Cobra Kaihas flown like an eagle upNetflix’sTop 10 list again and again. Its success is rendered even more impressive by the fact that it’s a franchise that hit peak popularity nearly forty years ago, as well as launching in an era saturated with nostalgia and reboots. On paper, it looked like this series could easily get lost in the noise. Yet,Cobra Kainever diesand it fought its way back into pop culture dominance!
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Oftentimes reboots and revivals come across to audiences as cash grabs, butCobra Kaihas a lot of heart and you may tell everyone involved loves what they are creating. The show’s nostalgia pulls in old fans while remaining easily accessible to newcomers. This impressive feat has produced a hilarious, heartfelt, action-packed show that appeals to multiple generations of viewers. Although nearly everything has been rebooted, there are still some80’smovies that could have a successful revival in theCobra Kaistyle.
E.T. The Extraterrestrial(1982)
This classicSteven Spielbergfilm depicts a boy named Elliott befriending an extraterrestrial botanist who was left behind when government agents nearly captured his crew. The alien names himself E.T. and establishes a friendship with Elliott that grows into a deep telepathic link. As government agents attempt to capture E.T., Elliott saves his life and helps him make his way back home.
It’s hard to imagine that Elliott could live a normal life after these experiences.Henry Thomascould reprise the role of Elliott who has built a career trying to establish contact with his childhood friend. Shows in which humans must defend themselves against violent extraterrestrials are a dime a dozen, but it would be interesting to see a human fighting for acceptance and opposing fear as he strives to build bridges between two worlds.
Poltergeist(1982)
Steven Spielberg wrote this story, but he was tied up in filmingE.T., so he selected legendaryhorrorfilmmaker,Tobe Hooper, to direct. The two cinema icons gave birth to one of the greatest horror movies ever made. Exemplifying the wayhauntings tap into subconscious fears,Poltergeistlives on in pop culture every time someone issues the warning, “Don’t go into the light!”
The Walking Deadhas demonstrated the capability of horror shows to amass a large following whileAmerican Horror Storyhas prepared audiences for seasonal anthologies with varying degrees of connectedness.Poltergeistcould live on in the anthology format, exploring a new haunting every season. It could also be a great venue for collaboration between modern filmmakers in the spirit of Spielberg’s original team-up with Hooper.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off(1986)
This iconicJohn Hughesfilm follows the cool, laid-back Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) as he decides to cut class and take a day off. He takes his girlfriend, Sloane (Mia Sara), and his uptight best friend, Cameron (Alan Ruck), along for the adventure while his sister and principal try to catch him. The film is a work of art demonstrating the necessity to find wonder and joy in the simple things in life.
A revival could find an older Cameron slogging through the day-to-day when his old friend Ferris comes back into his life. The carefree Bueller’s collision with his anxious friend could offer a lot of funny moments as well as some much-needed reminders in an era of endless grind. Everyone needs the occasional nudge to remember that “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around every once in a while, you could miss it.”
The Thing(1982)
John Carpenter’sclassic sci-fi horror film tells the story of a group of researchers in Antarctica who encounter an extraterrestrial parasite. This “Thing” can consume other organisms and then imitate them, meaning anyone could actually be the Thing. The paranoia grows and the tension ratchets up until the film’s iconic ending. MacReady, played byKurt Russell, and Childs, played byKeith David, share a bottle of scotch in the Antarctic night by their burning research station with no clarity on which of them is the Thing.
What if they didn’t freeze to death? Their survival and rescue could open up a paranoia-inducing mini-series in which the Thing has been rescued from Antarctica, but you don’t know who is really responsible for carrying it to civilization. The original film’s exploration of the destructive power of distrust is a topic still worth contemplating today.
The Last Starfighter(1984)
This space opera tells the story of Alex Rogan (Lance Guest), a teenager who feels stuck in the trailer park where he has grown up. He excels at an arcade game called “Starfighter” and one day his performance earns him a visit from the game’s creator. The arcade game turns out to be a recruitment program to identify talented starfighter pilots who can help defend the frontier from evil invaders. Alex initially rejects the call to join the Star League, but eventually undergoes training and saves the day.
Related:Check Out This Sizzle Reel for a Potential ‘The Last Starfighter’ SequelThe escape that gaming provides from a life that feels lacking in adventure resonates with people even more decades later. This is especially true now that a good performance really can draw recruiters and change the trajectory of your life. A reminder to add some real-life adventure to your digital ones could be timely. The movie ended with Alex preparing to help rebuild Star League. A show could easily pick up as the rebuilt Star League finally sees the day of Xur’s revenge.
Robocop(1987)
After police officer Alex Murphy (Peter Weller) is murdered, a corporation uses his body to build Robocop. He is intended to have no memory so he can enforce the law with brutal effectiveness beyond standard humans. However, Murphy’s memories begin to resurface, causing him to operate with more freedom than the corporation intended. The movie grapples with Murphy’s humanity and how much power we truly have to hold everyone accountable.
Related:How Scary is ‘The Squid Game’? The Real Horror, As Always, is CapitalismConcerns about corporations wielding too much power, corruption, and the pursuit of justice continue to resonate. If you haven’t seenRobocop, it’s easy to mistake itas just another 80’s action flick. A revival of theRobocopworld could explore these deeper themes that people continue to grapple with.
The Breakfast Club(1985)
This powerful coming-of-age film from John Hughes centered on five teenagers stuck in Saturday detention. They initially clash because they each belong to a different clique, but over the course of the day, they begin to bond. The film explores the pressures teens face from their peers, the struggle to be true to themselves, and the disconnect between teens and adults. Hughes’s brilliance as a filmmaker is on full display inThe Breakfast Club. He remembered the struggles of the teen years and was able to capture them in a deeply impactful way. Watching this film as a teenager and as an adult are different experiences, highlighting the way adults tend to forget how those difficult years can be.
This movie should not be remade. However, a continuation of these characters’ stories could be an incredible experience if the original actors (Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald,andAlly Sheedy) were willing to reprise their roles.Hughes was considering aThe Breakfast Clubrebootprior to his death. The disconnect between adults could be explored in greater depth as you watch each of these characters go through the same struggles with their own children. This could hit thatCobra Kaibalancing act of appealing to multiple generations while helping people learn to relate to one another in a better way.
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