I caught a little of Ridley Scott's Prometheus last night on TV.
I've seen it many times and consider it to be an important sci-fi film and the clear reboot of the ALIEN franchise.
However when I think of Star Wars its less clear to me which film rebooted the movie series. Was it Phantom Menace or was it the first Disney effort, The Force Awakens?
What do you think readers?
My understanding of a Reeboot is that it is a re-telling of a previous story,just updated to suit modern tastes and using new,different actors.I would call Prometheus and Phantom Menace Prequels and Force Awakens a Sequel.A term I hear a lot these days is "Expanded Universe" which could possibly serve as a catch- all for all of the above.I understand that there is a big ocean between us, and things said on this shore might not mean the same thing on yours.Quick example;what is called Steak Canadienne(introduced to me on your blog,thank you)there is known as Philly Steak here.I hope Im not complicating matters here,just giving an opinion and hopefully being helpful(or at worst,giving you a laugh or two).
ReplyDeleteha ha, the expanded universe of the Philly Steak Bri! Yep, I hear Expanded Universe a lot too and also the term canon. Is it canon is a question posed about Star Wars a lot. I suppose what I meant by reboot was a new fresh take on an old subject that introduces it to a whole new generation. The US 2015 Godzilla springs to mind. For me it completely re-fired the storyand I cannot wait for this summer's King of the Monsters. I suppose Skull Island did the same for Kong but it wasn't as memorable to me.
DeleteThat is a good example of "Expanded Universe";in 2020,The 2 storylines of Legendary's Godzilla and Legendary's Kong will collide and give us the reboot I've been waiting my whole life for.Godzilla v Kong! :) As far as Star Wars is concerned,I would like to see the latest trilogy come to a close.Solo was the first time I was truly disappointed in a Star wars movie
DeleteGood points, Brian F.
ReplyDeleteI think maybe the term "Retcon" works better in this context, as the world is still the same with the same characters but major plot points have been added in as though they were always there. Examples are the Midichlorians to explain the Force in Phantom Menance and Star Wars ships having to worry about fuel in Last Jedi!
I've not heard of Retcon before Lewis. Is that an amalgamation of two shortened words? from the superb examples you give it seems to have something to do with continuity. A TV series like Thunderbirds has the handy device of setting each episode with a different problem to solve. It must be harder with a film franchise to keep the whole thing moving along in an interesting way.
DeleteStar Wars was 'reintroduced' to audiences with the 'Special Edition' in 1997. This, combined with Hasbro's re-invention of the Star Wars action figure line, kind of kicked off a major resurgeance of interest in the genre. The questionable 'Phantom Menace' took the ball and ran with it, certainly on a merchandise and marketing front, even though the film itself was a bit iffy. After the three prequels failed to satisfy, the latest films are coming under fire for killing off major characters and 'dumbing down' the franchise to Disney standards of child friendly mush. JJ Abrams has promised to bring the current trilogy to a close with a darker and harsher film in Episode 9. Even so, nay sayers are already bashing it pre-release, with negative reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. It remains to be see whether Abrams can satisfy the legions of fans in both camps and bring the Skywalker arc to a grand climax.
ReplyDeleteThe older I get the less passionate I am about anything new to with Star Wars. The original trilogy are imprinted on my brain like a lightsabre tattoo. Its the same with the ALIEN trilogy ad Indian Jones. I was young when I saw them and I suppose they were for the babyboomers and the generation just after. I've lost track of the Star Wars story arc and still haven't seen SOLO. I think this could be me ageing rather than the films being less memorable but I hear what you say about Disney Bill and their take on things.
DeleteThe latest films are good, Rogue One for example is an object lesson in how Star Wars should be made today, gritty and realistic. Force Awakens came close, but Last Jedi suffered at the hands of Rian Johnson and Disney, making an altogether lacklustre film, with downright silly parts. Apart from the hyperdrive ramming sequence, the rest of the film is a bit cringy. Solo suffered as a consequence of a change of directors, halfway through, with Ron Howard coming in to put together two halves of two different film visions. It suffers as a result, as it is a little too comedic in places. Overall, though it is very much in tune with Brian Daley's Solo stories and has some wonderful screen moments. Im hoping Episode IX brings all the disparate threads together and adds a little more grim realism. Kylo Ren is apparently referred to as "The Jeci Kiler" now, so that perhaps bodes well. The new series The Mandalorian, featuring a Fettesque bounty hunter looks promising too.
ReplyDeleteInsightful Bill. Are you sure youre not a Jeci? Where's Mandalorian on?
Deletethats Jedi, not Jeci!
ReplyDeleteJebi, Jeci: lets call the whole force off.
DeleteAlien on the other hand, should really have finished at the second film. Alien3 doesnt bring much new to the party, aside from Ripleys impregnation amd is pretty dull by the previous films standards. A4 is frankly ridiculous, witj an absurd mix of french dark comedy and splatterhouse gore.Some interesting moments, but too over the top in terms of scripting.Aliens V Predator are more gore and no real story. Prometheus is a beautiful film, but the connection witj Alien seems tenuous and the development of the creature is fragmentary and confused. Covenant goes off on yet another tangent and deals with the machine monster rather than the alien, although it does shed some light on the peculiar genesis of the alien itself.vv
ReplyDeleteAre you dissing Brian Glover's extraterrestrial spot? Its the xenomorphic peak of his career! Consider his Barnsley Man U football match on Kes, his turn as the grumpy northern drinker in American Werewolf in London [That's Enough!] and then, his superbly formal Yorkshire warden in A3. It was sacrilege when the monster got him!
DeleteThe 2003 Battlestar Galactica is a reboot, a total rehaul and retelling of the original 1978 series; the Phantom Menace, Force Awakens, et. al. are simply expansions of the story told in the Original Trilogy.
ReplyDelete