Whenever a reboot is announced, many moviegoers decry Hollywood of being unoriginal and out of ideas. Why return to a well that’s been played out when you could just try something new? But that viewpoint is somewhat limited. Every once in a while, filmmakers can take old material and put a refreshing new spin on it, generating interest in a once fading brand. Here are some of the greatest sci-fi and superhero reboots that turned out to be better than or even popularised the original movie.
Star Trek (2009)The original Star Trek TV series is one for the ages, but the first
Trek movie left a lot to be desired. Its sequels were marked improvements, but the brand truly didn’t get a new lease on life until J.J. Abrams’ 2009 reboot. Though some were upset by its reliance on action set pieces instead of heady sci-fi,
Star Trek brought in a whole new generation of fans while honoring the property’s storied history in an effort to please all. The film even earned a Best Picture nod from the Producer’s Guild of America, a claim that not many popular blockbusters can make.
The Dark Knight SeriesThe first Batman movie to keep the focus largely on Bruce Wayne's transformation into a force that can keep the superstitious and cowardly criminals of Gotham City at bay benefits from director Christopher Nolan's unique take on the material. Grounding this Batman in a very real and gritty world raises the stakes that were previously hinged on quip-happy villains and busy plots. Nolan's fearlessness when it comes to fracturing time and cross-cutting between various endgames reinforces his movie's theme of fear, and gave the audience a comic book movie that warrants being called a "film." After the failure of
Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice at the box office, audiences were only reminded of the magnificence of this trilogy.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)The original
Planet of the Apes wanted to be a serious and thoughtful film but ended up succeeding on its own ineptitude. From Charlton Heston’s over-the-top acting to the ridiculous ape suits and the ludicrous plot twists, it’s charm came from the fact that it just tried so gosh darn hard, which is something that can never truly be duplicated. So the filmmakers behind 2011’s
Rise of the Planet of the Apes” didn’t even try doing that, instead ruminating on how apes might come to rule the world in the first place. Slick and stylish directing and a tour de force performance from Andy Serkis made this one a winner.
Dredd (2012)Lots of viewers love Sylvester Stallone, but there weren’t too many fans of the action legend’s take on Judge Dredd. Critically panned and a flop financially, the comic book adaptation killed a franchise before it truly began. It took years for someone to try to revive it, and in 2012, Dredd came out. The reboot was seen as an innovative use of 3D and a film that did supreme justice to the source material. Karl Urban won many people over with his dedicated performance, which included never removing the helmet. While Dredd was a critical smash, it bombed at the box office, meaning the sequel is a no-go.
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)George Miller’s Mad Max franchise always scored well with the critics, but 2015’s Fury Road was on a whole other level. The reboot was one of the best reviewed films of the year and was seen as a game changer for the way action movies should be made. It was also nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. That’s quite an achievement for what was once thought of as an R-rated niche flick and not much else. In addition, it had an impressive run at the box office, paving the way for more sequels set in the post-apocalyptic wasteland.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)Toby Maguire may have been the first Spider-Man on screen, but the audience knew instantly what they were missing when they saw Tom Holland’s Spider-Man cameo on
Captain America: Civil War. Tom Holland made a perfect rendition of Spider-Man, so perfect that it inspired an individual film and several other spin-offs. The creators of
Spider-Man: Homecoming wisely decided to skip over Peter Parker's origin story, which fans have already seen twice onscreen. Instead Spidey gets right into the action, which has gained the film praises from both fans and critics.
Blade Runner 2049 (2017)There’s not a lot to be said about the new
Blade Runner 2049, except that it’s even better than the original, which is considered one of the greatest science-fiction films of all time. What Ridley Scott built in the first movie, director Denis Villeneuve turns into another masterpiece. The new tale makes the original feel more like a prologue, necessary backstory leading to what audiences saw in
Blade Runner 2049.
Blade Runner was known for stunning visuals of a high-tech yet dilapidated future.
2049 carries on this idea with a mesmerizing color palette presented by Villeneuve and production designer Dennis Gassner.