As a long-time fan of the original “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (“Rocky Horror”), when I first heard that Fox was remaking the cult-classic into a TV musical special,“The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do the Time Warp Again,”  I was a bit skeptical. It wasn’t until the cast was announced and I saw Lavern Cox and Victoria Justice were starting in the remake that I got really excited to see how this would play out.
Although the original is a classic and no other film can even compare, after 41 years, it is finally time to do the “Time Warp” again.
The new “Rocky Horror” is not perfect and has quite a few flaws but there were many little things that make the TV special feel new and exciting. I enjoyed how diverse the cast was, making the TV special feel modern. The new “Glam Rock” take on the costumes and the way classic numbers were reinvented felt fresh and like a wild party.
Fox Network premiered their TV musical remake of the 1975 cult-classic musical (“Rocky Horror”) on Oct. 20. The TV special pays a tribute to the original, but felt short in ratings and reviews.
The remake starts Lavern Cox as the iconic transsexual scientist, Dr. Frank-N-Furter and Staz Nair as the Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s creation, Rocky. Ryan McCartan and Victoria Justice play the geeky and lovable couple of Brad and Janet. Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s Transylvanian servants, Riff Raff and Magenta are played by Reeve Carney and Christina Milian. Annaleigh Ashford stars as the wild groupie, Columbia, who is in love with Adam Lambert’s character, Eddie. Eddie’s uncle, Dr. Everett V. Scott, is played by Ben Vereen. And the original Dr. Frank-N-Furter, Tim Curry, makes a cameo in the remake as the Criminologist Narrator.
The casting had its hits and its misses. I felt like Cox portrayal of Dr. Frank-N-Furter was exciting and fresh, she was able to captivate the sensual and dangerous personality of the character. Carney and Milian were also impressive as Riff Raff and Magenta, and Carney somehow managed to make Riff Raff scarier than the original. Of course having Curry in the remake was nostalgic and a great touch.
I do feel that McCartan and Justice are way too pretty and confident to play the awkward virgin couple that is Brad and Janet. And I was not feeling the new emo-raving Columbia, Ashford’s take on the iconic groupie was a huge miss for me.
The singing was good and the new take on classic musical numbers was exciting to watch and made me fall in love with the characters all over again.
The remake included all the original numbers like “Dammit Janet,” “Sweet Transvestite,” and the most iconic “Time Warp.” Most of the musical numbers were the true to their original counterparts with only minor changes.
Cox “Sweet Transvestite” number was fun and crazy, but Cox did an outstanding job in the “I’m Going Home” number at the end of the film. Other memorable numbers were McCartan’s “Dammit Janet,” and Justice’s “Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch Me” scene with Nair, Milian, and Ashford.
The Fox remake does the original justice by including all the original songs and the original script, but some changes can still be spotted in the remake.
A major change happens at the start of the film with the opening number of “Science Fiction/Double Feature” being changed from the red lips close-up from the original, to Ivy Levan singing while ushering at a movie theater where the film is set to be playing. Levan’s performance was fun and new.
The whole movie theater setting was a great tribute to the popular midnight showings of “Rocky Horror” that play across the country in metropolitan cities. The original is still a hit years after its release because of the midnight showings that allow die-hard fans to dress up as their favorite “Rocky Horror” character and have a blast with fellow fans.
The other changes are seen in the Glam Rock inspired colorful costumes and bright set designs.
It is obvious that the producers and designers wanted this version to be more vibrant and glittery than the classic, which was already a spectacle from the start.
Say goodbye to Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s iconic black lingerie, as Cox’s character makes a debut in a red sequence lingerie look that matches her fiery red up-do hair. Janet and Magenta also get a pop of color in the remake with Janet’s blue skirt suit and Magenta bright magenta hair.
Not all the costume changes worked for me including Rocky’s new baggy gold shorts. The change from glittery super short gold shorts, to gold basketball shorts was really disappointing to see. The character of Rocky is known for his fit body and raveling outfit and the remake covered him too much.
Columbia’s costume was also changed for the worst in the remake. She went from looking like a cute tap-dancing circus ring-leader to a depressing raver who doesn’t have a rave to attend.
Anyone who missed the premier can watch the film on FOXNow or on Hulu.