Hannah Riley
There is a peak nostalgia moment happening right now and movie studios are doing their damndest to pump out as many sequels and reboots to old classics as audiences can handle.
Creating brand new movie ideas is riskier for studios than making a movie they already know audiences loved in the past, but there’s also a threat of creating a movie that is an injustice to something they loved from childhood. People can take bad reboots personally, as if erasing the original movie or book it stemmed from.
These movies had audiences split on whether to love them or hate them, many with very good reason. While I might be mad they’re remaking something from my childhood, I’ll definitely be first in line to see it.
1. Loved: Ghostbusters (2016)
“Ghostbusters (2016) is actually a great example of what to do with a reboot. They introduced four main characters who have familiar archetypes to the original characters but are unique and exciting enough to hold up a reboot. It’s got a really different style and aesthetic than the original, so it’s fresh and exciting, but there are tons of fun nods and Easter eggs to satisfy fans. I think overall it was a really strong movie that absolutely deserved its own sequel.”
—reallywittyusername
2. Didn’t love: Hellboy (2019)
“The Hellboy (2019) reboot will never live up to the original — I loved watching the 2004 version when I was younger. Watching the reboot was like trying to eat something that you’re allergic to. Everything in the reboot felt so forced and it wasn’t that funny.”
—heyitzchelsea
3. Loved: Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
“The Jumanji reboot is one of my favorite movies of all time. The casting was phenomenal, and I love how the game is still the same but it adapts to the time we’re in now. It also had nods to the original, like showing the tree house that Allen Parish would have built in the first movie, and giving the villain, Van Pelt, the same name. I would recommend this movie to anyone.”
—princessroryrose
4. Didn’t love: The Mummy (2017)
“I think The Mummy (2017) remake was a horrible waste of Sofia Boutella. She kicked ass and rocked the damn house as the sexiest mummy ever (beside Imhotep, of course). But, the movie was absolutely ruined by Tom Cruise and their half-assed idea to revamp the Universal movie monsters into a Marvel-saga type of series. This was doomed from the start.”
—rosi3bon3s
5. Loved: Little Women (2019)
“Greta Gerwig’s Little Women was such a good remake. Peak set design, nailed the characters, and it was aesthetically great and faithful to the beloved book.”
—brunchman2000
6. Didn’t love: Men in Black: International (2019)
“Men in Black: International wasn’t good. I loved the other ones, but this one was disappointing even though the cast was amazing.”
—perras18_
7. Loved: Ocean’s 8 (2018)
“Ocean’s 8 was brilliant! I love the original and will happily watch either film, but I loved that the new movie was a female reboot, and the characters were unashamed to be their badass selves. Also, though I don’t condone committing crimes, the way Sandy B. steals that makeup in the first 10 minutes of the movie is absolutely GENIUS…”
—beckstickles
8. Didn’t love: Jurassic World (2015)
“The reboot of Jurassic World (2015) was unnecessary. It was pretty much the exact same story, just in the future.”
—alainarayer
9. Loved: A Star Is Born (2018)
“A Star is Born with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper still felt fresh, even though it’s been remade so many times. The performances were SO powerful! I love this movie, but I sob buckets when I watch it!”
—m4941cd68f
10. Didn’t love: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)
“The more recent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies weren’t good. I mean, the originals weren’t cinematic masterpieces either, but they were fun and campy! Meanwhile, the new movies were boring and had atrocious CGI.”
—cor15
11. Loved: Scooby-Doo (2002)
“The live-action Scooby-Doo movies with Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr. are honestly God tier! I could watch those films every day — they are so funny and well done. Also, they are so well casted — especially Matthew Lillard as Shaggy.”
—jeroy
12. Didn’t love: The Jungle Book (2016)
“The live-action Jungle Book was terrible. Not even my kids liked it, and they were only five at the time!”
—katiel4c495e293
13. Loved: It (2017)
“I don’t know if I liked it better, but it was way scarier for sure. And, it had way more jump scares. I usually don’t like remakes or reboots but I actually liked this one.”
—2025dclark
14. Fantastic Four (2015)
“Fantastic Four from 2015 was bad. While the 2005 version wasn’t amazing, the cast had way more chemistry and it wasn’t trying to take itself too seriously. There was humor and at least the plot flowed well, meanwhile, the 2015 one was dull and just a mess with the writing, the pacing, and the cast. The franchise deserves better.”
—katcloud
15. Loved: Hairspray (2007)
“The 2007 Hairspray reboot is God tier. James Marsden as Corny Collins is my go-to example of perfect casting. And of course, John Travolta has the best performance of his career as Edna Turnblad!”
—jamiet4f4a4957b
16. The Great Gatsby (2013)
“The Great Gatsby (2013) gave me mixed emotions. On the one hand, the cinematography was beautiful, but on the other hand, the characters just weren’t right and the plot strayed a bit too much from the book.”
—bookishbrooke
17. Loved: Beauty and the Beast (2017)
“I’m sure not everyone will agree, but I really enjoyed the Beauty and the Beast live-action movie! I know it wasn’t the same as the original, but can’t that also be a good thing?! Emma Watson is of course an all-around incredible actress, and frankly I think she was one of, if not the best, actors in the entire film. I know she isn’t known to be an actual singer, but I did enjoy her voice as well!”
—kevind4ac2ce8fe
18. Didn’t love: Cabin Fever (2016)
“The Cabin Fever (2016) remake was definitely one that missed the mark. It was basically a copy-paste of the original (like A LOT of the script is the same). Also Eli Roth (who wrote and directed the OG) produced and co-wrote the newer version. You really think he would’ve tried to influence some differences to make it more fresh and not waste time and money making the same movie just 14 years later.”
—darkai
19. Loved: Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
“Mad Max: Fury Road was everything the original Mad Max could never be. People would have died if they tried to pull that off in the ’80s. They took what could have easily become a laughingstock and created an action movie to surpass all others. The story got as much fleshing out as it needed, the actors really nailed the parts (Charlize Theron was SUPREME), and the writing/directing really felt like it was made by people who cared about their work.”
—myfrogwins
20. Didn’t love: Psycho (1998)
“The 1998 remake of Psycho is not good. I don’t know who the hell thought they could improve on Alfred Hitchcock’s directing from 1960, but they failed miserably.”
—elldc
21. Loved: Overboard (2018)
“Overboard (2018) gender-flipped the original ’80s rom-com, and I think it revived the lighthearted love story for a whole new generation! The banter between Kate and Leo as they struggle to make ends meet is the highlight of the movie, and it is heartwarming to watch Leo adapt to his role as a loving and doting father of three. I highly recommend this movie — the heart and humor make it a fun watch for the whole family!”
—mavmag
22. Didn’t love: Mean Girls 2 (2011)
“Mean Girls 2…technically not a reboot I guess…but HONESTLY WTF WAS THAT?!”
—oliviastyles1d13
23. Loved: Tomb Raider (2018)
“The new Tomb Raider was actually really good! I was a bit scared when I first found out that they were making a reboot (let’s face it, nothing can beat Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft) but the movie really delivered! Alicia Vikander wouldn’t have been my first choice to play Lara Croft, but she really pulled it out of the bag. The film as a whole was based on the most recent Tomb Raider video games and it was just awesome! I loved it!”
—chacha2998
24. And Loved: Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
“The Planet of the Apes prequel trilogy is so good. It provides a backstory for how a very contagious and deadly virus spread across the world that made apes intelligent and made humans devolve into their primal form. The dystopian aspects in the second and third movie are fascinating, and nothing beats seeing an ape drive a tank.”
—dougfancy101290
H/t: Buzzfeed
