“The Reboot” follows a teenage boy named “Henry” who doesn’t fit in with his generation. Tired of the lack of physical connection caused by screens, and the influence social media has on the people around him, Henry pines for times before the invention of smartphones, where life seemed more glamorous and adventurous. Our antagonists in the narrative are the devices, as they are characterized by Henry as being the bringers of this disconnect.
Starting off in the present day, the story opens with establishing the character of Henry as not your average teenager, as we see his interests in older media and toys contrast with the other kids around him. When asked about their childhoods by Henry at dinner, Henry’s parents reminisce about better times, where life seemed simpler and the people more vivacious and genuine. Alone in his room adorned with 80s memorabilia, Henry, scrolling through social media, notices a film playing on his vintage VCR. The film depicts a montage of kids from the 1980s biking in a neighborhood, skateboarding at the park, sharing a Walkman to listen to music, playing in an arcade, and sitting on steps drinking milkshakes. Having been engrossed by the film, Henry lays down in his bed staring up into the ceiling, and goes to bed. The teenager soon wakes up to find himself in the 1980s, and our color palette has become more saturated. Taking in his surroundings, Henry is overwhelmed with excitement, feeling he has achieved all he has ever wanted. With his new found happiness, we are shown a small montage of Henry enjoying 80s life, without phones or worry. Approaching the end of the story is where we are given a major twist. Henry, still carrying a smile as he walks down a sidewalk, comes across a unique store display. Upon a closer look, it is revealed that Henry arrived in the 1980s the same day as the release of the Macintosh computer.
