Do you ever close your eyes wishing you could relive your youth? Those times where you would take BuzzFeed quizzes to figure out which Greek God would be your parent so you could place yourself in a cabin at Camp Half-blood. Those times where you would play with a toy bow and arrow to transform into a legendary archer like Katniss. Those times where you would beg your parents to buy DVDs and the matching dolls of your favorite animated Barbie films. Those times you strived to be just like your favorite characters from your favorite movies and books and waited around hopelessly to see them in action again.
Luckily the time has finally come where our childhood favorites were not only brought back, but reinvented. This year has been almost a renaissance of these classics displayed once again back on our screens. With hits such as “Percy Jackson and the Olympians,” “Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbird and Snakes” and “Barbie,” we are being taken back to the early 2010s (arguably one of the best decades).
1. Percy Jackson (2023)
“Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is a classic coming-of-age series by Rick Riordan that captivates young readers into the world of Greek gods and their descendants. It follows young boy Percy Jackson on his journey to save the world from evil after he finds out his father is Poseidon. The series later spins off into other novels: “The Heroes of Olympus” series and the “Magnus Chase” trilogy. The original Percy Jackson series even had two movies made in 2010 and 2013 following the first two books, starring Logan Lerman as Percy Jackson. Unfortunately, as good as Lerman’s acting was, the movies received awful ratings from fans (like myself) as the movie failed to accurately portray the novel, causing the studio to cut the series short.
In May of 2020, it was announced that the series was coming back, but this time, in a TV show format. After a decade since the last movie release, episodes of the new show began premiering December 2023 and are being very well-received by audiences. With the final episode released on Wednesday, Jan. 31, there is much to be appreciated from the show, such as the accuracy to the books and the amazing portrayal of the characters from a very young lead cast. Throughout the entire season one can tell how much detail went into the production from the casting choices to the cinematography. Even though the show still strays in some minor ways, it is safe to say the show is the redemption we needed after the disaster that was the movies.
2. Hunger Games: Ballad of songbirds and snakes (2023)
As a child, I was always in love with the dystopian genre, especially “The Hunger Games” trilogy. Set in a futuristic post-war America, we watch teen Katniss fight her way through two different Hunger Games and then an entire revolution. Written by Susan Collins, these novels were amazing commentaries that focused on social inequalities and extreme government control in our society. To accompany the books, four different movies were released starring Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss. The movies were extremely well-received as they paid a perfect homage to Collin’s writing and themes. After the last book was written in 2010 and the last movie premiered in 2015, we all thought the story was over.
On Tuesday, May 19, 2020, Collins released a fourth book: “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.” This book didn’t pick up at the end of the last one but instead went back in time to explore the upbringing of the original story’s main antagonist Coriolanus Snow. Three years later, in November 2023, the book received a movie to accompany the novel. The movie did an amazing job displaying how Snow went from being a poor schoolboy to an evil, power-hungry president. Even though this movie was released eight years after the originals, it felt almost seamless in the way the movie was produced. From the costuming to the critic scores and even the set designs, the film felt very true and similar to the older films we love.
My only complaint about this film was the changes made in the live adaptation. The writing was altered in dramatic ways to limit the length of the film. I understand why this was done, but I question why they didn’t split it into two movies like they did for “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay,” as the final book in the original trilogy was split into two films. Many key moments in “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” were cut or changed to avoid making it too lengthy, but this affected the overall impact the book had. Even with this, I still think the movie was beautiful and I would love to see the four hour director’s cut (I know it’s out there somewhere).
3. Barbie (2023)
You were truly a child from the 2000s if you watched the countless animated Barbie movies and shows being released at the time. It was enchanting to watch Barbie in classic fairytales like Rapunzel and even in her own reality show “Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse.” After years of 3D animated content, we finally received a live-action Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie as Barbie herself. This movie was very different from the animated films, as it was a completely original story following Barbie adventuring in the real world to discover her purpose. It even focused on Ken (for the first time ever) rewriting his role in the Barbie dominated world.
The movie was a fun watch being more than pink and plastic, as it conveyed real world themes and the humor appealed to a more mature audience. We got to see Barbie as more than a perfect blonde empowering woman in more real-life scenarios. The film commented on the many struggles of being a woman in the modern world, such as having insecurities in one’s appearance and trying to rise up in a male-dominated world. In between these themes, we also received fun dance numbers, beautiful costumes and outstanding acting. Although the film is nothing like the Barbie movies we grew up watching, it was fun to see a more relatable and updated Barbie adventure.
In recent years we are constantly trapped with awful spinoffs that we never even asked for. It is refreshing to see quality reinvented content. 2023 captured the highlights of the 2010s and brought them back in new exciting ways. I hope to see more movies and shows like this in the future!