The Wizeguy: Internet Good Vs Internet Bad

The amount of “WAH” on the Internet about the “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” trailer is kind of astounding. Do we have that little faith in Abrams? Was the trailer really that bad? Are there people out there that have a rough time with a Black Stormtrooper? Honestly, the whole backlash reeks of “Expectations Far Too High To Ever Be Met By Anything.” And you know what? EFF it. I’m excited about the new Star Wars movies.

I’ve posted on this topic before. My most recent, a few weeks ago with Wax Nostalgic. I felt that I needed to revisit now that the eighty eight second trailer has shattered the internet.

I am, by my age and genre predilections still about 45% Star Wars by volume. But it’s not tied into my emotional well-being the way the series used to be. I’m at a place of peace where I’ll be glad if the movies are good, and indifferent if they’re not. I’m grateful to be at a place where I can enjoy the movies on their merits and not as a referendum on my own childhood.

My optimism and excitement for this film has grown exponentially in the past few months, with that trailer just really putting me over the top. The mix of OT imagery with just enough new elements makes it feel fresh, like we’re on the precipice of brand new adventures that aren’t predetermined and could go anywhere.

My take is that Abrams is the perfect man to mine the nostalgia & push the story forward just enough that we will say goodbye to the OT characters (for the most part), so that the next films can focus completely on the new characters. Having Kasdan as a wingman doesn’t hurt, either. All these years later, Star Wars still has the power to captivate imaginations.

Now with that said. I feel like all the kvetching about the claymore lightsaber with the cross-guard is, for me, the final nail in the coffin when it comes to the debate about internet bad vs. internet good. As humans, we have to allow one another to come up with ideas without immediately tearing those ideas down. There is no perfect idea, there is no perfect lightsaber design, there is no perfect president, and on and on. The internet has allowed us, no, forced us, to find the error in ever single thing and immediately destroy it. Star Wars left an imprint on my being because it was created when there was still some tiny bit of room for magic and wonder in a child’s mind. That’s gone and it is possible that it might never return. If this was the first time anyone had ever seen the Millennium Falcon it would have immediately been turned into a pizza gif and countless posts would be dedicated to ripping apart the impossible physics and the asshole who ever thought it was a good idea in the first place – and what’s with that co-pilot? Is that some sort of talking dog or something? Our kids are going to be profoundly cynical people who are probably just going to let us die when we become a hassle.

This is the internet in 2014. Nothing produced for entertainment can exist without immediately (or even preemptively) spawning a huge backlash. While the average viewer might think “that movie was OK, I liked it I guess” as soon as the movie comes out a legion of blog post and comment warriors will race to attack it in the most brutal terms possible. I’m guessing some have already been through a few mental rough drafts of possible angles they can use to shame people who claim to like the movie. Let alone those who love it. Nothing to see here. Move along.

-Dagobot



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