Reduxology

Redux is a Latin adjective that means “brought back, resurgence, or restored”. -logy, or ology is an English suffix that has been adapted from Greek and Latin. The suffix typically refers to a field of study, such as mythology (the study of myths, legends and folklore), but it can also refer to a subject rather than a study, like technology. The purpose of Reduxology is to study aspects of the entertainment medias that are recycled in one form or another.

The motion picture industry has produced remakes since its earliest days, and the music industry has generated numerous covers and cover bands. Some people might say that such artistic works are not as worthy of recognition as their predecessor’s, but as a generalization that is perhaps an unfair criticism. Part of that negative criticism stems from the belief that remakes, or covers lack originality and creativity. That is certainly true in some cases, but it can also be argued that remakes, and covers, can have as much creative validity as purported original works.

Think about your favorite restaurant and your favorite selection from their menu; what makes it better than another restaurant that serves the exact same food? The answer is likely to be the people who prepared the food that made it taste so much better. Or perhaps it’s not the qaulity of the food at all, but something else that has made the experience unique and different. Maybe you enjoy the location, the decor, or maybe it’s the people you go with that has made it your favorite place. Remakes and covers are experienced in much the same way, sometimes the way the ingredients are prepared and presented make it great, sometimes it becomes a disaster. Just as chefs bring something of themselves to the dinners they cook, bands put their own style on a cover, and movie crews add their own personal touches to remakes, and adaptations.

Reduxology will explore the good and the bad of this phenomena, which is as old as pop-culture itself.