This year at the cinema allowed us to return to, reimagine and revitalize stories we’ve grown to know and love. 2025 was a great year for those eager to rehash old favorites, revisit a comedy of old or resume where they left off with their favorite characters. Let’s revisit some of 2025’s significant contributions to the re-ing!
Reboot: The Naked Gun
A reboot to the beloved 1980s/1990s comedy classics, The Naked Gun, starring Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson provided some much needed comic relief in a year sparse with comedies at the theatre. Expertly written and directed by Akiva Schaeffer of The Lonely Island, The Naked Gun was a welcome reboot and gave both Neeson and Anderson an opportunity to show off their comedic chops. The film follows Frank Drebin Jr. (Neeson), son of Lt. Frank Drebin of the original franchise, as he seeks to recover the stolen P.L.O.T. Device from a wealthy tech oligarch.
Remake: The Running Man
Based on the book of the same name by Stephen King, The Running Man, starring Glen Powell and William H. Macy is actually a remake of the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger film of the same name. Directed and co-adapted by Edgar Wright (Baby Driver, Shaun of the Dead), The Running Man is a timely, dystopian film with another great action performance from Glen Powell, whose career is just getting started. In The Running Man, Ben Richards (Powell), a man who is struggling with poverty in dystopian America, signs up to participate in a game show where he must hide from the game show hunters and the general public for thirty days to win one billion dollars. If he is found however, he is executed on the spot.
Sequel: Wicked: For Good
The highly anticipated musical sequel to Wicked (2024), Wicked: For Good flew into theatres for the holiday season. An adaptation of the long-running Broadway musical, Wicked (which itself is an adaptation of a book!) Wicked: For Good has the audience venture back to Oz for Act II and learn of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda’s (Ariana Grande) fate. Picking up a short time where Wicked left off, Elphaba has taken the Grimmerie, the Wizard’s famous book of spells, and is determined to continue her mission of keeping animals free in Oz. Introducing familiar characters of Oz such as the Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion, Wicked: For Good was a much darker sequel to a fun, fairytale first-half.
Requel: I Know What You Did Last Summer
A blend of a reboot and a sequel, I Know What You Did Last Summer served as the third film of the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise whose last entry was in 1998. Recasting some beloved original cast members such as Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jennifer Love Hewitt and adding some new faces, I Know What You Did Last Summer brought fans back to Southport, North Carolina where the murders all began. Paying homage to fan-favorite Helen Shivers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and creating modern day through lines with the original story, I Know What You Did Last Summer was a summer treat for fans of horror. A fun slasher with a cast of up and coming actors such as Tyriq Withers and Chase Sui Wonders, this film brought the classic 1990s slasher into 2025.
