ReBoot: The Guardian Code
For many years Rainmaker had been saying they would bring back ReBoot, and now they… Still haven’t brought back ReBoot. But I decided to share a few of my scattered thoughts on what they have done.
When I first heard about The Guardian Code (TGC) I wanted to hold off on any real opinions until I could see it. Initially I was excited that Rainmaker were going to bring back ReBoot. When they started releasing trailers this year any hope I had of it being something I might be able to enjoy, even if it wasn’t “my” ReBoot, were dashed. Honestly, the trailers were complete trash and made the show look ridiculously bad. Still, I decided I would try actually watching it before any final opinion was formed.
While the title of the show uses the name of the original, and they borrowed ideas and characters from my beloved ReBoot, TGC is clearly not related to the original in any way beyond that. The new show is not a continuation, and it isn’t a reboot of ReBoot. It is just a show where someone took a base idea, then made it into what they envisioned instead. If you’re going to do that, I am of the opinion what you make should either be better, or at least live up to the standards of the original. The Guardian Code doesn’t do that. It was more disrespectful, and should have just separated itself from the ReBoot name and characters.
You’re probably thinking I hated it beyond anything imaginable. But I didn’t actually hate it, yet I didn’t actually like it. The thing is, there was actually potential in it, unfortunately it was wasted. The characters, most of whom were human, were not interesting. Which was a big thing for me. I cared about Bob, Dot, Enzo and everyone else in Mainframe. While it was clear we were supposed to care about these teens and their families, I just didn’t. The actors, in my opinion, were not the problem, the writing was. Too much blandness, too many cliches and so much wrong when it comes to the tech side of things. It is clear the writers didn’t do any research, and have no love for the show they write for. It’s just a job to them, one they seem to be half-assing. Which is another drastic change from the original.
For me one of the worst episodes was Mainframe Mayhem, which I had hoped would be decent. But it only came off as a pathetic jab at the original fans when they threw in a scene that was completely out of place and made no sense for the universe they created. Basically, it was a ReBoot fan boy, who lives in his moms basement. I mean, really? They also decided to make a mockery of the original heroes (Bob, Dot and Enzo). Which actually brings me back to the second episode, when the Sorcerer upgrades Megabyte. Frisket is in this scene, and if you know ReBoot, then you know Frisket hates viruses. If he saw one he would more than likely growl and attack. In TGC Frisket whimpers and runs away from Megabyte. I actually yelled at my screen when that happened.
The creators of the original ReBoot loved what they were putting out, and it showed. The characters had personalities, the writing was not dumbed down, and it was clearly thought out. There were clever tech and pop culture references throughout every episode, some were obvious, and some you didn’t notice until later viewings. There was so much to love about the original, and since TGC tried to capitalize on that show, it is hard not to make comparisons.
Bottom line, The Guardian Code does not live up to ReBoot. It could have done some cool stuff, and been decent on its own, but they chose to water it down and use the excuse that “it’s a kids show” for it’s blandness. I’m sure some kids and adults do like it, but for most of us who know and love the original, The Guardian Code just isn’t making the grade.
