7 Key Mistakes Upcoming Movie Reboots Must Avoid
Can they avoid the obvious pitfalls and better what's come before?
It’s no secret that we’re in the age of the remake. Sometimes it seems like all the capable screenwriters in Hollywood have been locked away, only to be released around award season. This isn’t to say that reboots are always a bad thing. If handled with care, it’s great to see a classic brought up to date by those with a real reverence for the source material.
Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case.
The word ‘reboot’ itself has become an almost derogatory term where movies are concerned. This is mostly down to such abysmal messes as 2010’s Clash of the Titans and the wild journey into Nicolas Cage’s psychosis that was inexplicably meant to be a rehash of cult classic The Wicker Man.
Many remakes fall into the trap of trying to recapture the magic of the original instead of putting their own stamp on the story but the majority fail due to being so misguided that the audience has to check their ticket on the way out to remind themselves what they’ve just watched.
With so much riding on the nostalgia value of originals worthy of rebooting, it’s no surprise that there are plenty of chances to screw up...
7. The Mummy – Being Too Serious
The original Mummy series has become fondly remembered as a highly enjoyable, if totally inaccurate, romp through ancient Egyptian mythology. There was something in these movies for everyone: horror, comedy and a decent amount of sand-based action.
Essentially, they didn’t take themselves too seriously. The main evidence of this is that Brendan bloody Fraser was cast as an action hero...
Unfortunately, it seems that this crucial aspect of what elevated the originals from B-movie action garbage to a successful franchise has been forgotten by the new team.
While Tom Cruise has been known to let his hair down (think Tropic Thunder dance moves), the trailers suggest his version of The Mummy is set to become another cut and paste action fest with a lot of running and wild-eyed shouting. Speaking of, half of the YouTube videos referencing The Mummy remake are literally Cruise screaming for over ten seconds.
The creative team are pretty much creating a Mission Impossible movie with ghouls instead of gadgets but did they really have to attach it to this franchise? Judging by what has been released seen so far, they could have made it about werewolves or vampires and it wouldn’t really have mattered a great deal – here’s hoping that they add some levity to the proceedings.
The main point here point is: Mummies aren’t the most exhilarating of movie monsters and a po-faced approach to tackling a creature that Scooby Doo could, and frequently did, unravel to reveal a cranky butler will sink faster than a sarcophagus in quicksand.