3 Reboots Which Shouldn't Happen (But Probably Will...)
The Amazing Spider-Man got me thinking this week. Movie franchises are very rarely successfully rebooted, with the red and blue webswinger acting as the current exception to the rule. With talk of rebooting Batman after The Dark Knight Rises, as well as giving the already awful Twilight Saga a fresh beginning after Breaking Dawn Part II, how much further will movie executives go to squeeze their last buck out of a series?
With that in mind here are three franchises which, in my opinion, should be left well enough alone.
Back To The Future
To sum up Steven Spielberg's hilarious trilogy in a word, Back to the Future is 'fun.' The series is one of the most beloved science fiction franchises of all time, aided by the hilarious duo of Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd as Marty McFly and Doc Brown. The first instalment is my favourite, with Marty travelling back to the past to warn Doc of his impending death at the hands of terrorists. Inadvertantly meeting teenage incarnations of his parents, Marty is sucked into a complicated scenario in which he must ensure his mother falls in with his father. To complicate matters even further, Marty's mother falls in love with him! Marty has to try and rectify the situation whilst finding a way to get 'back to the future.'
| This kind of comic duo can't be recreated |
There should not be a reboot, by any means, because Back to the Future is hugely entertaining the way it is. However, if it did happen the only positive thing that could come out of it would be an improvement in the special effects. There is simply no replacement for Michael J. Fox's Marty McFly. Some upcoming Disney wannabe (ala Justin Bieber) would probably be cast as Marty, whereas Doc's role would be taken up by some desperately slipping comedian. Or Johnny bloody Depp.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Bueller? Bueller? Bueller? In a recent car commercial during the Super Bowl, Matthew Broderick reprised his Ferris Bueller persona. This led to rumours of a sequel to the 80's classic Ferris Bueller's Day Off, with Broderick playing an older Ferris who is settled down with a family. Sadly it was not to be. The original lives on as one of the happiest, most inspiring teen flicks ever and any kind of reboot would simply fail to capture a similar spirit. It's a very simple premise: Ferris Bueller is an American high-schooler who fancies a day off. Faking an illness, he stays in bed until his parents and sister leave, at which point he persuades his genuinely ill friend Cameron to take his dad's ferrari out for a drive. Dodging the school principal and heading off to downtown Chicago, Ferris, Cameron and Ferris's girlfriend Sloane find that being free for just a day can offer a lifetime of happiness to look back on it.
| Today's life lesson: looking moody. |
A reboot could, and probably will, happen. If it does, I sincerely hope that Matthew Broderick is involved in some way. Obviously he's far too old to play Ferris again (unless in a sequel), but his creative input was a major factor in the production of the first movie. There was such a huge level of innocence and mischievous fun in the script, and the fun knew no bounds. The remake would have to capture this, and that's something I'm afraid it couldn't replicate no matter how hard it tried. Unfortunately, the cast would ultimately comprise of Hollywood cliches. Taylor Lautner would get hit with the impossible task of recreating Broderick's comical 'lessons of life' in an attempt to bring in an excited female audience, while Michael "I'm so awkward" Cera would be his geeky, awkward friend Cameron. J.K Simmons (famed for his sarcasm and cynicism in Spider-Man) would be the principal tracking Ferris down, and Amanda Seyfried would turn down the role of Sloane, prompting the movie studio to offer the part to Megan Fox. Great.
Batman (at least not for another decade)
Batman has been redefined by Christopher Nolan (read my previous posts relating to the subject and you'll see why I think Nolan's Batman is the best). Any reboot following his vision of Gotham would, put simply, suck in comparison. There are rumours that Ryan Reynolds is in talks to play the Dark Knight when Warner Bros. reboot the franchise after The Dark Knight Rises.
| Even Delboy and Rodney would struggle. |
Please, no. Just no. Don't get me wrong, I like Ryan Reynolds as much as the next guy. He was good in Green Lantern, it was just unfortunate that the movie itself sucked. His performance in Marvel's Blade series was also surprisingly good, however I feel his acting style is much more suited to comedies. Christian Bale is the definitive Batman (for now), and Ryan Reynolds just does not have the personality, the screen dominance or the ability to portray such a conflicted, multi-layered character. Sorry Ryan.
As for the movie itself, if whoever is hired to direct tries to recreate Christopher Nolan's dark, gritty atmosphere it would simply feel like a mediocre tribute act to a legendary band. The rest of the casting would depend on which way the franchise
wants to go and which characters are included. There are a wealth of characters from Batman's comic stories that weren't included in Nolan's movies. Poison Ivy, Mr Freeze, The Penguin and even Batman's sidekick Robin are up for grabs. As for the characters portrayed in Nolan's trilogy, we have the likes of the Joker - surely there
will be no better incarnation than Heath Ledger's. Alfred? Michael Caine
has just played him. Beat that. Ra's al Ghul? Liam Neeson. You see the problem now.
| Someone try and top this. I dare you. |
Where does that leave us with a Justice League movie? Well, if the plans are really coming to fruition of an Avengers-style team-up between DC Superheroes (Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman etc...), perhaps we could save Batman's introductory movie until last. Let him be the gateway into the human, grounded world that we know whilst all these intergalactic superheroes are finding their way to Earth from space. All we can do is wait and see for now.
The Amazing Spider-Man has, well, amazed audiences this week with its surprisingly excellent reboot of the well loved webswinging hero. This is a spectacular exception to the rule, and I personally hope that Hollywood doesn't get caught up in the euphoria and start rebooting everything that moves.
You can read my full review of The Amazing Spider-Man below, and check back to Movies Under the Microscope next week for a review of The Dark Knight Rises.
By Dean Johnstone
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