The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again

{{short description|2016 American film directed by Kenny Ortega}}

{{Infobox television

| name = {{nowrap|The Rocky Horror Picture Show:}} Let's Do the Time Warp Again

| image = Rocky Horror Picture Show teaser poster 2016 TV film.png

| caption = One of pre-release posters

| based_on = The Rocky Horror Picture Show
by Jim Sharman
Richard O'Brien

The Rocky Horror Show
and The Rocky Horror Show Live
by Richard O'Brien

| director = Kenny Ortega

| starring = {{Plainlist|

}}

| narrated = Tim Curry

| music = {{Plainlist|

}}

| country = United States

| language = English

| executive_producer = {{Plainlist|

Lou Adler
Gail Berman
Kenny Ortega

}}

| producer = John Ryan

| cinematography = Luc Montpellier

| editor = Don Brochu

| runtime = 88 minutes (TV cut)
95 minutes (Extended cut){{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Rocky-Horror-Picture-Show/dp/B01LTHP0MU/|title =The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again on Amazon|website = Amazon.com|date =2016}}

| company = {{Plainlist|

}}

| budget = $20 million{{cite magazine|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/simonthompson/2016/07/25/rocky-horror-remake-cast-talk-giving-the-cult-classic-a-20-million-update/|title = 'Rocky Horror' Remake Cast Talk Giving The $1.2 Million Cult Classic A $20 Million Update|last = Thompson|first = Simon|magazine = Forbes|date = July 25, 2016}}

| network = Fox

| released = {{Start date|2016|10|20}}

}}

The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again (also known as The Rocky Horror Picture Show Event and The Rocky Horror Picture Show) is a 2016 American musical comedy television film. It is a tribute to and remake of the cult classic 1975 film of the same name and directed by Kenny Ortega, using the original script written by Richard O'Brien and Jim Sharman.

Starring an ensemble cast led by Laverne Cox, the film premiered on the Fox network on October 20, 2016.

Plot

The plot of the tribute is fundamentally identical to the original film, with some additional scenes wrapped around the film. These scenes show several people attending a theatrical showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and subsequently are used to introduce some of the audience participation elements from the original film (such as throwing toilet paper on the line "Great Scott!").{{cite web | url = https://www.avclub.com/review/foxs-rocky-horror-remake-isnt-time-warp-worth-doin-244279 | title = Fox's Rocky Horror remake isn't a time warp worth doing | first = Esther | last = Zuckerman | date = October 21, 2016 | access-date = October 20, 2016 | work = The A.V. Club }}

Cast

Laverne Cox as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, the Mad Scientist.{{cite web|last1=Harp|first1=Justin|title=Orange Is the New Black's Laverne Cox is replacing Tim Curry as Dr Frank-N-Furter in Fox's Rocky Horror Show|url=http://www.digitalspy.com.au/ustv/news/a674916/orange-is-the-new-blacks-laverne-cox-is-replacing-tim-curry-as-dr-frank-n-furter-in-foxs-rocky-horror-show.html#~prUknm4TENCgIC|website=Digital Spy|access-date=November 4, 2015|date=October 22, 2015}}{{cite web|last1=Jayson|first1=Jay|title=Orange Is The New Black's Laverne Cox To Star In Rocky Horror Picture Show Remake|url=https://comicbook.com/2015/10/22/orange-is-the-new-blacks-laverne-cox-to-star-in-rocky-horror-pic/|website=ComicBook.com|access-date=November 4, 2015|date=October 21, 2015}}
Victoria Justice as Janet Weiss, the Heroine
Ryan McCartan as Brad Majors, the Hero
Annaleigh Ashford as Columbia, the Groupie
Adam Lambert as Eddie, the Ex-Delivery Boy
Reeve Carney as Riff-Raff, the Handyman
Christina Milian as Magenta, the Domestic Servant
Staz Nair as Rocky Horror, Frank's Creation
Ivy Levan as Trixie, the Usherette
Ben Vereen as Dr. Everett von Scott, the Rival Scientist
Tim Curry as the Narrator/Criminologist{{Cite web | url = https://www.ign.com/articles/2016/01/15/tim-curry-to-have-a-role-in-foxs-rocky-horror-picture-show-tv-movie | title = TIM CURRY TO HAVE A ROLE IN FOX'S ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW TV-MOVIE | work = IGN | date = January 15, 2016 | access-date = January 15, 2016 | first = Matt | last = Fowler }}
Jayne Eastwood as The Butler
Jeff Lillico as Ralph Hapschatt
Kelly Van der Burg as Betty Hapschatt-Munroe
Sal Piro as The Photographer

Musical numbers

{{main|The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again (soundtrack)}}

"Science Fiction/Double Feature" - Trixie
"Dammit Janet" - Brad, Janet, and Chorus
"There's a Light (Over at the Frankenstein Place)" - Janet, Brad, Phantoms, and Riff Raff
"The Time Warp" - Riff Raff, Magenta, The Criminologist, Columbia, and Transylvanians
"Sweet Transvestite" - Frank
"The Sword of Damocles" - Rocky
"I Can Make You a Man" - Frank
"Hot Patootie – Bless My Soul" - Eddie
"I Can Make You a Man" (reprise) - Frank, Janet, and Transylvanians
"Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me" - Janet with Magenta, Columbia, and Rocky
"Once in a While"† - Brad
"Eddie" - Dr. Scott, The Criminologist, Janet, Frank, and Columbia
"Planet Schmanet Janet (Wise Up Janet Weiss)" - Frank, Janet, Brad, and Dr. Scott
"Rose Tint My World" - Columbia, Rocky, Janet, and Brad
"Fanfare/Don't Dream It, Be It" - Frank
"Wild and Untamed Thing" - Frank and Riff Raff
"I'm Going Home" - Frank
"The Time Warp" (reprise) - Riff Raff and Magenta
"Super Heroes" - Brad, Janet, and Chorus
"Science Fiction/Double Feature" (reprise) - Trixie and Eddie

† denotes songs only present in the extended cut.

Production

File:Laverne Cox at Paley Fest Orange Is The New Black.jpg

Plans for a remake at Fox date back to 2002, when a 2003 release date was under consideration to mark the 30-year anniversary of the play which spawned the film, a remake for which former Broadway producer Gail Berman would have been involved as co-producer. MTV had also planned a remake, set for 2008 and for which Berman was again tapped to produce, but those plans also fell through.

On April 10, 2015, it was announced that Kenny Ortega, best known for directing the film Hocus Pocus, the High School Musical trilogy, and Michael Jackson's This Is It, would direct the remake.{{cite web|last1=Andreeva|first1=Nellie|title=Rocky Horror TV Remake In Works At Fox With Gail Berman & Kenny Ortega|url=https://deadline.com/2015/04/rocky-horror-picture-show-remake-fox-gail-berman-kenny-ortega-1201407925/|website=Deadline Hollywood|publisher=Penske Media Corporation|access-date=November 4, 2015|date=April 10, 2015}} On October 21, 2015, Emmy Award nominee Laverne Cox, best known for her role as prisoner Sophia Burset on Netflix's prison comedy-drama Orange Is the New Black, joined the cast to play Dr. Frank-N-Furter, the mad-scientist role originated by Tim Curry in the 1970s.{{cite magazine|last1=Hibberd|first1=James|title=Laverne Cox to star in Fox's Rocky Horror reboot|url=https://www.ew.com/article/2015/10/21/laverne-cox-rocky-horror|access-date=November 4, 2015|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=October 21, 2015}} Curry, in turn, was cast as the Criminologist, which had been played by Charles Gray in the original. Lou Adler, who produced the original film, also co-produced the remake, along with Gail Berman and Kenny Ortega; Ortega choreographed the film in addition to directing and producing. The creative team planned "to stick faithfully to the text and the score of the original but greatly re-imagine the story visually".

Much of the film was shot at Toronto's Casa Loma, being used for both Frank N. Furter's castle and the "Castle" movie theatre where the audience participation scenes and Ivy Levan's performance of "Science Fiction/Double Feature" were filmed. A theatre marquee was temporarily erected at the front entrance for these scenes.{{cite web|url=http://www.blogto.com/film/2016/04/rocky_horror_picture_show_filming_at_casa_loma/|title=Rocky Horror Picture Show filming at Casa Loma}}

An unreleased virtual reality experience was in development at the time. A 360-degree video camera rig can be seen in a behind-the-scenes video released by Fox during a marketing promotion.Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211205/wjpOObqW12k Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20161006154816/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjpOObqW12k&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjpOObqW12k&list=PLXd9aCB0yKuhcESOKqBgLBVuZE-NH94w1&index=27| title = A Backstage Look At The Craziest Musical Ever Made {{!}} THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW | website=YouTube| date = September 26, 2016 }}{{cbignore}} However, the project was stopped for unknown reasons.

Release

The world premiere of the film was on October 18, 2016 at MIPCOM.{{cite web|title=MIPCOM set to do The Time Wrap Again|url=http://view.reedexpo-email.com/?j=fe5a17787463077f711d&m=fecd157375610c7c&ls=fdbd1575756d057a7210747362&l=fe591578726201747415&s=fdfd15707164037d73137874&jb=ffcf14&ju=fe2312727764077a7c1378|access-date=11 October 2016}} The film premiered on Fox on October 20, 2016. The first 25 minutes of the film were screened at San Diego Comic-Con,{{cite magazine|title=Fox's Rocky Horror Picture Show set for pre-Halloween premiere|url=https://www.ew.com/article/2016/07/22/rocky-horror-picture-premiere-date-fox|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=31 July 2016}} as well as RKO Con 2, a Rocky Horror convention in Providence, Rhode Island.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again was released on DVD on December 6, 2016. An extended cut of the film was included featuring deleted scenes and the frequently excised song "Once in a While", as sung by Brad.{{cite web|title=Fox's Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again Arrives On DVD 12/6|url=http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/FOXs-ROCKY-HORROR-PICTURE-SHOW-LETS-DO-THE-TIME-WARP-AGAIN-Arrives-On-DVD-126-20161021US|website=Broadway World|access-date=21 October 2016}}

Reception

=Viewership=

The movie drew 4.95 million viewers, with a 1.7 rating and a 6 share in the 18-49 demographic.{{cite web |url=http://www.tvratingsguide.com/2016/10/tv-ratings-102016-dammit-janet-thats.html|title= TV Ratings 10/20/16: Dammit, Janet! That's a Big Improvement over Rosewood (UPDATED!)|publisher=The TV Ratings Guide |date=October 21, 2016 |access-date=October 13, 2017}}

=Critical reception=

The special received mixed to negative reviews, although Cox's performance was mostly praised.{{Citation needed|date=April 2022|reason=Cite this and give reviews that focus on the quality of the performance, not the casting itself.}} Many critics agreed that the production would have been better if it were live, raising questions why Fox decided not to do it live, given the success the network had with Grease: Live. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 29% score based on 42 reviews; the critical consensus states, "Laverne Cox's fabulous portrayal of Frank N. Furter leads a strong ensemble effort, but the stars can't infuse this reimagining with enough energy, creativity, and quirk to make TRHPS: Let's Do the Time Warp Again a worthwhile endeavor."{{cite web | url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_rocky_horror_picture_show_lets_do_the_time_warp_again | title=The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again (2016) | work=Rotten Tomatoes | publisher=Flixster | access-date=April 11, 2019}} On Metacritic, the film has a 55 out of 100 rating, based on 23 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".{{cite web | url=https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-rocky-horror-picture-show-lets-do-the-time-warp-again | title=The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again reviews | work=Metacritic | publisher=CBS Interactive | access-date=October 25, 2016}}

Esther Zuckerman of The A.V. Club felt that the remake focused too much on the weirdness in the original film without acknowledging the campiness it had been filmed with. Viewers who had never seen the original film would be confused by the movie-within-a-movie approach used in the remake. Matt Tamanini of Broadwayworld.com said that the remake "was a strikingly disappointing missed opportunity" that "felt far more like a production on Glee than the actual production of Rocky Horror on Glee did", although he did praise the casting of Cox, saying "In the long history of The Rocky Horror Show, the musical has broken down doors and helped pave the way for an era of LGBT acceptance. So for Cox to step into Tim Curry's iconic fishnets is a victory in its own right."{{cite web|url=http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/BWW-Review-FOXs-THE-ROCKY-HORROR-PICTURE-SHOW-is-an-Underwhelming-Sanitized-Disappointment-20161020|title=BWW Review: FOX's THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW is an Underwhelming, Sanitized Disappointment|first=Matt|last=Tamanini}}

=Awards=

The program was nominated for the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding TV Movie or Limited Series.{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/2017-glaad-media-award-nominees-969412 |title=GLAAD Media Award Nominees Revealed |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=January 31, 2017 |access-date=April 3, 2017}}

International broadcasts

The film was scheduled to be broadcast in New Zealand on TV3 on October 24, 2016, three days after its original broadcast.{{cite web|title=HD Heads-Up: October 13|date=October 12, 2016 |url=http://www.screenscribe.net/channels/hd-heads-up-october-13/|access-date=17 October 2016}} In UK, the film was first broadcast on October 28, 2016 on Sky Cinema Premiere.{{cite web|title=Exclusive premiere - The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do The Time Warp Again|url=http://www.sky.com/tv/channel/skycinema/video/the-rocky-horror-picture-show-let's-do-the-time-warp-again|access-date=18 October 2016}}

References

External links

{{IMDb title|1267299|The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again}}
[https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_rocky_horror_picture_show_lets_do_the_time_warp_again/ The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again] at Rotten Tomatoes
[https://www.facebook.com/TheRockyHorrorPictureShowOfficial/videos/1430067290352719 2016 film teaser] at Facebook

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