The Rocky Horror Picture Show is one of those movies you just can't mess with. And for over 40 years, nobody did. Until last Thursday.
That's right, FOX's highly-advertised, long-anticipated reboot of Rocky Horror finally made its television debut. Maybe you watched it and, having no great emotional attachment to the original, enjoyed it. Maybe you missed it because, having no great emotional attachment to the original, you just didn't care. Maybe you do understand the sacredness of the original, so missed it to spare yourself the mess FOX was sure to make of it.
Or maybe, like you me, you watched it cringing the whole time as FOX messed with a movie that should. Not. Be. Messed. With.
Regardless of whether or not you've seen Rocky Horror, you've heard of it. The movie has been a cult classic for decades, and a unique culture has sprung up around its viewing. Perhaps the most famous mention of "live" Rocky Horror Picture Shows is made in the fictional novel, The Perks Of Being A Wallflower. But live shows are anything but fictional.
However, seeing Rocky Horror Picture show live is completely different than seeing any other show live. Yes, there are actors. Yes, there are props. But you always watch the original movie.
A live Rocky Horror Picture Show is put on using shadow casting. Actors act out what's on the screen as the movie plays in the background. And there's a ton of audience participation.
In case you were wondering, that's why the remake would sometimes randomly pan to scenes of an audience cheering. They were trying to reference the shadow casting culture of Rocky Horror by breaking the fourth wall. Poorly.
The thing about Rocky Horror, compared to other recent TV remakes, like Grease or The Sound of Music, is that it's not a stage show, like these other ones are. Grease and The Sound of Music are both iconic movies, but they're also both still put on by high schools and other theatre groups. No one would ever put on Rocky Horror because its too freaking weird.
That's why releasing a remake was such a big deal. It's never been done before.
And it really could have been done better.
One major way it might have been done better is if it didn't try so hard to be the original. It was clear that all the actors, from Laverne Cox as Frank N. Furter, to Reeve Carney who played Riff Raff, were trying to be the original cast. And let's be real, only Tim Curry can rock Frank N. Furter's platform heels the way they were meant to be.
No offense to Laverne Cox of course, who actually did a great job portraying Frank N. Furter. She seemed to be one of the only cast members who actually got into her role and had fun with it. Tim Curry, on the other hand, who appeared as the narrator, gave the impression of being horrified by what FOX was doing to his most iconic movie.
Casting Laverne Cox, an openly transexual woman, as Frank N. Furter, a transvestite, does seem like a bit of an odd choice. There is a clear and important difference between transvestite and transexual and equating them, as FOX's casting choice could be seen as doing, could be offensive. Obviously Cox didn't take it that way, as she clearly had a great time playing Frank N. Furter, but I still would have liked to see FOX twist some of her lines or songs around to better represent her identity.
There is no question that some other casting choices were spot on, though. Victoria Justice did a great job as Janet, and Adam Lambert played a perfect Eddie.
However, while the cast spent too much effort on staying true to the original, the costumes, set, and choreography did not spend enough. The aesthetic of the remake was nowhere close to that of the original. It was clear from the cast and costumes that the remake was going for a somewhat updated version. But they didn't go all the way.
The set was very modern. Yet, Brad's and Janet's outfits were still practically out of the original. Many of the other costumes seemed to be from the peak of 90s grunge. Or else the characters (here's looking at you, Riff Raff and Columbia) looked emo. Which suggests a stereotyping of the audience. Rocky Horror is beloved by all kinds of people, not just emo and former emo kids. FOX should have either tried to preserve the original 70s vibe or gone for a complete update.
Finally, let's talk about the choreography. Did it remind you of high school musical? That's because it was choreographed by the same person. I thought something was off about the Time Warp...
However, there is something to be learned from the Rocky Horror Picture Show remake: That you shouldn't mess with cult classics.
