It seems like reboots are all the rage nowadays. I thought at first that it was primarily just in the world of films, but apparently not. I just was told that the whole DC comic line is doing a reboot of their comics. You heard right, the entire line. That is over 50 titles, a few of which have been running solidly for over 50 years. That sure is a big move. In many ways it's exciting, in others, it is a little sad.
With movies, a reboot of a conventional story is sometimes required. Take Batman for example. Almost all of the old Batman films had different actors playing Batman anyway, so a synergy wasn't actually developed. A number of them had Robin in them, others did not. So doing a reboot many years after makes plenty of sense.
In other stories, like Superman and The Hulk, a reboot seems just like a ploy to make money. The reboots don't truly further the storyline at all, but due to the popularity of the stories, the developers think they can make a few dollars by retelling the story over again from a different angle. I don't really like that mindset and am a tiny bit wary of supporting such reboots because I do not necessarily want to see more of them.
But with the reboot of the entire DC comic line, it looks as if rebooted movies are the way of the future. It's strange though. Before about 5 years ago, I don't think there was such a thing as a reboot in the film world. Maybe I am wrong, but I seem to remember that sequals were always merely just extensions of the prior movies.
The reboot mindset represents an elemental change in storytelling. The film producers are trying to give one generation exactly what they are after, probably knowing that when the next generation comes along, they can just reboot again and re-invent the story according to what the newest generation is looking for. Stories are now not timeless I suppose. It is too bad.
With movies, a reboot of a conventional story is sometimes required. Take Batman for example. Almost all of the old Batman films had different actors playing Batman anyway, so a synergy wasn't actually developed. A number of them had Robin in them, others did not. So doing a reboot many years after makes plenty of sense.
In other stories, like Superman and The Hulk, a reboot seems just like a ploy to make money. The reboots don't truly further the storyline at all, but due to the popularity of the stories, the developers think they can make a few dollars by retelling the story over again from a different angle. I don't really like that mindset and am a tiny bit wary of supporting such reboots because I do not necessarily want to see more of them.
But with the reboot of the entire DC comic line, it looks as if rebooted movies are the way of the future. It's strange though. Before about 5 years ago, I don't think there was such a thing as a reboot in the film world. Maybe I am wrong, but I seem to remember that sequals were always merely just extensions of the prior movies.
The reboot mindset represents an elemental change in storytelling. The film producers are trying to give one generation exactly what they are after, probably knowing that when the next generation comes along, they can just reboot again and re-invent the story according to what the newest generation is looking for. Stories are now not timeless I suppose. It is too bad.
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If you have an interest in the most recent reboots to come along, check out The Amazing Spiderman and The Dark Knight Rises.
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