While reboots, remakes, and revivals are nothing new in show business, they’ve certainly become quite a trend (or I guess to some people, an epidemic) in recent years. What I have noticed is that there’s a group of people who don’t entirely know what differences are between them. So I thought I’d take this opportunity to explain it all as well as the pros and cons to each of them.
Reboots:
The term ‘reboot’ was used at first to describe franchises that wanted to start all over, avoiding all continuity from previous installments. For example, director Christopher Nolan rebooted the Batman film franchise in 2005 with Batman Begins, which is not in any way, shape, or form connected to any of the previous installments that ran from 1989-97. Reboots can also be used to describe new film adaptations of works that had already been brought to the big screen before. For example, the 2005 Tim Burton film Charlie & the Chocolate Factory is not a remake of the 1971 classic, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory because it only lists the original novel as its source material. So therefore, Tim Burton’s version is more along the lines of a reboot than a remake.
So the pros of a reboot are that a new film adaptation of a book, play, or anything else wouldn’t count as an actual remake. Though I guess the cons are that studio executives would have less interest in taking on newer ideas that hadn’t be brought to the big screen yet.
Remakes:
Remakes are basically film adaptations of older films. For example, while Robert Bloch’s 1959 novel, Psycho, served as the basis for two feature films, the 1998 version is still a remake of the 1960 classic because the former film from Gus Van Sant was trying to recreate Alfred Hitchcock’s classic beat-for-beat, line-for-line, and shot-for-shot. Though there are some films that are considered to be ‘semi-remakes’ because while their original source materials were actual films, they’re mainly adaptations within a pre-existing adaptation. For example, the newer films of Hairspray (2007) and Little Shop of Horrors (1986) were actually based more on their stage musical adaptations as opposed to their original film counterparts.
The pros of a remake are that when you take an older film, you can find a new way of telling the same story in the same medium. Though the cons are that if you’re looking to remake classics like Beauty & the Beast or Psycho, why bother? It’s much easier to introduce the classics to a new generation by actually watching than remaking them.
Revivals:
The definition for ‘revival’ usually means resurrection. In the theatre world, revivals are basically new stage productions of previously produced works from yesteryears. For example, this current Broadway season sees revivals of several masterworks such as Angels in America, Carousel, The Iceman Cometh, and My Fair Lady. Though in television, revivals are old TV shows that had been off the air for a while, yet return to produce new episodes. Examples of this include Roseanne, Twin Peaks, Will & Grace, and The X-Files. While reboots and remakes may feature many of the original characters, they’re usually played by different actors and do not take into account the events nor continuity of the original series. Revivals, on the other hand, can not only feature the original characters, but the original cast returning to play them as well. They also tend to pick up at some point from where the original series left off.
The pros of stage revivals are that today’s generation of audiences can be introduced to the classics for the first time, especially in a fresh way. On the other hand, audiences who have seen the classics before can find a new way of looking at them though new productions. The pros of TV revivals are that audiences get to catch up with characters from their generation and see what they’re up to today. Though I guess the cons are probably the same as with reboots because network executives would have less interest in taking on newer ideas that hadn’t be brought to the small screen yet.
So hopefully, you are all now aware of the differences between reboots, remakes, and revivals.
Reboots:
The term ‘reboot’ was used at first to describe franchises that wanted to start all over, avoiding all continuity from previous installments. For example, director Christopher Nolan rebooted the Batman film franchise in 2005 with Batman Begins, which is not in any way, shape, or form connected to any of the previous installments that ran from 1989-97. Reboots can also be used to describe new film adaptations of works that had already been brought to the big screen before. For example, the 2005 Tim Burton film Charlie & the Chocolate Factory is not a remake of the 1971 classic, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory because it only lists the original novel as its source material. So therefore, Tim Burton’s version is more along the lines of a reboot than a remake.
So the pros of a reboot are that a new film adaptation of a book, play, or anything else wouldn’t count as an actual remake. Though I guess the cons are that studio executives would have less interest in taking on newer ideas that hadn’t be brought to the big screen yet.
Remakes:
Remakes are basically film adaptations of older films. For example, while Robert Bloch’s 1959 novel, Psycho, served as the basis for two feature films, the 1998 version is still a remake of the 1960 classic because the former film from Gus Van Sant was trying to recreate Alfred Hitchcock’s classic beat-for-beat, line-for-line, and shot-for-shot. Though there are some films that are considered to be ‘semi-remakes’ because while their original source materials were actual films, they’re mainly adaptations within a pre-existing adaptation. For example, the newer films of Hairspray (2007) and Little Shop of Horrors (1986) were actually based more on their stage musical adaptations as opposed to their original film counterparts.
The pros of a remake are that when you take an older film, you can find a new way of telling the same story in the same medium. Though the cons are that if you’re looking to remake classics like Beauty & the Beast or Psycho, why bother? It’s much easier to introduce the classics to a new generation by actually watching than remaking them.
Revivals:
The definition for ‘revival’ usually means resurrection. In the theatre world, revivals are basically new stage productions of previously produced works from yesteryears. For example, this current Broadway season sees revivals of several masterworks such as Angels in America, Carousel, The Iceman Cometh, and My Fair Lady. Though in television, revivals are old TV shows that had been off the air for a while, yet return to produce new episodes. Examples of this include Roseanne, Twin Peaks, Will & Grace, and The X-Files. While reboots and remakes may feature many of the original characters, they’re usually played by different actors and do not take into account the events nor continuity of the original series. Revivals, on the other hand, can not only feature the original characters, but the original cast returning to play them as well. They also tend to pick up at some point from where the original series left off.
The pros of stage revivals are that today’s generation of audiences can be introduced to the classics for the first time, especially in a fresh way. On the other hand, audiences who have seen the classics before can find a new way of looking at them though new productions. The pros of TV revivals are that audiences get to catch up with characters from their generation and see what they’re up to today. Though I guess the cons are probably the same as with reboots because network executives would have less interest in taking on newer ideas that hadn’t be brought to the small screen yet.
So hopefully, you are all now aware of the differences between reboots, remakes, and revivals.