Seems like the ’90s revival is still in swing. After all the hubbub with the Darna remake, we just got word that another classic fantasy-fighting movie will be brought back: Peque Gallaga’s 1996 Magic Temple. Star Cinema will be collaborating with Singapore’s Cre8 Productions to produce the movie, with Mikhail Red (most known for Birdshot) tagged as its director.
This was announced at the Singapore Media Festival, a festival that celebrates Asian storytelling. Incidentally, the festival took a special glance at Filipino cinema in honor of its centennial year:
This will be the second time Red, Star Cinema, and Cre8 will be working together on a film, the first time being Red’s sophomore film Eerie.
Why we’re excited for the reboot
Magic Temple is a seminal film for many kids of the ’90s generation. It was Karate Kid meets The NeverEnding Story, high fantasy with kids at the forefront, but in a language that we could understand. Because of this, it was ours in a way that the Goonies or Gremlins never was. It’s not accidental that the movie is coded with references to our culture, that even with its mix and match assemblage of real and imagined cultures it still felt uniquely Filipino. It also kickstarted the trend of Filipino media about scrappy young kids learning magic, heroism, and responsibility (Super Inggo, anyone?).
And of course, in the vein of all cheesy ’90s movie starring kids, who can forget its rap intermission about bones?
Just saying, if the reboot doesn’t have “Buto Kalansay,” we’re out.
Featured photo is a screengrab of the Magic Temple trailer
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