Trends in cinema are constantly changing, and the new movement into nostalgia-based movies such as Spider-Man: No Way Home seems to be the current fixation, but this could be more than a trend, and could potentially save movie reboots. Despite these movies gaining some criticism regarding them being nothing more than quick cash grabs, drawing in money by preying on people's memories, they have incredible potential in the right context. Reboots have flooded Hollywood in recent years with every big movie in line for one. As a result, it has become an oversaturated market, but nostalgia films could give reboots a new lease of life.
It seems as though every movie appearing in theaters is a reboot, sequel, or adaptation (even The Matrix has garnered a nostalgic reboot), with original ideas being sparse as companies see new ideas as too much of a gamble. Film companies appear to be operating on a financial basis, rather than a creative one, as familiar movies already have an established audience and are assumed to guarantee a profit. The entertainment industry is cyclical, thus the industry noticed success in reboots and has since done it to death. The industry cleverly recognized that the same concepts can be used with different big-name actors, and they could turn a fairly quick and secure profit.
Correspondingly, audiences have become aware (and tired) of this trend and films have adjusted accordingly, fashioning the nostalgia trend. These movies are still a part of reboot culture, but with a twist. They capitalize on iconic old movies, or cult movies, providing satisfaction to seasoned movie fans. Whilst nostalgia movies can still result in uninspired reboot films (2015's disaster Fantastic Four, for example, which attempted to capitalize on the MCU's uncharted success by rebooting an old Marvel film), it is unfair to group them together and label them as lazy, unoriginal cash grabs. Nostalgia does not have to be synonymous with low effort.
Nostalgia films have huge potential to save reboots, evidenced by Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Spider-Man: No Way Home, both of which lean into nostalgia and have been two of the most anticipated films of the year. Even with COVID setbacks, both movies have drawn huge profits at theaters, showing the potential success of cinematic nostalgia. Afterlife featured the original Ghostbusters actors, but not so much that they became the center of the story. It also paid homage to Harold Ramis by fleshing out Phoebe's character enough that she resembled her grandfather, Egon, but also gave her her own quirks. The film became more than just waiting on cameos and developed characters that could carry on the legacy of the original film. No Way Home too understood how to use nostalgia, by overtly showing one old Spidey villain in the first trailer, and merely hinting at others. The unbelievable hype surrounding theories that old versions of Spider-Man might be making an appearance, too, shows how successful nostalgia can be when used correctly.
The key with both of these movies is that they implement nostalgia, but also use substantial new material that can stand on its own. They also understood their audience and the love and effort put into them translated into the films. Cowboy Bebop, then, stands as a testament that nostalgia-based media is not an easy money-maker and can flop when not used correctly.
The success of cinematic nostalgia is evident and can revive reboots when done correctly. There needs to be a deep understanding of the audience, the timing needs to be right, and the tone of the piece needs to be perfect in order to make a special piece of nostalgic film. With more nostalgia reboots on the way in the form of a Hocus Pocus and a new Scream installment, it will soon be evident whether the trend can continue its winning streak or not.
