The Safe Nuclear Option - Expanded
In case of emergency, rehash and reboot
The inevitable collapse of the misled DC Extended Universe of films led to the Man of Steel’s cinematic Doomsday - ultimately, the reliable director James Gunn was brought in to help navigate Superman et al through these desperate times. Gunn and company produced a perfectly serviceable Superman flick, which, at this point, was the best the studio and audiences alike could hope for. Though decidedly different from the Zack Snyder universe, the 2025 live action adaptation of the Last Son of Krypton’s story was overall a fine film, but that’s it. Gunn’s interpretation followed a formula that has proven to be successful in the past and there was no reason to fix what wasn’t broken. The newly-crowned “DC Universe” Superman movie resulted in a fun if not a mid-tier movie that is better than any other DCEU offering. Still, it was nothing too special on its own. I wouldn’t call the latest incarnation of the Man of Tomorrow mediocre, but I also wouldn’t say it left too large of an impact. This wonderfully okay movie was the outcome of years of creative despair for DC films. Since standards have plummeted to the Earth’s core, I think we are all satisfied with just having a watchable movie.
Speaking of doomsdays, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is experiencing its own entertainment woes. At the time of this writing, it is the opening weekend of the new Fantastic Four film (“First Steps” is an unnecessary subtitle, regardless of whatever relevance it has to the movie being about the birth of a child - it’s pointless and no one will call it that). This latest take on the FF hopes to contribute to doing what all MCU movies do, and that is to set up another movie. World-threatening big alien guy Galactus is merely the precursor to the grand return of Robert Downey, Jr., and the Russo directing duo. These were key individuals when it came to making the Avengers series so globally beloved, and it’s no coincidence that these powerhouses have been summoned once more to oversee the next phase of big pictures. It is doubtful that any of the upper echelon of parent company Disney would ever confess to this decision to be made only after so many other of their shows and movies failing to deliver. Regardless, this resurgence of the trust trio of RDJ and the Russo Bros. is no guarantee of victory.
Sometimes circling back to what brought you to the dance isn’t a good idea. Russell T. Davies is the person many Doctor Who fans credited for resuscitating the Time Lord’s popularity in the mid-2000s. As the Doctor regenerates and forms new personas and visages, showrunners also come and go. Much has been said about Doctor Who’s steady decline in quality over recent years, and the general consensus is not good. Since Jodie Whitaker’s run as the Doctor, the long-running series has suffered a dissipating viewership. Then there was a bi-regeneration including an odd revival of David Tennant’s portrayal - this produced a version of the titular character that served as a curiosity but not much more. Uncertainty hangs over the franchise, so the return of fan-favorite character Rose Tyler as the latest Doctor gives off desperate vibes. Everyone knows it takes a small army to fully put together one of these types of shows, but the responsibility is placed on Davies - the one who was brought back because of his success in making “New Who” so beloved. Now he may go from savior to destroyer, or should I say, exterminator.
Even the likes of Hollywood royalty aren’t exempt from delivering a few duds. Legendary director Steven Spielberg and iconic actor Harrison Ford took another crack at Indiana Jones with 2008’s “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” which featured Shia LaBeouf as Indy’s estranged son, Mutt. No official passing of the torch took place, thankfully, but it was crystal-clear to moviegoers that this treasure should’ve stayed buried. Or rather, the aging cast and crew perhaps belong in museums.
George Lucas has a certain touch when it comes to sci-fi and adventure cinema: sometimes he can spin gold, other times his hands are best left nowhere near a script. The Star Wars prequel trilogy is fun now, years after the fact. Despite the late-nineties/early aughts’ films having their own unique charm, if we are being real, they’re simply not what anyone would call “good” in the tradition sense of the word. When it came time to launch the sequel trilogy, it wasn’t Lucas at the helm, but instead it was the guy who showed how much he wanted to make a Star Wars film by turning his Star Trek run as “Star Wars” as he could. JJ Abrams created the very definition of a “safe movie” with 2015’s “The Force Awakens.” “Episode VII” turned out to basically be a soft reboot of the original “A New Hope” story. With so much pressure in adding to the much anticipated continuation of the famous saga, it is almost understandable why Abrams wouldn’t want to stray too far from proven methods. With Rian Johnson’s star-killing “The Last Jedi” in 2017, fans were subjected to subversive storytelling. I have no no love for “Episode VIII,” but I will acquiesce that it at least tried something newer. It just so happened that this avant garde approach left the galaxy in shambles. For “Episode IX,” there was little time or room to salvage what was left of the once glorious franchise, so who got the nod to right the ship? The guy who at one point said he didn’t want to return - Abrams, of course. “The Rise of Skywalker” rose as high as was possible considering the crumbs it had left to work with. The mighty Star Wars empire dwindled into a bloated mess that would rival any Hutt. The Disney-owned trilogy suffered from disjointed leadership, and despite going back with the creative force that should been a surefire hit, the Sequel Trilogy era is a burdensome stain in the Skywalker mythos.
If fresh or at least different versions of familiar intellectual properties are generally lousy and if the old ones are tired, what is a fan to do? The answer is something that will never happen, and that is for reboots and reimaginings to cease to exist. Film bigwig types will never not see profitability potential in established IPs, and there is enough of the fandoms to eventually want more. We can accept that all these franchises will get remade in some way until the end of time, but do we have to give them any more of our attention? Now that is the real nuclear option.
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