Could Bio-Dome Use a Reboot?

It’s interesting to wonder how many Pauly Shore movies people remember these days since other than Guest House, the actor doesn’t appear to have done a lot that could be counted as noteworthy. But there have been rumors that Encino Man 2 could possibly be in the works if things aligned in the right way, so it’s not hard to think that maybe more of Shore’s movies might be worth looking at. Bio-Dome came out in 1996, and while it wasn’t exactly a big hit, it was still a fun movie that saw Shore and Stephen Baldwin get wild and crazy as Bud and Doyle, two lazy nitwits that enjoyed just sitting on their butts and enjoying their lives as human leeches. The general feeling is that they’re not bad people, but the guys are more or less individuals that have no concept of personal responsibility or even what it means to care about something other than their own personal pleasure. But throughout a great deal of slapstick comedy and a plot that’s less challenging than most, they do end up learning what it means to care about something, and someone, other than themselves. 

The fact is that Bio-Dome is a ridiculous movie, but the humor it dished out is no worse than anything that’s been presented in the modern era, and more to the point, it does deal with a subject that might make it a little more relevant now since Earth Day is one of the main themes of the movie since Bud and Doyle start the movie by trying to get out of spending Earth Day with their girlfriends only to be found out and left to their own devices. They are tricked into leaving the house when their girlfriends tell them that they’re going to a childhood hangout with a couple of guys from the local swim team. While the guys are driving off to find their girlfriends they drive past what they think is the grand opening of a mall, which shows just ridiculous they really are since the structure is a habitat that’s been created as a way to research how humanity can maintain a perfect environment. 

When the guys sneak into the ‘mall’ they begin to contaminate the place with their mere presence before they’re discovered. Unfortunately, the doors are set to a time-lock that won’t open until a year later, which leaves the guys out of luck as they have to try to evolve with the scientists that had been training for this project. But despite their seriously demented ways and the fact that they alienate themselves from the others with their behavior, the guys eventually do something truly messed-up when they’re banished to the desert habitat and discover a key that allows them to leave the habitat. This is the type of movie that one simply let’s move forward despite glaring plot holes and a severe lack of continuity since it’s meant to be a brainless comedy and it satisfies that strange need very well. When the guys decide to throw a party in the Bio-Dome however, their girlfriends show up and point out what they’ve done, and that it’s not just wrong, it’s the final straw. 

Following this, Bud and Doyle begin to care, and instead of throwing in the towel on the Bio-Dome experiment, they convince the scientists that the real issue to be solved is how to fix the world as it is, not as people would have it. This is one reason why this movie would be relevant today, and one reason why a reboot might be a decent idea. It would definitely be a better idea to stream this movie than to try bringing it to the big screen unless a great enough director could be found that might reconfigure this story just enough to make it worth the effort of a theater release. There were a few Pauley Shore movies that were worthy of the big screen, Encino Man being the best of them. But Bio-Dome still feels as though it would be better off becoming a streaming movie. Trying to find a cast wouldn’t be too hard, save for the lead actors, who would need to be two individuals that are well-versed in comedy but know how to create a dramatic moment when it’s needed. 

There is no doubt quite a few individuals in Hollywood that could tackle such a role, but one has to sit back and wonder if this idea would ever gain traction, or if it’s just a faint hope that such a thing could happen. Like I said, bringing Earth Day into the forefront of the movie and keeping it an important theme would be a good idea. And to be fair, bringing back goofy movies for another run isn’t beyond the norm when it comes to Hollywood.