Reboots: Successes and Failures
Reboots are something we (as a generation) are very accustomed to. The rebranding of successful franchises has seen the movie magic from classics bought back years later to be loved all over again- not only by their original fans, but for a whole new audience.
The all-too-familiar superhero reboot
When someone mentions reboot, my first thought is immediately Spiderman, every time. Tobey Maguire played our original action hero back in the early 2000s, followed by Andrew Garfield sporting the red and blue suit from 2012. Our most recent reboot (third time lucky?) really gave Tom Holland his name in Hollywood, and deservingly so. Why has the most recent reboot been the arguably most successful? I would place it down to Tom Hollands involvement in the MCU, one of the biggest franchises in film (despite its recent flop era, the Spider-Man films will always be popular and anticipated).
The comic book baseline for storylines, friends, and villains ensures a rich amount of already popular content for movie adaptations to sail off, and that’s why D.C. does this so well too. Batman is another extremely iconic superhero to have seen many actors fill the role - from Lewis Wilson back in 1943 to the most recent Robert Pattinson instalment (2022), with Ben Affleck and Christian Bale being massive names under the character also. When debating the success of each Batman reboot, I find the reasonable answer to be Christian Bale’s trilogy, with 2008’s The Dark Knight being highest grossing of them all (not to mention being directed by the one and only Christopher Nolan). However, Robert Pattinson’s take on the vigilante was re-imagined well, taking a more gothic and unseen approach, and so I highly anticipate seeing him and his villains in the upcoming movies.
Modern spins on classics
The recent success of Dune: Part 2 brings this franchise to the forefront of my mind when discussing reboots. The original Dune was released in 1984, based off of the 1965 novel by Frank Herbert. The re-telling of this story has allowed it to be enjoyed by a whole new audience and generation, promoted even further by the very relevant casting of current faces in acting today - such as the wildly popular Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya. The Sci-Fi genre is one of the best to take a modern twist to due to the advancements in film technology like VFX and CGI. We’ve even received a spin off TV-show, Dune: Prophecy, which provides more background on our main movie storyline.
Another franchise in the Sci-Fi genre producing a well-received re-boot is The Planet of the Apes. The original (again based on a book) was released in 1968, with actors being dressed up in special effects makeup to look like the titular apes. The 2011 Rise of the Planet of the Apes sees the re-imagined primates using modern CGI, opposed to the previous humans in fur suits. This reboot is still going strong with the newest instalment, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, released earlier this year in May.
Upcoming projects
With the recent release of the How to Train Your Dragon trailer, there is a lot of hype around this reboot of the animated original. I remember being taken to the cinema to see the original back in 2010 and falling in love with Toothless, just like everyone else. Even more recently, watching the trilogy at WSC, back-to-back, was an amazing experience shared with everyone in L3. I know many people who are excited for this live-action, and I count myself one of them. Some, however, are very critical of the casting, scrutinising the actors down to hair and eye colour, but what is the point of a reboot if it’s going to bring nothing new to story? Remakes allow for the creative interpretation of new directors, producers, writers, and actors, and we should anticipate a new take on the story. However, I do feel like this remake may be unnecessary. The animation is exactly what allows for the freedom to make the magic behind the mythical story, imagining the dragons and exaggerating characters precisely how they want without the limitations of live action. I am very excited though to see the actors’ takes on the characters though, such as Mason Thames and Nico Parker, as well as the twins who I’ve heard were an extremely funny auditioning pair.
An upcoming reboot which nobody asked for is HBO's Harry Potter. Set to begin filming next summer and aiming for a 2026 debut for season 1, this show will be executively produced by ‘she-who-shall-not-be-named’. The cast for the original films is irreplaceable, and there is no argument about it. Daniel Radcliffe is Harry, and Emma Watson is Hermione. Many have been asking for an extension of the story, such as a marauders plot line, but following the flop that was the Fantastic Beasts spin off, I doubt we’ll receive any new stories again. The problem with Hollywood recently is that they seem to be sticking to what they know, and we’ve been receiving more remakes than ever before. We’re in an oversaturated market of movies and as much as reboots seem to work (repeatedly playing on the nostalgia of the audience), it does raise the concern of lack of originality.
To conclude, many reboots re-spark the movie magic of their originals and bring the stories to new audiences, as well as re-inspiring old fans. Modern retellings eternalise classics by adjusting them to current generations, playing to the fresh actors and recent tech available to them. It’s hard to say whether upcoming projects will be a hit or not, but nostalgia is a hard emotion to turn your back on, and so whilst projects like HBO’s Harry Potter may be highly criticised, they’ll also undoubtably receive a massive turn-out and attention.