It’s no secret that we live in a time of reboots. Some, like 2017’s “The Mummy” and “Power Rangers” come and go without making much of a ripple other than earning some predictably scathing critical responses. Others, like “Kong: Skull Island,” “It,” or even “Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle” can surprise us in pleasant ways. You just never know. What we can do, however, is look ahead at the virtually endless list of planned reboots and single out some titles that are at least intriguing (even if they may end up being disastrous).
Tomb Raider
The new “Tomb Raider” is going to be here before we know it, and it actually has a chance to be a very good reboot. The original series with Angelina Jolie was fun, if not an exhibition of brilliant filmmaking, and the new movie was off to a good start the moment Alicia Vikander was cast as Lara Croft. The up-and-coming actress has already earned critical acclaim, and she’s done so through entertaining roles. As an analysis of the first trailer stated, the reboot is an origin story for the heroine, who’s as famous from video games as from the Jolie films. And another good sign is that those games have actually been successfully updated as well. Recent installments in the franchise have been very well received, which puts some momentum behind the film adaptation. That said, movies based on games rarely succeed, which brings us to our next film….
Mortal Kombat
The idea of a new “Mortal Kombat” movie is floating around, though it’s less concrete than, say, the “Tomb Raider” reboot. Naturally, many are skeptical about whether or not this is even a good idea to try. 2009 brought about a fresh attempt at putting the Mortal Kombat gaming franchise’s biggest rival, Street Fighter, on the big screen, and it failed miserably. “Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun-Li” wound up with a six percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and was generally dismissed as a particularly bad example of the often-disastrous action sub-genre of video game adaptations. It should be an easy bar for a “Mortal Kombat” movie to clear, but it would still shock most people if this reboot (about which we know very little) is good. Still, the popularity of the brand makes it the littlest bit interesting.
Mulan
“Mulan” will be the latest animated Disney property to get a live action reboot, and it’s actually supposed to be ready by 2018. 2017’s “Beauty And The Beast” starring Emma Watson was actually a faithful and enjoyable film, which should inspire some hope surrounding “Mulan.” It’s a beloved animated movie and one that might actually be better suited to live action than most Disney projects. They also might have nailed the casting, placing Yifei Liu in the title role. Ms. Liu has a background in singing and dancing, and has also been in multiple action and martial arts movies, all of which should set her up for success as Mulan.
Scarface
Of all these films, “Scarface” seems to have been most left behind. It’s inspired virtually no talk of sequels or reboots since its heyday, with the only recent related material existing in the gaming world. Scarface: The World Is Yours was a well-received 2006 console game, and a Scarface slot reel has been mentioned as one of the best movie-based slot games. Interestingly, the description accompanying that mention made the note that no film defined an era quite like this 1983 mafia movie. Keeping that in mind it seems it would be difficult for any modern reboot to capture the same feeling. But they’re going to try. Diego Luna (of “Game Of Thrones” and “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” fame) will play the lead role, which is a promising start. But with David Ayer having backed out of the directing job, the film is largely an unknown at this point.
The Matrix
This could well end up being the most polarizing reboot of all time – or at least high up on the list. There are plenty of “The Matrix” loyalists who won’t want it touched at all, and given it’s one of the most iconic sci-fi films of all time, this is understandable. However, it’s at least interesting to note that Warner Bros. has made clear it’s not remaking the same story. While there is a plan to reboot the franchise, it sounds as if the story will be different, and merely rely on the same general concept. Rumor has it Michael B. Jordan, one of the best young actors in Hollywood, will star, which should also lend this project some legitimacy.
5 Hollywood Reboots On The Horizon
