Profit over Passion: Hollywood’s Lazy Obsession With Film And Series Reboots
photo by ME/CFS SA, edited by lerato botha
By-line: Hollywood’s troubling obsession with remaking beloved films and series in often less-than-impressive ways brings to question the true intentions of major film production companies who tread the line between producing based on artistic integrity, or for a quick payday.
Film and series reboots are not a new phenomenon for Hollywood in the 2020s, and in fact have been going on for as long as films have been available for viewer consumption. Some of Hollywood’s biggest classics, such as Little Women, Pride and Prejudice, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Wizard of Oz, and more, are book-to-film adaptations, who themselves have continued to be reinterpreted for the big screen over the years.
It is indeed true that there have been some stellar film and series remakes over the recent years, some notable examples including: Greta Gerwig’s Little Women (2019), which in my personal opinion, is almost as good as Gillian Armstrong’s 1994 iteration. This, however, does not offset the fact that there are a few misses in the Little Women film and series adaptations that have been being reproduced from as early as 1933.
photo from Filmgrab (2019)
photo from Talk Film Society (1994)
Another example of a good revival is the 2020 series reboot of the John Cusack classic, High Fidelity (2000), featuring Zoe Kravitz taking on a gender-swapped version of Cusack’s original depiction of the iconic record store owner, Rob. The list goes on, with the honorary mention of The Dark Knight film series, 2022’s The Batman which public audiences have seemed to take a strong liking to, Denis Villenueve’s iteration of Dune (2019), and much more alike.
However, with a few exceptions, the 2010s most especially saw a growing number of reboots, which relied mostly on the likeability of their originals, instead of the actual quality of the content, to garner success. Most notably, childhood classics were being resurrected in fashions that were almost unrecognisable from the originals, especially in the form of animated cartoons being transformed into live action films.
For instance, most young adults and older teenagers today will be particularly familiar with the quirky teenager doubling as a spy, Kim Possible, who appeared on our screens regularly from 2002-2007. Despite the 2019 live action remake, Kim Possible: The Movie, receiving decent reviews from critics, the film was not well received by audiences, who rated it an average of 28% on Rotten Tomatoes.
photo from Entertainment Weekly
The attempt at an edgy Winx Club remake by Netflix also fell extremely flat with viewers, who were disappointed at how far the live-action series strayed from the original cartoon. A live action Powerpuff Girls movie was also set in motion, but after a script leak revealed an uncomfortable attempt at making an edgier version of the beloved series, the film was put on hold.
The Lion King (2019) remake, although not bad, as it almost completely mimicked the original but with a star-studded cast and hyper realistic CGI renderings of the characters , begged the question as to whether or not all these remakes and reboots are all that necessary. The argument that has been floated around to justify these remakes has been that they are made to cater to new audiences. I argue that classic shows and stories that have the staying power to transcend generations do not need to be rewritten, often poorly, to new audiences in pursuit of money, and not passion.
One of the most puzzling speculations about a reboot has been the rumoured remake about the critically acclaimed series Six Feet Under (2001-2005). Cited as having had one of the best series finales of all time, having tied every loose end and literally shown each character’s individual deaths, the thought of a reboot has stirred fans into a frenzy.
It is this attempt at reviving stories that have already been neatly tied away, that has launched social media discourse around the real intentions behind reboots, which most people have begun to believe is just a lazy attempt at reviving something that is already known to be popular, to make a profit. If this is the case, it explains the poor quality of these remakes.
However, to avoid being too cynical, there is still some hope for the remake sect of the film industry. As already mentioned, the recent Dune (2021), The Batman (2022) and Little Women (2019) films have done a great job at convincing audiences of the potential for greatness that reinterpretations of films from a place of passion can produce. Furthermore, in the anime world, the 2012 Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure reboot has done a decent job at capturing a new audience of anime lovers as well. One can only hope that if this remake trend persists, it follows the example of these films and series instead.
photo from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure