How Hollywood Should Revamp Movies

By Flash Steinbeiser

It’s no secret that Hollywood loves a reboot. When a franchise runs its course—or worse, runs itself into the ground (hey, Bat-Nipples)—a reboot can be the glorious reinvigoration it desperately needs. Fueled by the unforeseen layers that the reboot reveals, what was once a stale storyline can teem with new charisma. It’s just, Hollywood has barely figured that out.

Let’s turn the clocks back half a decade, when directors Chris Nolan and Jay Chandrasekhar skillfully pioneered the reboot era with Batman Begins and The Dukes of Hazard, respectively. Right on cue, Hollywood sniffed the blood of this blossoming concept and completely missed the point with thoughtless cash-ins like Ninja Turtles, Casino Royale, and The A-Team. And don't get me started on The Pink Panther—I expected more from you, Steve Martin. These weren’t invigorating re-imaginings of once-beloved tales, just carbon copied relics in a “modern setting”—aka bigger explosions, sleeker cars, and sexier actors. Yeah, I liked looking at Jessica Simpson’s Daisy Dukes as much as the next guy, but I pled for mercy every time Johnny Knoxville spewed that horrendous hillbilly accent.

But fret not, moviegoers. There’s one genre of film that does the reboot right and stands as the blueprint for all Hollywood revamps: comic book adaptations. I mean, these guys have it down to a science. Introducing new storylines, new relationships, and (gasp!) new costumes while respecting the core mythology elevates comic book reboots past their predecessors. Yes, the reboot concept in general is still pretty uninspired, and yeah, Hollywood should focus on crafting untapped ideas instead (who’s up for a Stilt-Man trilogy?). But consider this, Captain Integrity: were it not for the reboot, we’d be stuck with Arnold Schwarzenegger as our last memory of Batman. In fact, every spandex-inspired reboot—like Batman Begins, The Incredible Hulk, and X-Men: First Class—earned a higher approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes than the final installments of their previous series. ‘Nuff said.

As movie producers continue their swan dive into the sea of restarts and reimaginings, their best bet at not pissing off fans is sticking to the comic book recipe. Start from scratch, find a fresh angle, and for Pete Parker’s sake: Never use the phrase, “With great power, comes great responsibility” again.