On Thursday, Oct. 20, Fox introduced its own, reimagined version of the 1975 "Rocky Horror Picture Show." Starring Laverne Cox, Victoria Justice, Christina Milian and others, the director’s desire was to pay tribute to the original with a modern spin. While there is no doubt that many will be extremely critical of the latest version of the cult classic, the fact the production required a vast amount of hard work mustn't be ignored.
With the first version, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" was revealed to only have had a budget of about eleven hundred dollars for costumes. In the 2016 version, it is extremely evident that there was much more money available this time around as far as costumes are concerned. However, before I go any further with my take on the newest version, let it be known that I am not at all comparing the quality of the 1975 and 2016 version. The original will always be the original, there is absolutely no comparison. In an interview with producer, Kenny Ortega (director of the "High School Musical Movies"), he expressed that this new version of "Rocky Horror" isn’t meant to be an “improved copy” so to speak. Instead, this year’s version is simply a tribute to the cult classic with a modern interpretation. That being said, fans of the original should try there best not to compare the two versions.
What I really respect is how the actors who stepped into the iconic roles each had his or her own rendition of the character while still remaining somewhat true to the original. For example, Laverne Cox who played Frank N Furter played the part much differently than Tim Curry did in the 70s. In an interview, Cox said that she desired to have her version of Frank N Furter dance more given her own dance background. This worked and what I admire is that none of the actors desired to copy and compete with the original players but instead made it their own.
In addition, I must say that the 2016 version of the music was fantastic. This time around, the music had quite an 80s rock feel and really showed off the vocals of the actors. My favorite was actually "Time Warp" featuring Reeve Carney as Riff Raff. His alternative, rock/blues voice went well with the rendition. Most importantly, it was just overall fun to watch each of the actors enjoy his/her character.
Even if you are a die hard fan of the original "Rocky Horror" who believes nothing else can compare, I still suggest that you give Fox’s version a chance. While it is not perfect, it truly embraces the true spirit of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" with the rock n roll attitude, fun costumes, and odd but somehow relatable characters. It’s true that nothing will ever compete with the original that is just a given. But still, the 2016 version gives everyone a chance to enjoy and sing along to the modern tribute.
