is being brought back once again, and most of the time my reaction is sour. Let good things be!

I won’t lie and say that I don’t get excited about some comebacks, but I am usually often left disappointed after viewing them. One example is the most recent Powerpuff Girls cartoon reboot. The original series was the cartoon highlight of my childhood that presented a trio inspiring female superheros.

The show is about three girls named Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup who live in the fictional city of Townsville, USA and help fight local criminals and villains by using their superpowers. The show is a staple in pop culture plus it was such an awesome example of a “girl power” cartoon of the 90’s (and early 2000’s). After the series ended in 2005, the show was revived in an anime spin-off in 2006, a TV special in 2014, and finally its most recent comeback in 2016 only to be reduced to this…

The show made a complete 360 with its newest comeback. They got rid of all the original voice actors, the original creator, Craig McCracken, didn’t take part in this reboot, and while the animation is different it’s kind of crappy as it’s not very consistent. Gone are the sweet and sassy preschoolers of old only to be replaced with girls who are now twerking with crazed pandas? What happened?! I do understand that sometimes in order to introduce a nostalgic show to a new generation of viewers one may use current influences, trends, and idioms, but what happened to PPG? I think for the most part why I don’t like the reboot is that the writing is sub par and the content isn’t as entertaining anymore.

I also agree with Saberspark’s argument as well, see here.

On the flip side, one reboot I did enjoy as far as movies go is Fright Night.

Fright Night is a 1985 American horror film which film follows young Charley Brewster, who discovers that his next-door neighbor, Jerry Dandrige, is a vampire. When no one believes him, Charley decides to get Peter Vincent, a TV show host who acted in films as a vampire hunter, to stop Jerry’s killing spree. I loved the original as well as the newer version. While the original is a bit more cheesy (at times) and comedic, the newer version is a lot darker making it an even scarier horror movie.

The reboot loosely follows the plot of the original film, but puts on spin on it by changing parts of the story as well as changing the characteristics of the characters. The writing is solid, the actors and actresses do a terrific job of portraying the story, and it does justice to the original film. I like both films equally for different aspects.

My final verdict? I still don’t like reboots, but I have to admit some are actually produced very well. Some of the keys things are needed for a good reboot are:

• Solid writers
• Taking the piece in a new direction, but still making sure there is still a tie to the original
• Using the original actors/actresses and bringing in new faces
• Making it appeal to both new & old audiences, and not favoring one over the other

I feel that reboots are not the long-term solution to bringing exciting content to movies or TV shows. Most shows like Little House on the Prairie or movies like The Breakfast Club should just be left alone period. I also feel that reboots happen because some people have a biased idea of looking at older media. They feel like that it won’t be as good because it’s old or is not 100% relevant to today’s society. I think people who think like this could be bit more open-minded and media execs can stop digging stuff up from the grave and leave it alone. On the other hand, I also know that some reboots do introduce a newer a generation to classics that they aren’t familiar with.

Reboots are not only limited to movies and TV. but spans across a wide variety of media. But for the sake of this post, I’m only focusing on movies & TV.

What is the best and the worst reboot you have ever seen in movies/TV? Do you like or dislike reboots? Comment below and share your thoughts. I’d love to know what you think about this topic. 🙂