Most people enjoy a nice and relaxing family TV night. Let’s imagine on this particular night you turn on the TV and click through the channels before seeing the title Girl Meets World flash across the screen. You sigh as the impending “back in my day” speech by your parents creeps nearer and nearer and before you know it, your dad is telling you about his middle school crush on Topanga Lawrence and your mom is going on about how TV just “isn’t how it used to be.” Sometimes it can be hard not to roll your eyes in dismay at your parents’ dismissal of all things new but it is important to remember the actual successes of a new generation of TV and film. Contrary to the claims of your parents, reboots and remakes are a highly acclaimed category of film that should not be so easily brushed aside. 

Reboots often catch a bad rep in the media and in the typical person’s eye but sometimes there is a movie or TV show reboot/remake that redefines the original and allows for a new generation to enjoy it. For example, Jumanji (1995) is a beloved fantasy adventure starring the talents of Robin Williams, Kirsten Dunst, Bonnie Hunt, David Alan Greir, and Jonathan Hyde. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) continues the legacy of the franchise, over 20 years after its predecessor, through comedy and great modernization of an already marvelously adventurous story. The remake/sequel, Jumanji: The Next Level (2019), is just another example of an incredible addition to the story. The 2017 and 2019 renditions star some of the funniest talents in Hollywood at the moment and create a perfect comedy for a new generation to enjoy. When a reboot is done right, it can have even more of an impact than the original. 

Time and time again, remakes such as Home Alone 3 (1997) and Ghostbusters: Answer The Call (2016) reinforce the idea that originals should be left alone and not tampered with. I strongly disagree with this stance. It is because remakes and reboots are so hard to master that they are so special when successful. This may lead someone to question, “what makes a good remake?” and there is no one single answer for that. Nostalgia is a heavy emotion that the entertainment industry plays off of very often but it alone is not strong enough to hold together a reboot. When a remake hinges on callbacks to the original for the sake of nostalgia it ruins the merit of the reboot as a standalone piece of art. This is not entirely impossible though. Take Cobra Kai (2018-) as an example. The show is a sequel to The Karate Kid  movies and continuously uses footage from the original movies to create a cohesive and polished storyline within the show. While also profiting off the crucial nostalgia factor, the show itself appeals to a new generation of children who have probably never seen The Karate Kid movies but they can now have their own version of the acclaimed movies. Intertwining a modern setting with recurring themes from the original creates a contemporary Karate Kid for children to adore. 

One of the most iconic remakes of all time is  The Parent Trap (1998) starring Lindsey Lohan. While the original movie is considered “just fine” among viewers, the Lindsey Lohan rendition holds a special place in many hearts. It can be argued that a remake or reboot can “lose the magic” that was once in the original. This is simply untrue for many remakes such as The Parent Trap (1998). This movie took the old story and reimagined it in a very charming and lovable way. 

While it is very true that many remakes or reboots are simple cash-grabs or hinge on nostalgia, a truly exceptional piece of art can be made by recycling what we already know as familiar and successful. In the end, every work of art is just a reimagining of some old folktale or story framework, so it is unfair to belittle remakes because they’re “not the same.” Taking an idea and turning it into a new piece of work is just what makes art, art. 

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