Hey guys, IJM here.
So, I inadvertently found myself watching the trailer for the new Lethal Weapon TV show the other day, and walked away from it totally pissed. Can somebody please tell me why we need this?
Before I go any further, it should be stated that Hollywood has every right to do whatever they want with their properties. As a rights-holder myself, I firmly believe that. Heck, they could reboot Casablanca if they wanted. That doesn’t mean I, as a consumer, have to support it with my hard-earned ticket money.
It should also be noted that I have zero issue with sequels. None. I don’t care if it’s the eighth one in a series, i.e. the forthcoming Fast 8. If it’s a good script, set in a world I know with characters I like, then bring the noise and let’s see what you’ve got. After all, that is, by definition, a new story.
Reboots, on the other hand, annoy me. They’re essentially a studio saying, “Hey, we need a quick cash infusion. Somebody paid a lot of money for this once. Let’s remake it with young faces and today’s technology, and maybe they’ll buy it again.”
Enter this television show.
Newsflash, people: Lethal Weapon was a great franchise, with innovative, fun stories played out by world-class actors. Could I have done without the fourth one? Sure, but that’s a different discussion for a different blog.
Back to the reboot. Say what you will for Mel Gibson, the man was, and forever will be, Martin Riggs. Just like Danny Glover will always be Roger Murtaugh, Joe Pesci will always be Leo Getz, and Gary Busey will always be nuts. It’s the way of the universe. To bring in an all new cast for a modernized spin on the same stories — on the small screen, no less — just feels cheap.
What’s next? We gonna pull some kid from Glee, give him a Glock, a wife-beater, and bare feet then call him John McClane for a CW Die Hard series? Gimme a flippin’ break.
This is why I had no interest in seeing the Robocop reboot a few years back. It was nothing personal against the cast or crew. I just didn’t care. I’ve seen that film, I’ve heard that story, and it’s one of my all-time favorites. Any Robocop film that doesn’t even acknowledge what came before feels like a store-brand knockoff, and Alex Murphy deserves better.
I felt the same way about the Footloose reboot, the Point Break reboot, and yes… the Ghostbusters reboot. I’m also not going to see Ben Hur.
Oh, and FYI? Apparently lots of other fans agree with me because every one of those films tanked at the box office.
In closing, I will make an exception to the no-fly reboot rule for comic book films. In many instances, these are stories that’ve existed since the early twentieth century, and they’ve been reinvented a thousand times over in print. So there’s a certain expectation among genre fans that they’ll be handled the same way in film.
Thanks for letting me rant, folks. I feel better. And for those who’ve never seen Lethal Weapon, do yourselves a favor. Don’t watch the TV series. Find the original online, pop some popcorn, crack a beer, and get ready to remember why the 1980s reign supreme as the greatest action generation of all-time.
*Drops the mic*
Cheers,
IJM
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