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40 Insightful Comparisons That Show How Your Favorite Franchises and Performers Have Changed Over the Years

Does no one have respect for canon?

40 Insightful Comparisons That Show How Your Favorite Franchises and Performers Have Changed Over the Years

September 11, 2024

I think we can all agree: The media I loved when I was eight years old should stay exactly the way it was then, and no one should ever touch it again.

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40

Genres

Dinosaurs in movies Then vs. Now In every genre Adventure, sci-fi, and action movies are the norm for dinosaurs, but there's also cheesy adventure dramas like Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend, and most of all, dumb comedies. We have stuff like The Flintstones and Night at the Museum -and at the bottom, Tammy and the T-Rex and Theodore Rex. CRACKED.COM — Wikipedia

39

Metaphors

Dinosaurs in movies Then vs. Now Dinosaurs as metaphors In 1954's Godzilla, the giant lizard was a metaphor for untamable nuclear horrors. In 1993's Jurassic Park, the dinosaurs represented a warning over profit-driven scientific hubris. Finally, 2014's Godzilla served as a metaphor for climate change. CRACKED.COM — UDS Films/YouTube

38

TV Reboots and Revivals Then vs. Now 2004-2007 2019 Veronica Mars Veronica Mars was a fascinating and surprisingly non-condescending teen-noir. The 2014 movie was pure fan service, but 2019's fourth season was one of the best revivals ever, moving forward while also exploring Veronica's inability to move forward. CRACKED.COM — Source

37

Fun Adventures

James Bond Then vs. Now From adventuring to brooding The movies used to be just about exotic locations, fun spy action, and beautiful women. Sadly, Daniel Craig's 007 went from tortured rookie to tortured veteran, and could never actually enjoy the adventurous life of James Bond. CRACKED.COM — More: The Real Problem With The James Bond Franchise

36

Overview

Indiana Jones Then vs. Now Indiana Jones and the Overview of the Franchise Since 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark, we've had two high-quality sequels in 1984's Temple of Doom and 1989's The Last Crusade (and, well, 2008's Kingdom of the Crystal Skull). Besides the upcoming fifth movie, however, the franchise has also extended to a slew of novels, video games, and even the well-regarded The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles TV show. CRACKED.COM — Wikipedia

35

Lost Trilogy

Star Wars Then vs. Now The trilogy that wasn't George Lucas' outline for a third trilogy was part of his deal with Disney. The Mouse, however, did not keep its part of the agreement, and just kinda remade the original. CRACKED.COM — More: 6 Surprising Ways Disney's Changing The 'Star Wars' Universe

34

Poseidon

CRACKED.COM Disaster movies Then vs. Now The Poseidon Adventure 1972's The Poseidon Adventure pretty much kickstarted the decade of disaster movies, and stands for peak cultural relevance of the genre - the opposite of its 2006 remake Poseidon.

33

The Lament Configuration

Hellraiser Then vs. Now The Lament Configuration This iconic little puzzle box opens a portal between Hell and Earth when solved. But a consistent piece of lore is that you cannot have someone else solve it to see them turned to shreds. The motivation behind it (a desire for the pleasure beyond pleasure) is the essential ingredient. CRACKED.COM — Screen Rant, Looper/YouTube

32

HANDHELD GAMING THEN VS. now GRAPHICS Children gather in awe of Here's Witcher III. The the detailed sprite graphics for the minigame graphics of Donkey Kong where you play cards Land, a game that would have won an Oscar basically looks like a for visual effects in the QR Code you can Game Boy era. This is walk around in. considered playable. CRACKED.COM — Handheld Gaming: Then Vs Now

31

Fallen Celebrities Then vs. Now LENA DUNHAM was an up-and-coming Wunderkind of feminist indie media. AFTER A STRING OF CONTROVERSIES AND TONE-DEAF POSITIONS, her name became synonym with liberal hypocrisy and privileged white feminism. By the time she agreed to adapt a book about a Syrian refugee, she had become a parody of herself. CRACKED.COM — Source

30

Fallen Celebrities Then vs. Now KEVIN SPACEY was a respected character actor for over two decades. SINCE 2017, HOWEVER, HIS CAREER HAS PRETTY MUCH DIED after a bunch of abuse and harassment allegations came out- including four charges of sexual assault in the UK just in May 2022. CRACKED.COM — Source

29

Fallen Celebrities Then vs. Now ARMIE HAMMER rocks in Call Me by Your Name. THINGS FELL APART WHEN ALLEGATIONS OF HARASSMENT (AND LATER ABUSE) emerged around 2021. What makes them different, however, was the explicit, insisting, and systematic fantasies of sexual torture and even cannibalism. CRACKED.COM — Source

28

The Shining

Movies altered after the release Then vs. Now The Shining The original, 146-minute version lasted for a week in theaters. Following Kubrick's lead, Warner Bros. asked projectionists to cut the last two minutes from the expository wrap-up. Later, for the European release, Kubrick cut another 25 minutes that weren't really working, which just sounds like cheating by now. CRACKED.COM — Warner Bros.
Wikipedia
WatchMojo.com/YouTube
WhatCulture

27

Fallen Celebrities Then vs. Now JEFFREY JONES acted in a bunch of awesome movies НЕ WAS ALSO ARRESTED FOR POSSESSION OF, ERM, CHEESE PIZZA, and had to register as a sex offender. Не has since resumed acting, mainly on the stage and stuff like 2019's Deadwood: The Movie. CRACKED.COM — Source

26

Actors

Star Trek Then vs. Now From the core cast to every famous actor ever When Star Trek began, William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy were already acting veterans, while other performers had a bit less experience. By now, the Star Trek franchise has also been home to Whoopi Goldberg, Christopher Lloyd, Kurtwood Smith, Christopher Plummer, and tons of other stars. CRACKED.COM — 17 Stars We Forgot Were on 'Star Trek', Basic Stuff Magazine

25

Action

James Bond Then vs. Now From boring action to parkour Classic Bond features nice car chases, but clumsy fight scenes. Dalton brought '80s brutality, and the action early Brosnan looks out of martial arts movie. The Craig films give us parkour, sleek editing, and (finally) Bond-worthy action. CRACKED.COM — More: James Bond Is Objectively The Worst Action Hero

24

Movies altered after the release Then vs. Now Star Wars: Episode IV Did you hear? Han shoots first in the original! In the 1997 Special Edition (but also in 2004 and 2011), Greedo shoots first, and then Han, after CGI- dodging the shot. For the 2019 version, George Lucas changed it again to Greedo saying maclunkey (whatever that means) just before he shoots. CRACKED.COM — Source

23

Plots

Hellraiser Then vs. Now From actual plots to dream plot twists The first two films have a plot with Frank and then Julia returning from death and Kirsty dealing with the Cenobites. The later sequels are one-offs, including the disjointed three-timeline, Bloodline. The worst trend, however, began with Inferno. Perhaps inspired by Jacob's Ladder, later movies ended with variants of the it was all a dream twist. CRACKED.COM — In Praise of Shadows/YouTube

22

Movies altered after the release Then vs. Now INES T The Rescuers In 1999, just three days after the second video release, someone noticed a picture of a naked woman on a window as Bernard, Bianca, and Orville fly by. Three million VHS copies were recalled, even thought the woman appears in just two frames. CRACKED.COM — Source

21

Eric Cartman

South Park Then VS. Now TOMS RHIN ERIC CARTMAN There are not enough anal probes to match the giant pain in other people's asses Cartman causes. CRACKED.COM

20

Optimism

Star Wars Then vs. Now Optimism vs. realism The original trilogy was about an evil Empire being defeated by (a new) hope. The new trilogy turned that optimism into political cynicism, the New Republic being useless and allowing fascism to rise again. CRACKED.COM — Source: Vanity Fair/YouTube

19

House of Wax

Horror Classics Then vs. Now House of Wax 1933's Mystery of the Wax Museum was remade as the much more famous 1953 film House of Wax, with Vincent Price. 2005 saw the release of the remake with Paris Hilton, which... isn't that bad, really. CRACKED.COM

18

Influence

Hellraiser Then vs. Now Influence Hellraiser's imagery and influence are everywhere. Pinhead has showed up in several episodes of The Simpsons, and a Rick and Morty episode is about Cenobite-ish pleasure creatures. Similarly, a Cenobite-like villain appears in Cabin in the Woods, and Hellraiser even has as its best unofficial sequel the cult cosmic horror film The Void. CRACKED.COM — Tv References, Adult Swim UK, , Cabin in the Woods scene (via YouTube), The Horror Geek/YouTube

17

Punchline to Appreciated Then vs. Now Charlize Theron After Monster showcased Theron's immense acting talent (and even gave her a Best Actress Oscar), she could do whatever she wanted, and nobody would ever consider her just a pretty face anymore. CRACKED.COM — Source

16

Disney Animated Canon

Disney Remakes Then vs. Now The basics Depending on your definition of canon (and don't even get us started on actual criteria), there are 12 to 20 films that could be considered official remakes. The worst are infamous: Dumbo, Mulan, Lady and the Tramp, The Lion King, Pinocchio. The best? The two gems of the bunch: Cinderella and The Jungle Book. CRACKED.COM — Sources: Wikipedia, Rotten Tomatoes, IndieWire, CBR, Screen Rant
Image Credit: Walt Disney Pictures

15

Movies altered after the release Then vs. Now Cats Like a video game patch, Cats had to be altered right after release because the CGI was awful. Still, we know not to blame the FX artists. It was all director Tom Hooper and the studio's last-minute demands, leading to the harrowing visions of human hands, floating heads, buttholes, and, well, the film Cats. CRACKED.COM — Source

14

Remake

Star Wars Then VS. Now The remake trilogy The prequel trilogy had its own stakes, settings, and foes trying to differentiate it from the original. The sequel trilogy had a clear mission statement that this was going to be the same but bigger in: This was the Death Star, and this is Starkiller base. CRACKED.COM — Source: Scene on YouTube

13

Towelie

South Park Then vs. Now FARM TEGRIDY FARM GR TOWELIE Still mighty high. CRACKED.COM

12

Ben Affleck

Directors and their beginnings Then vs. Now Ben Affleck Affleck has earned directorial respect with Gone Baby Gone and Argo. But he began with a few shorts, particularly 1993's currently-disowned I Killed My Lesbian Wife, Hung Her on a Meat Hook, and Now I Have a Three-Picture Deal at Disney. It's the stereotype of art-school douche-bro filmmaking. درود بر حمييى بت شكن CRACKED.COM — CBR

11

Chef

South Park Then VS. Now AB HEA CHEF The beloved and light-hearted mentor joined the darkest of the dark sides. Younglings watch out. CRACKED.COM

10

George Lucas

Directors and their beginnings Then vs. Now George Lucas Even before his experimental 1971 thriller THX-1138, Lucas began with a bunch of concept-heavy student short films. In 1968, he also directed a documentary on the making of Coppola's 1969 film The Rain People, and even THX 1138 has a short film prequel: 1967's Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB. CRACKED.COM — Wikipedia

9

Conflict

Superhero Movies Then vs. Now Personal vs. group conflicts Isolated universes meant superheroes were all alone. By now, with X-Men, Justice League, and Avengers, plotlines can focus on more dynamic group conflicts. CRACKED.COM — Source: RetroZap

8

My Bloody Valentine

Horror Classics Then vs. Now My Bloody Valentine This 1981 Canadian flick is one of the better post- Halloween slashers. It was remade in 2009 as the kinda decent My Bloody Valentine 3D (which must not be confused with 2001's awful Valentine). CRACKED.COM

7

Villains

Superhero Movies Then VS. Now Judex (1916) From villain to villain Supervillains have always been a secret ingredient of the genre, but Joker represented the pinnacle of the current interest in comic book baddies. Joker (2019) CRACKED.COM — More: 15 Super Facts From The Bonkers History Of Superhero Movies

6

Trends

James Bond Then vs. Now J.BOND 007 Chasing trends Bond movies have drawn inspiration from Hitchcock, Blaxploitation, '80s buddy cop movies, and Hong Kong action cinema. Moonraker famously copied Star Wars, and of course, the Craig movies would not exist without Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy and the Bourne franchise. CRACKED.COM — Source: The A.V. Club

5

Robert Wise

Directors and their beginnings Then vs. Now Robert Wise If you don't know Wise by name, you surely know of The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Sound of Music, or Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Wise started by helming 1944's The Curse of the Cat People, a sequel to the 1942 scare jump-inventing classic. Before that, he was an editor on movies like friggin' Citizen Kane. CRACKED.COM — FilmVerse, Wikipedia

4

Location

Die Hard Then vs. Now Location, location, location The first Die Hard movies have one location: first an office building, then an airport... And then the pattern was broken, with the third movie happening all over New York, the fifth one all over the U.S. and the fifth one in our nightmares (and Moscow). CRACKED.COM

3

A Cultural Force

Star Wars Then vs. Now From leading culture to following it. Even at their lowest, Star Wars would lead cinematic culture, setting the standard in terms of broad blockbuster narratives. The Disney trilogy not only recycled an already dispatched villain-it even rehashed the epic ending to Avengers: Endgame. CRACKED.COM — Sources: Screen Rant, DIM Entertainment/YouTube

2

Music

James Bond Then vs. Now The music 007's iconic song was created by Monty Norman, with John Barry being the other great composer of the series. In the pop department, great artists have provided killer theme songs: Shirley Bassey, Nancy Sinatra, Paul McCartney, Duran Duran, Tina Turner, Garbage, Jack White, Billie Eilish, and Sam Smith. CRACKED.COM — Source: Wikipedia

1

TV Reboots and Revivals Then vs. Now 2001-2010 24 24 began strong, won awards, dwindled near the end, got a TV movie, the whole deal. 24: Legacy, on the other hand, did nothing new or interesting. Kiefer Sutherland and most of the cast were gone, and it only lasted one season. 24: Legacy 2017 CRACKED.COM — Source

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