In film, it seems that “reboot” is the new black.  In the last five years, we’ve had more than a handful of stalled movie franchises try to start over with that almost unattainable clean slate.  It didn’t work so well for The Incredible Hulk or Superman Returns, but Batman, Bond, and Star Trek fared a little better.  And there are even rumblings that Jack Ryan will get a second reboot (or third, if you count the recasting of Patriot Games, though I don’t), with Chris Pine (not exactly a stranger to the concept) taking over the role from Ben Affleck né Harrison Ford né Alec Baldwin.  Not quite sure how that one will work, but oh well.

Of course, it almost goes without saying that the challenge in any reboot is to appeal to existing fans of the given franchise while still making sense to people who haven’t followed the characters for years or even decades.  Which brings us to me. Continue reading →