I don't know about you, but I'm just about done with Hollywood's obsession with rebooting things we loved 20 years ago. I mean honestly, is anything sacred?
I can't deny that there is great power in nostalgia, but when will enough be enough? "Jumanji," "Flatliners," "The Mummy" and "It" were just some of the reboots released in 2017. Now I'm not saying these are bad movies, ("It" was actually pretty amazing) but what happened to the value in an original concept?
When I look at all the books I've read in the past year, I can't help but think to myself why aren't we adapting some of those, instead of remaking a movie that was already good. I suppose this explains my extreme hype levels over adaptations like "The Handmaid's Tale," "Ready Player One" and the upcoming "Sharp Objects".
Now maybe it isn't the worst thing in the world to take ourselves back and reinvent concepts we already love, but how oversaturated will the market be before we've got nostalgia inspired nausea?
This ideology that people will buy into anything they've loved before is also evident in the gross amount of sequels released in recent years. They even make sequels to things we didn't even know needed a sequel (ie: "Pirates of the Caribbean"). Is there no merit in the age old concept of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"?
Perhaps 2018 will bring about the death of the reboot, but something tells me that's only wishful thinking. Hollywood knows as long as they can drum up those memories, they'll be taking your money.
There is some positivity to be found in re-imaginations, the fun and crazy cousin of the reboot. "Riverdale," "Battlestar Galactica" and other shows have found success in taking characters we know and love, flipping them on their heads and creating a whole new universe in which they exist.
So sure, maybe the reboot isn't the worst thing to happen to the movies, but I'm certainly not itching for more.
In all honesty, this corporate placation of our fondest memories expands beyond even film and television. We are constantly being targeted t-shirts with our favorite 90's cartoon characters and collectibles produced to drum up the collector in all of us, especially with such high sentimental value.
South Park surely pointed it out best with Member Berries. A slap in the face to all of us who buy every new Star Wars toy, see midnight screenings of "Power Rangers" and get too excited when we hear they are making "Ghostbusters" with an all female cast, even when it sucks. Here's to hoping 2018 brings a wave of new storylines and characters we can fall in love with for the first time.