5 Movie Franchises That Should Totally, Definitely Be Rebooted

The reboot of 1999’s American classic The Mummy, also conveniently titled The Mummy, will star Tom Cruise as Nick Morton, a super fantastic and effective stand-in for Brendan Fraser’s Rick O’Connell. Call the upcoming The Mummy whatever you want (whether you prefer “sequel” or the more accurate “reboot”), it’s looking to be one hell of a ride.

Rebooting such a popular film franchise to appeal to more modern-minded audiences who don’t want camp in their mummy horror movies got us thinking. There are definitely some other franchises that could use a modern reboot, free of a sense of humor and with a ton more CGI.

Ridley Scott returned to his Alien franchise for Prometheus and the upcoming Alien: Covenant; Tomb Raider has a new lead; Blade Runner 2049 is bringing Harrison Ford back into the fold alongside unknown newcomer Ryan Gosling; National Lampoon was modernized super successfully for the next generation; Star Wars and Star Trek; and Mad Max was turned into a feminist tale without consulting any of the original films’ fans. Mel Gibson, the original Max, was definitely not consulted.

In that spirit, here are five other movie franchises that should definitely be rebooted for this decade and beyond.

5. Home Alone

Are you aware that the last Home Alone movie, Home Alone: The Holiday Heist, came out in 2012 and was a made-for-TV movie? It’s a masterpiece. But the original Home Alone (1990) and its sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), really need to be rebooted.

The humor just doesn’t land the same way with modern audiences and Macaulay Culkin’s delivery of Kevin McAllister doesn’t hold up at all. Why, you might ask, is this kid so good at constructing Rube Goldberg devices? Wouldn’t he be playing Minecraft instead of torturing robbers?

Clearly, kids these days need something a little more to entertain them. Kevin wouldn’t have to work nearly as hard to get the television to say “ya filthy animal” with DVR and YouTube on his side.

4. The Godfather

Marlon Brando and Al Pacino didn’t really hit the nail on the head with this one. Let’s be honest: It needs a modern retelling. Imagine the Corleone mafia in 21st-century New York City. Its business would be 90 percent drugs and human trafficking rather than shaking down small, honest businesses since those … don’t really exist anymore. It would look something like Patsy and Burt trying to intimidate the manager of a chain coffee shop in The Sopranos. Hence, the reboot being even darker than ever.

3. The Matrix

Lana and Lilly Wachowski’s 1999 sci-fi fantasy classic, The Matrix, had an incredible impact on not only the sci-fi genre and cult fandom but also on filmmaking and camera techniques. Its signature special effect, the “bullet time” effect, has been copied time and time again. Because the movie had such an impact on the genre, why wouldn’t we remake it? The Wachowskis might be a little busy right now with their fantastical Netflix series Sense8, but there’s always more room for dystopian robot futures and philosophical questions.

2. Back to the Future

As proven by Guardians of the Galaxy, ‘80s culture is supremely overrated and not at all enjoyed by modern audiences. That’s why the Back to the Future franchise needs a remake. The end of the 1985 original saw Doc taking Marty and Jennifer to the year 2015 to fix their kids, and that’s where Back to the Future Part II came into play. Why not reboot the franchise for the 21st century by making the “future” sometime in the 2040s, with the “modern” time being the 2010s? It would definitely remain as charming and iconic as ever, maybe even surpassing the original.

1. Harry Potter

Let’s be honest, it’s definitely time to remake the Harry Potter movies. I know we’re already working on the prequels with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and its three-dozen sequels, but the ‘90s fashion that Harry, Ron, and Hermione traipse around in outside Hogwarts just feels so dated. The Muggle-born students would definitely have to have their smartphones confiscated before attending class, as even magic can’t surpass the entertainment value of Flappy Bird.