Monthly Archives: May 2018

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The Religiosity of Fandom

Image courtesy of IMDB.

I plan to see Solo: A Star Wars Story, if not this weekend, then next week.

It’s a safe bet to say that about fifty-percent of those reading this have now stopped and branded me a traitor. Because that’s how large contingents of the Star Wars fandom works now.

In case you didn’t know, there’s been a movement to boycott the new Star Wars spin-off film about a young Han Solo. It stems from various remarks on political and social issues from Kathleen Kennedy, the new president of Lucasfilm, and what was perceived as SJW elements in Star Wars: The Last Jedi (which I’ve written about before). Adding fuel to the fire was the revelation that Han’s friend Lando Calrissian is pansexual in this film (though as far I know the only indication of this is he flirts with a droid with female features. That could honestly just be Lando being Lando).

In a tremendous display of groupthink, a huge portion of the Star Wars fandom moved as a unit to avoid Solo, which they think will eventually derail the Disney era of the franchise. One fan even went so far as to say, “Money is the only language Disney understands.”

This blog isn’t about whether their objections are accurate or not. I’m reserving that for after I see the movie. However, I am going to take the Star Wars fandom to task, despite counting myself among them. You’ve been warned.

Ever since the release of the “Special Editions” in 1997, the Star Wars fandom has become more and more fractured and difficult to please. Remember the whole “Han Shot First” meme? (I admit I was annoyed too, but I digress). They were irate that the three films they thought were already perfect were “meddled” with by George Lucas. Things were only aggravated when the Prequel Trilogy was released. The Phantom Menace was especially hated. George Lucas went from being a creative genius who could do no wrong to the most despised man in the geek community. (Personally, I think the truth is somewhere in the middle, as seen in this excellent video series). When Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012 and announced new movies, it was greeted with enthusiasm because fans had lost trust in Lucas. But over the last three years, especially with The Last Jedi, the sentiment has shifted to lamenting the loss of Lucas.

No other fandom, I would argue, is this fickle, demanding, and indecisive. When non-nerds/non-geeks think of the negative stereotypes associated with the nerd/geek community, I guarantee it’s based largely on the conduct of so-called “hardcore” Star Wars fans. It’s sad because it not only mars the reputation of other fans like myself, and it gives the whole nerd/geek subculture a bad name.

This is one way this fandom borders on being a religion. Think about it. Star Wars fans have sacred texts (i.e. the Original Trilogy), but they only accept certain versions of these texts (the uncut versions of the trilogy) as “canonical.” The Special Editions are rejected despite being made by the author of the sacred texts. The prequels are heresy to many (although younger fans accept them), and now the Disney era films are being labeled blasphemy. When Disney officially declared the Expanded Universe non-canonical, many fans reacted like Christian fundamentalists backlashing against atheists attacking the Bible. Never mind the fact that the canonicity, as far as I know, of these materials was never set in stone by Lucas. No, fans complained that the stories they had invested themselves in for decades had somehow been robbed of meaning. Just like now, there was a movement within the fandom to spoil The Force Awakens on the Internet to prevent people from seeing it so as to make the franchise fail and have the Expanded Universe reinstated. Guess what? It failed. To nobody’s surprise, I’m sure.

Anyone who has disagreed with these movements has been declared a “filthy casual” amongst many other horrible names. They’ve even been shunned from the fandom. In other words, excommunicated.

Is it any wonder, then, that there’s been a measurable number of people across the world who’ve listed “Jedi” as their religion in censuses? There’s even an actual religion called “Jediism,” complete with a creed, 16 teachings, and 21 maxims. Some might say they’ve taken their fandom too far.

I’m not opposed to being passionate about what you enjoy. I’m not against debating the merits of media within the franchises you love (my gosh, I co-host a podcast that does that!) Have I zealously argued against certain creative decisions and chosen to no longer follow certain series because of them? Yes, on at least two occasions. But when it gets to this point, where you’re filling the internet with click bait articles and videos full of often unsubstantiated and shallow hatred, you’ve crossed into the Dark Side of the Force.

Let’s go back to when being a Star Wars fan was fun. Before the dark times. Before the insanity.

Here’s a quick video that perfectly summarizes all of this:

What do you think? Are these fans right? Why or why not? Have fandoms gone too far? Why or why not?

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My (Spoiler-Free) Review of ‘Avengers: Infinity War’

The poster for the film. (Image by Marvel Studios).

It’s been a while since I blogged, so I figured a review of the biggest nerd movie of 2018 would be a great way to get back into the swing of things.

To quote Buzz Lightyear, “To Infinity…and beyond!”

This is the best Marvel Cinematic Universe film. Ever. Of all time. (Well, for now, anyway). For the first time, I went into an MCU movie not sure what to expect, and after seeing it, I’m unsure what Marvel will do next because there’s a lot of things they could do. Even with my knowledge of the comics that inspired this film (The Infinity Gauntlet and, to much lesser extent, Infinity War), I’m not sure what will happen next. With Disney trying to finalize a deal to buy out 20th Century Fox, that means Marvel will reacquire the film rights to the X-Men and Fantastic Four. The possibilities are endless!

I was concerned that Thanos wouldn’t be a villain worthy of a decade of build-up.

Boy, was I wrong.

He has eclipsed Loki as the best villain in the MCU. He’s altered from the comics, which is understandable given that what comic fans love about Thanos was developed for many comics over many years, and that’d be hard to condense into a film that’s already huge. Heck, he’d need his own movie to get there. He’s gone from a lovesick Eternal trying to win the affections of Mistress Death to a madman with a noble cause. There’s even some tenderness from him. Josh Brolin’s performance with the mo-cap is incredible. I never thought I was watching a special effect.

My sister described the film as “a bit ADD.” I can see why. At 2 ½ hours, it’s a long movie with 64 characters from 18 other films. Yet while it bounces back and forth between several groups of characters, I never felt like it shortchanged anyone or was moving too fast. Everyone gets a moment of awesomeness. The film masterfully juggles several tones, including traditional superhero, mythic, and space opera comedy. They all blend perfectly. I attribute this to the Russo Brothers and screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who might be the best creative team in the MCU.

Without giving any spoilers, this is a film that will shock audiences. Even I was taken aback by the ending. I knew it had to happen, since I knew this was part one of a two-part story and I’ve read the comics, but it still surprised me with how boldly un-Hollywood-like it was. It didn’t affect me as much as Logan did, but that was a superhero film about finality. There isn’t nearly as much of that here.

I want to see this in IMAX. I bet it would look great. I don’t normally see movies more than once in a theatre, but this is one I’d gladly see again. That’s how much I love it.

My only problem with the film is it does and doesn’t stand alone. While it explains the many characters just enough to give context, you have to have seen a lot of the previous MCU films to understand it fully. The more you’ve seen, the more you’ll get out of it.

My opinion of this film may change with more viewings. Right now I’m just basking in the excitement.

To summarize: It’s one of the best superhero films ever made.

What’d you think of Avengers: Infinity War? Feel free to leave comments—including spoilers—below. I could talk about this film for hours and would love to include you all in the conversation.