By Alison Butz / The Jambar
I have recently been watching the 2021 s
pin off of the children’s sitcom “iCarly,” which was popular in the late 2000s and early 2010s. To be frank, I don’t know how to feel about the reboot.
Most often, I don’t find myself enjoying sequels of movies, so I didn’t have any intention of watching the new version of “iCarly.” However, one of my roommates was watching it one night when I came home.
The best way I can describe the reboot is that it put trauma into what I know and love about the original “iCarly.” For example, the characters openly talk about adult themes, and a main character from the original show, Freddy, now has a kid.
I was not expecting the show to be a carbon copy of what it once was, but I still find myself wishing some elements of the original show carried over, such as its wacky web design or Spencer’s art projects.
I get it, the apartment was remodeled — it does look nice and modern, but it almost feels too artificial with its black and white aesthetic.
This just reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend about how sequel movies are almost always a let down. A great example of this is “Cars 2.”
I wasn’t the biggest fan of “Cars 2” because it introduced so many new characters into the universe. The more characters that I was introduced to, the more overwhelmed I would get.
Granted, I didn’t expect the second movie to have the exact same plot as the first, but from what I remember, the sequel seemed to have more new characters than old ones from the first movie.
I feel like the “Cars” universe is something I could grow to like if I ever sit down and watch the three movies in succession. That is something that I can appreciate from Pixar movies — every movie feels different, and whether that’s bad or not is up to the viewer.
“High School Musical” is another example of a movie that didn’t need a sequel — no less two of them. The original was great, although it’s a bit cringey nowadays. At the end of the day, it’s a classic.
The fact that I hardly remember the plot of the second and third “High School Musical” movies is a massive sign, in my opinion, that making them was entirely unnecessary. However, I understand that these kinds of movies can be someone’s cup of tea.
