Lately, Hollywood has been producing more reboots than ever. Some filmmakers try to avoid risk by tapping on existing success. It does ease things up for the marketing team as fans of the original film are expected to go for the reboot. What the producers don’t realize is that reboots are riskier than making a new story. They have to stay original to the source and at the same time give something new and fresh to the audience. Too much of any of it will draw criticism. That’s why most of the reboots have tanked at the box office. Not all of them can be as successful as “Spider-Man: Homecoming” or “Mad Max: Fury Road”. Find out the 10 worst movie reboots of the last decade.
RoboCop
The 2014 “RoboCop” had a stellar cast of Joel Kinnaman, Michael Keaton, Gary Oldman, and Samuel L. Jackson. The movie didn’t tank that miserably as compared to the other names on this list. But it didn’t meet Sony’s expectations and the benchmark set by the 1987 original. It lacked satire like the first movie that captured the social culture of the ‘80s. The reboot went overboard with the sci-fi without understanding the hidden message it was supposed to update and deliver.
The Mummy
Back in 2017, Universal Studios had envisioned to follow Marvel and DC’s path and begin its franchise of monsters. The Dark Universe had plans for The Mummy, The Invisible Man, Dracula, Frankenstein, etc. The buzz was at its highest when Tom Cruise was cast for The Mummy reboot. But to the fans’ disappointment, The Mummy was not based on Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz’ franchise. While Fraser’s Mummy gave us nightmares for months, Tom Cruise’ had nothing scary about it. It was taken from Boris Karloff’s 1932 version and set in the present times. So, the final product had no novelty or essence of the source material.
Child’s Play
Tom Holland’s “Child’s Play” from 1988 was a chilling mystery about a serial killer who transferred his soul to a kid’s doll. The idea was reimagined by Lars Klevberg in 2019 as a satirical slasher for the Digital Age. It was based on an AI doll that turns monstrous when a vengeful worker changes his safety settings. The film did receive good reviews from some audience but couldn’t match the menacing impact left by the horrifying Chucky we knew.
The Transporter Refueled
Jason Statham became a star after leading the 2002 film, “The Transporter”. Reimagining the movie without him was a big risk from the beginning. Statham had become the face of the franchise with his action moves and killer personality. Ed Skrein’s performance and the plot in “The Transporter Refueled” 2015 failed to live up to the promising brand name.
Ghostbusters
“Ghostbusters” of 2016 became one of the most hated films in the history of Hollywood. It was subjected to malicious backlash from the moment it was announced. The trailer set a new record by earning the highest number of dislikes on YouTube,i.e., 1.1 Million. Unlike the 1984 classic, this one was led by a team of women. Apart from attracting controversies over racial stereotypes, the movie genuinely lacked a good story, impressive acting, and directing.
Fantastic Four
This Marvel baby has seen plenty of reboots over the decades. It’s hard to choose the best one since all of them bombed terribly. After the abysmal performance of the 2005 version, fans were not looking forward to the 2015 reboot. It was borderline bland and had no element of creativity or imagination. But fans have been unable to control their excitement ever since MCU announced an upcoming reboot in the near future.
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Fans were elated to hear about the return of the iconic horror in 2010. Legendary actor Robert Englund was replaced by Jackie Earle Hayley for Freddy Krueger in the remake. But it was harder for fans to process the new script than to watch a new actor. Moreover, the new Freddie missed the wicked aura of Englund. While Freddy was a dream slayer in the ’84 movie, the remake had turned this villain into a molester.
Hellboy
“Hellboy” of 2019 was helmed by Neil Marshall and starred the “Stranger Things” actor, David Harbour. The film had drawn a lot of attention before its release for all the wrong reasons. It was slammed by fans for casting Ed Skrein to play a Japanese- American character, Ben Daimio. People who had seen the 2004 original, made by the iconic Guillermo del Toro didn’t risk going for the remake.
Conan the Barbarian
We love both Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jason Momoa. But even the casting couldn’t save the 2011 reboot. Replacing an icon like Arnold was a risky business. Yet the producers took their chances and went with Jason who wasn’t even a known face back then. “Conan the Barbarian” would have been Jason’ big break had the script played out well.
Total Recall
It wasn’t easy to recreate the classic SciFi without its star power Arnold Schwarzenegger and its mockery tone. The 1990 original was a complete package of action, psychological thriller, one-liners, and engaging plot. “Total Recall” 2012 was not awful but it wasn’t perfect either, thus making it impossible to fill the big shoes.
