Many articles have been written regarding the opinion that Hollywood has run out of original ideas and has been stuck in the ‘reboot machine’ for awhile. The whimsical phrase, ‘banking on nostalgia’, was also the subject of a piece on Forbes.com and applies not only to blantant remakes, but also the prequels, sequels, and spinoffs of stories that originated decades ago.
While the creations emerging from this ‘nostalgia era’ are more often than not a disappointing testiment to their namesakes and box office flops, not every occasion of reinventing the past is cringe-worthy and, at least at their initial announcements, can bring a telling smile to fans. I can’t help but plugin a quote from my favorite TV show: “Nostalgia is truly one of the great human weaknesses…second only to the neck.”
Nostalgia was coined in the 17th century by the physician Johannes Hofer to describe the “mental disorder” of soldiers yearning to return home. More recent research depicts this rememberance of generally positive memories of the past as a coping mechanism, establishing comfort as individuals deal with personal challenges and changes in their lives. This goes on to pose that the more settled one is with their identity, the less they seek out reassurance from earlier times.
Perhaps the reboot machine is not exclusively a sign that Hollywood has gotten lazy or is in desperate shortage of creativity and instead can be a reflection of a less secure audience craving the emotional stimilus of a more affirmative past.
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