Netflix’s massive new launch for the weekend is Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, an anime revival of the favored graphic novel sequence by Bryan Lee O’Malley. It’s a little bit of a bizarre bag; pre-release, O’Malley and BenDavid Grabinski repeatedly stated the present would provide one thing just like the comedian whereas additionally being a unique expertise unto itself. But it was most likely simple to overlook that, given how a lot of the present appeared prefer it was simply re-adapting the preliminary premise and functioning as a reunion for your complete forged of the cult traditional 2010 movie.
As it seems, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is extra totally different than its predecessor materials, within the sense that it’s extra of a Ramona Flowers story than it’s the title character. Without totally spoiling issues, it’s her obligation this time round to confront her Evil Exes, who themselves get deeper inside lives which might be largely outdoors of Ramona’s orbit. It’s a gutsy transfer that (no less than for me) managed to largely work, and naturally gotten no small quantity of dialogue flared up on-line. But on the identical time, it’s not fully surprising, given the media panorama we’re at present in.
Revivals and reboots of previous properties have solely gotten increasingly meta in recent times. The Star Wars sequel trilogy was (typically) about what it meant to be a Star Wars fan, for instance, and the identical may be stated of the newer Scream films. Both Final Fantasy VII’s remake trilogy and the just lately launched Mortal Kombat 1 (which isn’t a remake of the unique recreation, however a universe-wide reboot) pose the identical query, however geared in the direction of the characters inside these particular person franchises: what occurs once they notice they’re gamers in another person’s recreation, and the way does realizing what their lives was coloration their future? Not all of those makes an attempt to get meta hit, and a few might truthfully do to dial these questions again (or simply not do all of it), however you possibly can cause that if one thing’s getting revived after being away for a variety of years, it’ll even be wanting inward.
For this weekend’s Open Channel, tell us how this storytelling strategy works for you. Is it unearned and overdone, what revivals and remakes do you assume have accomplished it properly (or horribly)? Tell us within the feedback under.
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