Busted reunited, a new Harry Potter tale and Star Wars in cinemas - is this 2005 or 2015?
We've been to the year 2000 – and we may as well still be there, says Sarah Doran
2005 was a jam-packed year. In January, I was (literally) bawling my eyes out with grief because Charlie left Busted, in May I was making predictions about how Anakin Skywalker would eventually turn to the Dark Side in the upcoming final Star Wars prequel Revenge of The Sith, and come summer I was arguing about whether or not Harry was a horcrux after devouring every detail of J.K Rowling's Half Blood Prince.
In 2015 I've (metaphorically) bawled my eyes out with glee because Charlie's back in Busted, spent most of the year arguing about who Harry Potter's new Cursed Child could be, and made predictions about why Luke Skywalker will/won't have turned to the Dark Side in the upcoming first Star Wars sequel The Force Awakens.
Has the Doctor selected me to be his next companion before Jenna Coleman's left the Tardis? Have I gone on some incredible journey in space and time without my knowledge?
No. It's just never been more cool to be nostalgic about the things that made 90s kids tick. And when you look at Busted, Harry Potter and Star Wars (which, granted, wasn't just a hit with 90s kids) as specific examples, you see it rather clearly.
Reboots, revivals and nostalgia are nothing new – we've seen it done a million times before with Dallas, Arrested Development and Star Trek, to name a few – but it seems of late that we're surrounded by reboots aimed at 90s kids. From Ghostbusters to Gilmore Girls, the films and TV shows that provided endless hours of entertainment for 90s children are making comebacks.
Iconic American sitcoms like Full House are being picked up and revived or extended by streaming giants such as Netflix, who already boast back catalogues of beloved 90s classics such as Saved By The Bell, Dawson's Creek and Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
And is it really any wonder when you consider that us kids born in the very, very late 80s (best 60 days of my life, being honest) and early 90s are now the ones who can pay for subscriptions and happily fork out a few quid for things that remind us of a time when we had fewer responsibilities?
Star Wars is due to spend almost the next decade taking us back to the galaxy far, far away, while Harry Potter's Cursed Child Albus Severus will open new doors to the magical world – which Newt Scamander will thoroughly explore as he tracks down those Fantastic Beasts.
So, shall us 90s kids just put the whole "growing up" thing on hold, y'know, now that pop culture is basically Peter Pan, conspiring to whisk us away to a proverbial Neverland filled with Doctor Who Lego, new triple-bladed Star Wars lightsabers and more JK Rowling inspired magic than you can shake a golden snitch at?
Will we, the generation who quite simply can't help ourselves when it comes to nostalgia, have ANY cash left in our pockets after forking out for the reunion tour tickets (already in the bag) and West End tickets (going in July, just FYI) and midnight cinema screenings (you're talking to the kid who covered her face in talcum powder to look like Queen Amidala) in super hyper ultra IMAX 3DDDXD?
We could always ask Busted, now they're back. They've been to the Year 3000 after all, they should know.
