I'm a Fan of Reboots

Well, I'm going to lose some serious nerd cred, but I'm just going to say it...I'm a fan of reboots. I also don't mind remakes. That's right, the guy who complains about so much and yet so little, actually likes reboots. Why, you might ask. Well, let's see if you noticed this little tidbit the last couple weeks. One of the most talked about original movies of the year is Sharknado starring Tara Reid and the Dad from Home Alone. Sure it is a TV science fiction cheese-fest, but it's an original idea.  And since it wasn't another studio reboot, a low-budget cheesy sci-fi flick became a nationwide phenomenon.

Lately, originality hasn't flourished. Last year one of my favorite movies with an original script was Looper and this year that honor goes to Pacific Rim...and if I actually paid close attention to the story, plot, character development, or even the proper use of science fiction logic (they develop the rules in their universe...they should follow those rules!), I should honestly despise both of these movies...but I don't. Why? Because they are original ideas and not reboots....so I'm a fan of reboots because it makes me more acceptable of poorly written original stories.

I'm a fan of reboots because it doesn't require time travel or multi-verse explanations to create continuity throughout films. Next year, the X-Men franchise will attempt to tie all their movies together with X-Men: Days of Future Past. I have no idea how they plan on doing that...other than the time travel plot with Wolverine's conscience that was previewed at this year's Comic-Con.  Who knows if it'll work...but if it doesn't, what's next?  At least Sony just threw their first Spider-Man franchise under the proverbial bus and came out with a new franchise. One that's different, yet the same. And fans flocked to the theater to watch the new franchise which has a sequel slated for next summer. No time travel. No multiple universes. Just a new actor in a new suit. And they added the word AMAZING on the title so people wouldn't get confused. Proof that reboots can work.

I'm a fan of reboots because the franchises that I loved as a kid like Planet of the Apes, Robocop, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Conan the Barbarian/Destroyer can all be revisited and compared to their new shittier counterparts. I'm a fan of remakes because the movies that had issues like Judge Dredd, Total Recall, Red Dawn, and American version of Godzilla can be given another chance to flourish. If they choose to squander that chance, that's up to the studio. I'm a fan of re-imaging a franchise too...Star Trek has been quite successful doing that. Even Bond was re-imagined with Casino Royale. 

I'm a fan of remakes because I love movies. And some movies happened before I was born, so the only way I know about them is because of remakes. Ocean's 11, the Italian Job, the Fly, True Grit, and even Scarface were all remakes. I'm not the type of person who watches old films...I know shocker right? I'm lazy and I prefer the new shiny version than watching a world that lacks color or high definition for that matter. Also, old TV shows like Starsky & Hutch, Dark Shadows, Mission Impossible, or 21 Jump Street have all been re-imagined and remade for the big screen. I wasn't old enough to care when these shows originally aired, but the movies brought light to some characters that I would have otherwise never known.  And how could we forget about foreign films that I never would have watched that are remade and Americanized...and shown to me in all their nationalized glory. I'm a fan of remakes because Hollywood keeps shoving the same material in my face in a new way...just like when my mom made airplane noises when she shoved that spoonful of peas down my throat.

I'm a fan of reboots because I like reading the fanboy outcries fueling the internet and seeing the internet trolls respond ever so eloquently about these new versions of popular movies being made. Comments like "It'll be a flop", "the original was the real deal", "you can't improve perfection", or my personal favorite "they'll ruin the sanctity of my youth."  These people actually believe that a reboot will travel back in time and destroy their memories of their favorite movie characters...Terminator style.  Since Hollywood lacks originality, they should keep churning out reboots and remakes so that I can be entertained daily by internet forums blasting these ideas.

Perhaps I need therapy, but for now my name is still Jesse, and I'm a fan of reboots, remakes, and re-imagining of familiar characters. Nerd on.