Over the past ten weeks, I've looked at a variety of adaptations and reboots, most of which were successful to one degree or another. Most. In the successful cases, it is obvious that the main reason for the success was the care put into the making of the adaptation/reboot/remake (ARR for short). The care wasn't necessarily the only factor. Star Trek: The Next Generation had the luxury of not having a network watching over it, allowing the writers to explore more cerebral yet still interesting ideas. The Harry Potter franchise had the original creator (JK Rowling) maintaining some control over how Warner Brothers handle her creation. Casino Royale had a production company that respected the original work of Ian Fleming, who worked with Cubby Broccoli in earlier installments of the 007 franchise.
For the not-so-successful installments, the problems came from dashed fan expectations (The Phantom Menace and D&D 4th Edition). Note that both examples were still successful, at least monitarily. Fan reaction, though, was mixed. In the case of The Phantom Menace, some elements in the movie were not well received and others were caused by writing issues. With D&D 4th, a change in the core mechanics caused the fanbase to split. The game is very much playable, but earlier elements older fans came to expect had their importance diminished or were dropped completely.
Then there's Street Fighter. The movie had problems from the outset, adapting a fighting game, one that had an overall plot to the order of the fights, but the focus wasn't the story but the fighting. Adding to the problems were casting choices and a schizophrenic approach crossing between serious action movie and camp and back again. Yet, the movie is worth watching for Raul Julia alone, who seemed to know exactly what sort of movie he was in.
Based on the above, key elements to a successful ARR requires the original creators' input, a respect for the original material, and a respect for the fanbase. However, at times it may be necessary to place an editor in between the original creator and the adaptation, something The Phantom Menace needed and something /The Blues Brothers/ [link 10] did have. However, one subject examined, The Naked Gun brought up another criteria – format of the ARR. Of the first ten ARRs examined, four were in the same format as the original, five were from one medium to another, and one, "Number 7", was a parody/homage using the format of the original to tell its own story. The Naked Gun might be a textbook case of an adaptation finding the right format, going from TV series that needed full attention but might not get it to a movie that gets full attention.
Now aware of the new issue, let's take another look at the other four whose ARR that crossed media. Street Fighter started as a video game, became a movie. The change in media is actually a non-issue; the fairly simple plot – defeat M. Bison's minions in one-on-one martial arts battles throughout the world – is easily adapted to the silver screen. The movie cut out most of the prior battles, gave more depth to what M. Bison's evil plans were. Street Fighter's main problems were never really the change in format.
Harry Potter could have had problems, especially in the later books, as details were sacrificed to keep the films to a reasonable running time. The last book was split into two movies specifically as a result of the length of the novel. However, with Rowling working with the film team, this problem was avoided, though some plot-critical events were lost. The change in format was taken into account, though could have been a point of failure.
Casino Royale was both an adaptation of a novel and a reboot of the 007 film series. The movie counts as both a change and not a change in the format. The final result took some liberties with the original novel to make certain scenes more accessable to the viewing audience (for example, the change from baccarat to Texas Hold'em poker), but remained true to the spirit of the novel. Yet, it maintained the visual aspect of the previous 007 movies while showing Bond becoming the 00 agent we've seen. Casino Royale could be used as a showcase on how to both adapt and reboot a franchise properly.
The discussion for The Blues Brothers did take into account the change in format, but some retiration is deserved. The movie took a musical sketch from Saturday Night Live, one that lasted five to ten minutes, and expanded it to a feature film with a running time of over two hours, adding a plot, a background, a motive, and even antagonists for the main characters. As will be seen in the future, the difficulty of taking what could be a one-note gag and strethcing it is high and takes skill, something the writers, actors, musicians, director, and producer of The Blues Brothers had.
So, what makes for a successful ARR? Care in the translation ranks high. Having strong writing adds to the success. Having the original creator may or may not help. Doctor Who didn't have the original creator, but did have someone (Russell T. Davies) who wanted to see the show succeed and was aware of the show's history. Meanwhile, The Phantom Menace had George Lucas helming and writing, but fan acceptance is mixed. (Said acceptance seems to be age-based, too, based on a very small data set I've seen. Okay, mainly anecdata, but there may be a trend building that the younger set prefer the prequels to the originals. Your parsecage may vary.) Yet, Lucas obviously also wanted to see The Phantom Menace to succeed.
Unfortunately, I haven't reviewed enough ARR failures at this point to determine what doesn't work. So, be prepared. In the coming weeks, some bad adaptations will be looked at, for as long as my sanity prevails. To keep from delving too deep into the dregs of Hollywood (and other places), I'll add some also-rans, near-misses, and some successes into the mix. Why torture myself and all of you? 🙂
Next time, putting what we've discovered into practice.
(As part of Speak Out with Your Geek Out.)
Hi.
I don't really follow sports except during the playoffs if the Habs are there, though a baseball game's a great way to spend the afternoon.
I may not keep up on mainstream gossip on what Britney, Lindsay, or J-Lo are doing, though I'm sure they're nice once you get to know them.
I may not like current music or going out to crowded bars, but I do get together with friends.
Sometimes we watch anime or discuss the relevance of the plot twists in Doctor Who.
Sometimes, we just sit around the table and pretend to be someone else in an imaginary land.
In 1976, Dan Aykroyd introduced metalhead John Belushi to the blues. The two went on to form The Blues Brothers, a musical sketch on Saturday Night Live, singing blues standards to a crowd that normally didn't listen to such music. The duo then took the act out, performing at nightclubs, including their own afterhours club.
Aykroyd spent time working on a script to give the Blues Brothers a backstory. After judicious editing – Aykroyd went to great detail in his work – a filmable script for a full-length movie was produced. John Landis took the helm as the director of The Blues Brothers. The movie was released in 1980.
The plot was simple. Jake (Belushi) and Elwood (Aykroyd) Blues were asked by the nun who ran their old orphanage to earn the money needed to keep the orphanage open. She didn't want any tainted money; the money had to be properly earned. After a search for an idea and seeing the light, Jake and Elwood decided to get the band back together. The first half of the movie followed the Blues Brothers as they recruit the old band members and get instruments. The second half followed the band as they work to get the money at a variety of gigs, ending with a massive concert. During this, the Blues Brothers ran afoul of the law, starting with a speeding violation and expired licence and building up from there, the Illinois Neo-Nazis, the Good Ol' Boys country & western band, Jake's parole officer, and Jake's ex-fiancée. The action culminated in a massive chase involving the previously mentioned plus the Army, Coast Guard, Reserves, and state, county, and city law enforcement as the boys try to make the deadline to pay the orphanage's back taxes.
The plot, while basic, serves as the framework for the music. Ultimately, The Blues Brothers is a musical, featuring a number of blues artists, including John Lee Hooker, Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin, and Ray Charles, showcasing a number of different blues styles. The soundtrack has placed consistantly in the top ten blues albums sold, reaching an audience that had never heard the blues or never considered the blues as listening material. The car chase through Chicago was recorded at speed, hitting over one hundred miles per hours, and setting a new bar for chase scenes for movies following.
The potential for trouble starts with taking a five minute musical sketch and stretching it to an over two hourrunning time. This issue was mentioned in the discussion of The Naked Gun, with the added problem of having almost no characterization of the Blues Brothers prior. The stretching problem would become a inevitable for any Saturday Night Live sketch made into a movie; sometimes, a gag can only go so far. Fortunately, Aykroyd's background work, much of which never was shown on screen, helped him work out the motives of the characters in the film. Staying true to the original sketch also helped; the sketch was all about the music, and so was the movie. It's easy to fill in much of the running time when all that needs to be done is link from song to song. Random destruction, such as police chase through a mall, also fills time, especially when the scene adds to the motivation of two of the pursuers.
The movie is an unqualified success, especially at the core reason it was made; to get a wider audience for the blues. By staying focused on that goal and adding action and comedy elements to attract an audience that wouldn't normally go to a musical, The Blues Brothers will remain a classic.
Next, a look back at what we've discovered so far.
(Apoloigies for the delay. I messed up the scheduling.)
In 1967, Patrick McGoohan produced and starred in one of television's most surreal and thought provoking series. The Prisoner featured the struggles of a former agent, referred to as Number 6, against the masters of the Village, a home for people who knew too much. Throughout the show, the balance between the needs of society and the needs of the individual were brought into contrast, with neither side really getting the upper hand. The Prisoner was conceived originally as a seven episode series, though the network, ITV, wanted more. Eventually, seventeen episodes were produced. The ending, "Fall Out", remains as one of the most discussed endings as fans of The Prisoner try to figure out what it meant.
Given the nature of the series, a remake would be daunting. There have been several attempts. One was a four book graphic novel series from DC, showing the Prisoner as still being in the Village, despite being free to leave. (His response, "Free to stay.") The graphic novels managed to convey some of the surreal essence, but created more questions. Another was a miniseries on AMC in 2009 that took the concept but made makor changes to the plotline.
As mentioned, remaking, rebooting, or adapting The Prisoner and keeping the right tone is difficult. Both sides, the Prisoner and the Village, need to be portrayed as having needs and goals; both sides must make gains and have some sympathy from viewers. Oddly, one TV series managed to do this.
In 1999, the CGI-animation series Reboot took on the challenge. Reboot started in 1994 as a light action-adventure series aimed at pre-teens and young teens. The show took place inside a computer called Mainframe, following the lives of the system's inhabitants. The main cast was Bob, an anti-virus program known as a Guardian, Dot, entrepreneur and later the command.com of the system, Enzo, Dot's little brother, and Frisket, Enzo's pet. These four protected Mainframe from the likes of Megabyte and Hexidecimal, sibling viruses, and their minions (Hack and Slash for Megabyte, SCSI for Hex).
The second season saw more mature writing slip in. New characters were introduced, including AndrAIa, a young game sprite with AI capabilities who slipped out of her game cube. A new threat also came into play, a virus called Daemon. Although Daemon was never shown, her web minions were, trying to invade Mainframe. Through an alliance with Megabyte, Bob was able to turn back the invasion. Once the system was safe, though, Megabyte turned on Mainframe's protector and hurled him into the Web.
After the end of the second season, ABC, the American network airing the show, dropped Reboot. YTV, a Canadian cable network specializing in youth programming, continued to back the series. This allowed Mainframe, the production company, to make a third season that turned darker. Season three was split into four arcs: the first showed young Enzo as he tried to be Mainframe's Guardian and ended with Enzo, AndrAIa, and Frisket leaving Mainframe in a game cube; the second showed the sprites, now compiled up, searching for their way home; the third brought back Bob, sailing with software pirates; and the fourth showed the battle to save Mainframe from Megabyte's predations.
During the first arc, the writers started playing with various parodies, including episode 3.1.3 "Firewall", a 007 parody. However, Episode 3.2.3, "Number 7", was the most daring of the second arc. Normally, in a game, sprites will double click their icon to reboot as part of the game to stop the User from winning. Outside the game, rebooting normally doesn't do anything. In "Number 7", after leaving yet another golf game, Enzo (now calling himself Matrix) and AndrAIa find themselves back in Mainframe. Except, it's not at all as it should be. AndrAIa suggests rebooting, in case Mainframe also was taken up into a game cube. Matrix hesitates, unsure and not wanting to return to being his younger self. They do so; Matrix becomes Megabyte, AndrAIa turns into Hexidecimal, and Frisket becomes SCSI.
At this point, music reminiscent of The Prisoner's starts playing. Matrix tries to figure out what is happening, but slips from time to time into Megabyte's voice, sometimes mid-sentence. He storms into Phong's office in a scene straight from The Prisoner's opening sequence, demanding answers from Bob. However, because Matrix couldn't keep his temper, Bob marks him for filing and deletion. Once again, in a scene taken from The Prisoner's opening sequence, Matrix is picked up like a file card and is taken by robotic arm to a filing cabinet. Matrix escapes by infecting the arm and making it drop him. (And, yes, during this, he did say, "I will not be pushed, filed, briefed, or deleted.") He smashes a vid window and is transported to a dark room, with two binomes (a 1 and a 0) on a teeter-totter with cameras, a jury of masked binomes, and Bob as the judge.
The episode then switched to its own version of "Fall Out", with Matrix trying to defend himself and the jury chanting "Guilty" before the sprite can say anything. Eventually, Matrix lets his temper get hold of himself and he swipes with Megabyte's claws, destroying the scene, leaving just a vid-window that shows his reflection. The Megabyte in the vid-window claims to be what Matrix fears the most, going viral when his code should be defending against viruses. Matrix destroys the vid-window and returns to his current form. Another vid-window appears, again reflecting the sprite. The Matrix in the window claims to be what he is afraid of, what he's become in his travels, older, unrecognizable by his friends and family in Mainframe. Matrix shoots the window, destroying it.
Footsteps are heard. Matrix says, "No, not you." From the shadows steps young Enzo, the original. The young Enzo claims to be what Matrix is afraid of, of what he was, small, weak, what Matrix had to shunt aside to survive in the games. Enzo then uses the classic line, "Be seeing you," complete with the the hand gesture. As he walks away, Rover, the Village's retrieval unit, engulfs Matrix.
The spoof of such a classic TV series could easily have fallen apart. The big risk was that many of the show's viewers would be far too young to know about The Prisoner. However, the writing team ensured that the lack of knowledge wouldn't hinder the plot. The Prisoner was a framework to tell a story about what Matrix feared the most and gave him the impetus to work out what he needed to. The addition of golf metaphors ("How's your back, Nine?") allowed the expected humour to come out despite the seriousness of the plot.
Overall, the parody worked. "Number 7" took the essence of The Prisoner but wasn't straitjacketed by it to tell its own story. Matrix matured, getting a new outlook on his digital life and on his mission.
Next time, stretching five minutes to two hours.
"Yes, it is very impressive, but that's not why we're here."
In 1982, David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker, collectively known as ZAZ, brought their brand of humour to the small screeen. Police Squad!, a parody of classic Quinn-Martin police procedural series, starred Leslie Nielsen as Sergeant Frank Drebin, Detective-Lieutenant, Police Squad. The show was a torrent of jokes and gags subtle and blatant, from the opening titles to the freeze frame of the closing credits. Alas, the series lasted just six episodes. The network (ABC) claimed that the show required people to pay attention; their studies showed that most households used the TV as background noise, paying attention only time to time. The network may have had a point; in the first episode, if you missed Drebin's opening narration mentioning a rash of assaults of models that left them nude in laundromats on the west side of town that wasn't his assignment, seeing the laundry basket in his back seat in a later act would be confusing.
ZAZ continued making feature films. In 1988, they released The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, with Nielsen returning as Drebin. This time, ZAZ didn't have to worry about people not paying attention; at the theatre, people are paying to watch the movie. The jokes could get a little racier as well, though the Naked Gun series is relatively clean. With a larger budget, ZAZ got Ricardo Montalban to play the conniving villain who schemed to cause an international incident by killing the Queen of England, and Reggie Jackson, who was paid half a million for just three days of work. (I'd say Jackson was very convincing in his role as an outfielder for the Angels.)
Several running gags from the TV series were brought back for the movie, including having the guest star killed in an unusual manner. However, instead of killing Montalban in the opening credits, his character was killed at the climax of the movie in one of the more unusual deaths in cinematic history. (Fell off the upper deck of the stadium, run over by a bus, run over by a steamroller, and run over by the USC Trojan Marching Band playing "Louie, Louie". Heck of a way to go.) The sequels followed the pattern. Robert Goulet was the lucky actor to be killed both in the TV series (executed by firing squad) and Naked Gun 2-1/2: The Smell of Fear (knocked off the roof of a tall building, bounced off an awning to land safely on his feet, then mauled by a lion).
One of the main problems in bringing a TV series, especially a half-hour comedy, to the big screen is fleshing out the plot to last ninety to one hundred and twenty minutes. Fortunately, the ZAZ team had several movies already under their belt by the time Police Squad! aired, including Airplane! and Top Secret. On top, the entire purpose of Police Squad! was to spoof police procedurals, throwing in as many gags as possible during the running time. Extending both the plot and the number of gags was simple enough; adding a romantic subplot and a plot-relevant baseball game helped with both.
The adaptation to the movies benefited Police Squad!. The reputation ZAZ gained through their previous works brought in new viewers while the audience that had seen the show on TV could finally get more. Movie audiences would pay attention to what was on screen; the distraction of a busy home would not be a factor. Restrictions imposed by the network's Broadcast Standards and Practices could be ignored to a greater degree.
The Naked Gun is an unusual case in terms of movie adaptations. It was more finding the right format for Police Squad! than remaking it for the silver screen. Ultimately, the change of format was the best thing that could happen.
Next time, a twist for the column.
n 1953, a former British spy, on the eve of his wedding day, worked out his apprehension over his marriage by writing a story and, in the process, created one of the best known secret agents, James Bond. Ian Fleming's first novel, Casino Royale gained popularity, leading to twelve novels and two collections short stories. In 1954, Casino Royale was made into its first adaptation as a CBS TV movie featuring the agent "Jimmie Bond". Later, in 1962, Cubby Broccoli, working with Fleming, adapted Dr. No as a theatrical release starring Sean Connery.
With the success of Dr. No, other 007 novels were adapted. The follow up, From Russia With Love, also remained faithful to the original novel. The third movie, Goldfinger, kept close to the original until the titular villain's plans were revealed. Goldfinger also marked the start of the success formula used in most of the 007 movies that followed, with car chases, gadgets, and beautiful women. Parodies, including the 1967 Casino Royale with Woody Allen, the 1966 Our Man Flint with James Coburn, and the 1997 Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery with Mike Myers came out, all inspired by the 007 movies. As a franchise, 007 was only recently topped by Harry Potter in terms of revenue.
In 2006, the James Bond franchise received a reboot, going back to the beginning to show how Bond became 007 in Casino Royale. Daniel Craig took over the role of Bond and brought the spy back to his roots in the novels as a newly appointed 00 agent. The movie followed the plot of the original novel closely. The changes made were more to account for viewers' knowledge and for dramatic effect; for example, baccarat, a game that turns on the draw of a card, was replaced with Texas Hold'em poker, which had gained a large following through televised games. Gone was the suave spy as portrayed by Roger Moore. Craig's 007 was more a blunt instrument, leaving a swath of disruption in his first mission. Bond was more human, dealing with insecurities and inexperience while trying to penetrate Quantum (replacing SMERSH from the original novel).
The new Casino Royale counts as both a reboot of the 007 franchise and an adaptation of the original novel. The risks were that fans wouldn't accept Daniel Craig as Bond, that the reboot would feel like a step backward after decades of a sophisticated and experienced 007, that too many changes were made. Keeping close to the original story helped; with Casino Royale the first 007 novel, the expectations of Bond as a new 00 agent were kept reasonable. The movie still had elements from previous movies that worked; a car chase that ended in a record number of rolls, gambling in the high society of Monte Carlo, and the beautiful foil Vesper. Events from Casino Royale continued into the following movie, Quantum of Solace, showing both Bond's human side and his evolving into the 007 of previous movies.
Once again, having a production team that cared for the property beyond the revenue generated helped. It would have been easy to use the title and created a plot out of random elements in the book, as had happened with Moonraker. Instead, EON continued its work in treating 007 with respect.
Next time, an adaptation finds its audience, in colour!
One of the biggest movie franchises wrapped up with the release of the second half of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The movie adaptation of the young wizard's tale definitely deserves a look.
What started as a children's story of a young orphan who discovers that his parents were wizards turned into an engrossing epic of good and evil mixed with a coming of age. JK Rowling's first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, came out in 1997 and took the publishing industry by storm. Each book in the series took place each year at the fabled Hogwarts, the story growing more intricate as Harry matured and learned more about magic, Voldemort, and himself.
Naturally, when a book becomes a phenomenom, Hollywood wants to get in on the act. Warner Brothers picked up the movie license and, in 2001, released the film version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The adaptation to the silver screen carried risks. At the time the first movie came out, only four of the planned seven books had been released. This added a complication to the adaptation of what could be safely removed from the movie without losing potential plot elements. At the same time, the time limitations of a movie required the removal of scenes. Casting would also be critical. Actors would have to be found to portray the characters as they grew. The potential for disaster looms; a child actor could decide that an acting career isn't what he or she wants during the teenage years. The child actor could also hit puberty early, growing out of the part. Worse, the first movie could bomb at the box office, killing the series.
Once again, like in previous installments of Lost in Translation, directors and writers cared about the property. Casting brought in talented actors, both young and old. Helping the younger actors were a supporting cast of experienced talent that could be used as tutors and role models during filming. Many of the young actors grew into the roles, especially James and Oliver Phelps, who played the Weasely twins, Fred and George. The length of the last book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was dealt with by spltting it into two movies instead of cutting out critical elements.
Overall, the Harry Potter franchise was treated well. Warner Brothers saw the value of the series and didn't use it to turn a fast dollar. Again, as previously mentioned, taking care to properly adapt a title is critical to ensuring the final result isn't reviled by fans.
Next time, a cold war icon gets a reboot.
In the previous three entries, I've looked at reboots that were successful, either popularly or financially. Even The Phantom Menace more than paid for itself, despite some major problems. This time around, though, it's time to look at a not-so-successful adaptation.
Movie adaptations of video games are fraught with peril. What works for good gameplay may not make the narrative sense needed for a movie. Some elements need the unreality of a video game to work and just can't be done well in a live action film. Some games may not have a narrative hook to begin with – the fighting games popular in the 80s and 90s are a good example, especially the adaptation looked at in this column.
Street Fighter became popular in video game arcades in the 80s and 90s. Many quarters were consumed as Chun Li, Ken, Ryu, and Guile fought through opponents to defeat the evil M. Bison. The plot for the game was enough to explain fighting different opponents in different locations. The game was popular enough to spawn both a role-playing game (Street Fighter: The Role Playing Game from White Wolf) and a movie.
Street Fighter – The Movie was released in 1994. It featured action movie star Jean-Claude Van Damme as Guile and Raul Julia in his last role as M. Bison. Among the co-stars was popular singer Kylie Minogue as Cammy. As one of its many problems, Street Fighter had every character from the video game. Every. Each character had on-screen time and got to show off signature moves.
The movie, though, couldn't decide whether it wanted to be an action movie or an action comedy. It veers from one to the other all the way through. There are times when the movie deliberately heads into camp territory. Considering that one of the writers was Lorenzo Semple, whose previous works include Flash Gordon and the 1960s Batman TV series, the camp comes from an honest place. At the same time, some of the cast didn't seem to be aware that the movie wasn't serious. The result is schizophrenic.
There are points of brilliance in the movie. Each character was able to use his or her signature move at least once. Raul Julia was delightfully over the top as M. Bison, chewing the scenery as only a seasoned pro could, with relish. And possibly mustard. The armed forces DJ heard at the beginning and during the end credits was none other than Adrian Cronauer (who was played by Robin Williams in Good Morning, Vietnam). Some of the supporting characters held their own in the massive cast and did have some good, deliberately funny lines.
Overall, though, the movie failed to deliver on its promise. It didn't have enough one-on-one fights to reflect the game. The cast didn't have a depth of acting ability. At a time when movies were growing darker in tone, Street Fighter was bright, a throwback to Technicolour days.
There is a lot to learn from Street Fighter. One is that a video game doesn't necessarily translate well into a new medium. Some details just don't work outside a game environment. Another is that having well-known talent can't save a movie that doesn't know what it wants to be. (With the caveat that Raul Julia, even while fighting a terminal disease, can still bring his A-game and save a movie from total disaster.) However, attention to details can turn a movie from horrible to "so bad it's good". Street Fighter is the type of movie a group of friends can put on and heckle for fun. It should become a cult classic.
Next time, get out your dice!
Summer of 1977 was a turning point for Hollywood. A movie hit the screens with such force that it would stay running for over a year. Star Wars was an instant hit, getting fans to keep returning to the theatres to watch it over and over. George Lucas tied together his love for the old serials played in cinemas when he was a young child and his love for the movies of Akira Kurosawa and created an almost timeless story with cutting edge effects. The story in Star Wars followed a young farm boy, Luke Skywalker, as he got caught up in the Galactic Civil War after buying two droids, R2-D2 and C-3P0, and finding a hologram of Princess Leia in Artoo's memory banks. In a classic moment of sneaking into a hidden fortress cleverly disguised as a small moon, Luke rescues the princess, escapes with the help of the mercenary Han Solo and partner Chewbacca, winds up in a hidden Rebel base. Luke flies out with several squadrons of starfighters to meet the Death Star and exploit its weakness and returns a hero.
In a re-release in 1979, the title expanded to Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Two more movies followed, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in 1980 and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi in 1983. Both of the sequels dominated their respective summers and pushed the art of special effects to the limit.
Just as the movie influenced the direction of summer blockbusters, it also influenced merchandising tie-ins. Action figures, lunch boxes, trading cards, Pez dispensers, board games, role-playing games, computer games, all successful. An action figure of Boba Fett, a character not seen in the original movie, was offered through a promotion through Kenner, giving fans the first look of the bounty hunter before his appearance in The Empire Strikes Back. It is safe to say that Star Wars was a huge success for George Lucas.
In 1999, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace was released. Line ups started days in advance of the opening. There were more ads for tie-ins than there were for the actual movie itself. The Phantom Menace was to delve into the background of the main villain, Darth Vader. The state of the art in special effects had jumped light years since 1977 with CGI replacing stop- and go-motion miniatures. The Phantom Menace showed a shinier past to the shop-worn original trilogy. Ships didn't look like they were a missed maintenace away from falling apart. The Empire's overwhelming presence wasn't to be felt; the Republic had a bright future in store. Air speeders had fins!
The Phantom Menace wasn't well received by longtime fans. Various factors, from Jar-Jar Binks to disjointed scenes to heavy use of CGI, weighed in their disappointment. However, younger fans not familiar with the previous movies were amazed. One problem can be traced to a change in the definition of the PG rating by the MPAA. After parental uproar over the Lucas co-helmed Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom getting a PG rating despite violent scenes, the MPAA changed the requirements for the rating and added PG-13 to handle cases like Indiana Jones. (The gratuitous topless woman jiggling in Airplane, formerly rated PG, would also not be allowed under the new guidelines.)
Jar-Jar Binks, the designated comic relief, annoyed many fans. Instead of the classic stylings of Artoo and Threepio, styled after comedy duos such as Laurel & Hardy and Abbott & Costello, Jar-Jar was closer to a Jim Carrey solo act. Jar-Jar also didn't seem to have a purpose beyond comic relief once the Jedi left Theed, at least until the droid attack on Naboo. Where Artoo carried a plot critical Macguffin (the Death Star plans) during A New Hope, gave Luke someone to talk to in Empire, and kept Threepio from getting too big an ego in Jedi, Jar-Jar was there for sight gags and didn't contribute in any other way.
The big action piece in the middle, the Pod Race, looked amazing on screen. It also slowed the plot. One of the plots, at least. The race was meant to showcase Anakin's piloting skills. No human had won the race, yet here was this slave boy entering a field filled with the most skilled and the most devious drivers. Formula 1 meets demolition derby meets Wacky Races. (Sebulba fits as Dick Dastardly, complete with mustache twirling.) There was an eye to detail as each pod racer had a different sound. The music fit. The story paused. The elected Queen of Naboo had to get to Coruscant to get help repelling the droid invasion, yet her Jedi escort stopped to deal with a slave boy on a backwater planet. (Of course, the story is about Anakin, not Padme.)
Being the first of a planned trilogy also didn't help the movie. A lot of time was spent setting up Anakin's later losses, showing and sowing the hints of his downfall. It's a tricky line to walk, making sure that the movie can stand alone while also contributing to the overall plot.
However, this was a Star Wars movie. Ships blew up. Light sabres flashed. the climax was split four ways – the Jedi battle against the Sith, Padme retaking her throne, the Gungans fighting the battle droids, and the starship battle in orbit. Each part of the climax held the tension tight, cutting away from one fight to focus on another at the perfect cliffhanger. Anakin's piloting ability (with an assist from Artoo) helped him get into the perfect spot to help the Gungans. The Gungans held their own until overwhelmed. The Jedi suffered a loss but still triumphed. The Queen took back her planet. A celebration was held, with an ominous threat that would continue into the next two movies.
The Phantom Menace shows us that having the original talent return doesn't necessarily help a reboot. Advances in special effects can't help a movie when problem characters turn the audience off. But, having key elements that make the heart of a property be the feature of the remake does help. The Phantom Menace was still Star Wars at its heart, and that makes problems found along the way more forgivable.
Next time, a videogame gets lost in translation
In 1963, a new science-fiction television series was being shopped around in the UK. It found a home in the Children's Programming department of the British Broadcasting Corporation, an unusual spot to be sure. With the requirement that the series include educational content, Doctor Who aired. The first broadcast ran into an unavoidable problem: pre-emption due to the John F. Kennedy assassination. However, the first episode was rescheduled and aired properly.
Doctor Who ran on the BBC continuously from 1963 until 1989. BBC executives were seldom confortable with the show. One of the original directives for the series was no bug-eyed monsters. (The first season's second arc introduced the Daleks. So much for the directive.) Despite allegedly being for children, writers seldom pulled their punches. Many a young Brit watched the show from behind the couch. But, they watched.
The mythos of the series grew as the show continued. When William Hartnell, the first Doctor, grew too ill to continue, the writers introduced a mechanism to ensure that the main character could remain: regeneration. Memorable characters, from Doctors and companions to adversaries, came and went over the show's long run. Even without modern special effects such as CGI, many adversaries, including the Daleks and the Cybermen, were fierce and memorable opponents.
However, the long run could not continue. The BBC eventually pulled funding for the series in 1989. Still, books and audio plays continued to be made during the interregnum. In 1996, Fox aired a made-for-TV Doctor Who movie. The movie was not well received, mainly for making the Doctor half human. Some of the Fox movie's influence did continue, though.
In 2005, Russell T. Davies brought back Doctor Who as a regular TV series. Working through BBC Wales, the new Who introduced the Ninth Doctor and gave him a dark, dread reputation throughout Earth's history. The Doctor's new companion, Rose, had more familial ties than previous companions, but still travelled in the TARDIS, meeting historical figures and running into one of the Doctor's oldest foes. Time had changed, though. No longer was the Doctor a renegade Time Lord. Now, he was the last Time Lord, with details revealed through the 2005 season. The season began with an episodic approach, but events grew together to form the plot arc. New characters were met and became popular in their own right. One, Captain Jack Harkness, managed to not only seduce two robots and the in-universe viewing audience but seduce Doctor Who viewers as well.
The following season saw Christopher Eccleston leave to be replaced by David Tennant. Although viewers were disappointed with Eccleston's departure, Tennant proved capable of keeping their attention. Old adversaries were brought back and, with the help of modern special effects, their fearsomeness was revealed. In 2008, Russell Davies stepped down as showrunner, letting Stephen Moffat take over. Doctor Who took a different direction but is still airing and is still popular, having produced two spin-off series (Torchwood, a darker series based on events of the second new season, and The Sarah Jane Chronicles, a lighter series aimed at a younger audience.)
Doctor Who's 2005 reboot is a definite success story. The show is being watched by fans both new and old. Like Star Trek: The Next Generation, part of its success comes from the long drought between 1989 and the return in 2005. Also helping is having a showrunner who enjoyed the earlier series and understood why it had a fan base. The reboot felt more of an update, and bringing back classic opponents of the Doctor, beginning with the Daleks, helped keep fan interest. The Doctor of the new series was an amalgamation of the previous eight, and the TARDIS kept its familiar look, at least on the outside. Inside, the TARDIS resembled its counterpart in the Fox TV movie, looking both organic and technological at the same time. Still, the key feature – being bigger on the inside than the outside – was kept. The Doctor's desire to keep the peace was contrasted by his actions in "Dalek", an episode that managed to make one of the most monstrous beings in the Doctor Who setting sympathetic. The writing team for new Who is capable and manages to keep the show fresh while still respecting what has happened before. New adversaries, such as the stone angels, were dangerous without being unstoppable except for an impossible Achilles' heel.
The new Doctor Who's main point of failure was being a relative unknown in 2005. The show wasn't seen as often in syndication, unlike the original Star Trek. The fans who did remember could very easily remember just the parts they enjoyed. The Fox TV movie was not remembered fondly, and misgivings could abound from that. Episodic storytelling had also evolved since the Doctor's first appearance; audiences expected more out of a TV show.
Fortunately, fans were willing to give the reboot a try, even if some watched to be able to complain later. Characterization, well, with each incarnation, there was always a new take on the Doctor by both the writers and actors; a case of previously established continuity working for the reboot. The writers and showrunner took care to make sure that anything from previous seasons weren't dismissed out of hand. Even the TV movie has been absorbed into canon. The storytelling reflected a more modern expectation, but still harked back to classic episodes. Once again, a creative team that cares about keeping the best of an original prevented massive problems.
The new series has had a few misteps but, overall, holds well as an example of a reboot that respects its previous incarnations. Like the Doctor himself, the new Doctor Who series regenerated. Sure, there were a few quirks, but a Doctor without quirks wouldn't be the same. The new Who shows that respecting the original series while creating new twists makes for a new series that keeps gaining fans. (And having an influential fan never hurts. What BBC executive is going to cancel Her Majesty's favourite TV show?)
Next time, prequels fifteen years later.
