The Geek Beat

[Mr March]

Found this fantastic article and it's screaming out to be shared:

http://www.cinematical.com/2008/04/08/the-...lax-dont-do-it/

The Geek Beat: Relax, Don't Do It

by Elisabeth Rappe

Geeks are a passionate lot. It's what defines us, really. Actually, I don't think we're any more obsessive about things than anyone else. Lots of people are obsessed with football or NASCAR, and they're not snubbed nearly as much as those of us who follow film, Batman comics or sci-fi shows. But you know, geek passion has a darker side. I guess all obsession does (I've yelled plenty at a hockey game) but there's just something about the way we nerds can get. I'm reminded of this any time Zack Snyder releases something about Watchmen.

Now, I dug Watchmen. The sucker punch of an ending, the horror of the Black Freighter, the loneliness of Doc Manhattan – there's nothing I can say that hasn't already been said by the likes of TIME Magazine. Of course, I view a movie adaptation with a bit of trepidation, but after Lord of the Rings, I don't think anything is truly unfilmable.

But the fandom is wearing me out. I have many friends who love the graphic novel, and I practically dread any news release because it causes such a flurry of panic and disgust among them. The character stills, which I found promising and exciting, were met with not only skepticism, but weeks of pondering. Why were the stills photoshopped? Why were the actors so young? Why were they posed in action shots? On and on it went, my own casual theories – maybe they were just having fun, maybe these are from the heyday of the heroes – dismissed. No, couldn't be! It was simply that Snyder had messed up, end of story, and the movie was doomed.

Then came the first set video, which I found to be fantastic. I found the dedication to detail astounding – and, frankly, a confirmation that Snyder knows what he's doing. Would a director intent on accurately reproducing the background graffiti and the fine points of the Gunga Diner really screw with the ending? I can't find the logic in that. Yet the absence of electric cars confirms everyone's worst fears.

But that's beside the point, really. I can't say whether Snyder's devotion is a shallow one, that he sees the surface of the book and not the substance. It's too early to know and I don't want to have to eat my hat if Watchmen turns out to be terrible. No, it is more that the movie doesn't come out until 2009, and I'm already utterly worn out by the discussion of it. And I think, ultimately, this is where geeky passion becomes self-destructive. I can shout at the t.v. when my hockey team misses an open net, I can fume when they make a foolish player trade. But ultimately, sports fans are easily mollified. Their annoyance never reaches the point that nothing the team does satisfies them – because eventually, the team wins, and everyone's happy.

With geeks, it's different. We can spend so much time hating on something that there is no possible way the movie will satisfy us. When the Watchmen set video prompts you to write an essay complaining about how it differs from a particular panel, or how the women's hairstyles and men's suits are all wrong ... well, come on. Sometimes, fandom reaches such a point of anguish that, surely, it defeats even your love for the original source. And across that threshold is where we geeks earn a bad name -- it is a line we really need to start recognizing.

I'm picking on the Alan Moore fans – and I apologize, they are far from alone. Frankly, I've seen it with plenty of things. I discovered Stephen Sondheim fans were incredibly cultish after I declared that Sweeney Todd was "awesome." We know a girl who refused to see it because her love for the original music was too strong. "There's no possible way the movie can be good. None. The original music is practically religious." I love Sondheim lyrics, but – really? Comparable to Mozart's Requiem? Even my sister's boyfriend (who impersonates Jack Sparrow for a living) cannot sit through a pirate movie, not even the one that created his job, without pointing out they are using the wrong era of cutlass or rapier, and that the boots are from far too late a century. Where is the perspective?

Now, I know half the fun of being a geek is bitching about something. Marvel crossovers, the way George Lucas raped your childhood, Hollywood remakes, Joel Schumacher, flames on Optimus Prime . . . the list goes on and on. There's only so many times you can declare your love for Wolverine or Iron Man – somehow, anger over Greedo shooting first is always easier and more fun. And I confess I'm not innocent of insane geekdom. When Robert Zemeckis' Beowulf was released, I railed to anyone who would listen. It was bad timing, really, as my college specialty was medieval literature, and I was fresh off my thesis in Anglo-Saxon poetry. (It holds the school record for length.) Woe to anyone who said it was "incredibly accurate to the poem," because I would go on for hours about how Beowulf was a hero known for his humility and kindness. Beowulf wasn't a braggart, it was that no one involved understood the Anglo-Saxon culture of boasting. I was only stopped from quoting original Old English from the fact that the runes won't post well on a message board. Everyone must have hated me. I know this now. And I doubt that my original intent (to drive everyone to buying a scholarly translation and reading it for themselves) was ever achieved – people must have loathed all things Heorot after I was done with them.

And ultimately, what I came to realize is that the poem will always be there – and that people will read it, and discover all the things J.R.R. Tolkien loved, and that I was so passionate about. The movie came and went, the hollowness exposed, but the poem endures. So will George Hearn's performance in Sweeney Todd, and so will Watchmen. And I know that obsessive fandom will endure just as long – I just wish it could be more fun. Why can't we say how much Jeffery Dean Morgan looks like the Comedian – and how it is really good casting? That we wish the Gunga Diner was real so we could eat there?

I don't know. Maybe I'm getting too Pollyanna, but it seems like this is just such a fantastic time to be a geek. It's finally socially acceptable, and it's suddenly big money. My concern is that the dark and obsessive side of fandom will completely kill it – that directors like Snyder (a proud geek himself -- the man proudly wears a "Han Shot First" shirt) will just give up in frustration. Hollywood will turn its back, completely worn out with trying to maintain a balance of accuracy and accessibility. Because how can anyone really work when the first official stills doom a film, because Superman's shield is all wrong? And that, my friends, is my long winded point. If you find your fingers hovering on your keyboard, ready to rant that the Spirit's mask is black, not blue . . . stop. Think twice. Take a deep breath. Remember that it will always be blue on the page, and that no matter how awful the movie, you'll soon have new fans to discuss the characters with. And maybe one day, one of you will become a self-made trillionare and make your own Spirit movie. But until then, it's just not worth the anguish. Watch, wait, analyze, discuss, maybe even expect the worst – but have some hope for the best.

[Gubaba]

After reading all the disappointment over the broadcast version of MF, I have to say I have a fair amount of sympathy for Ms. Rappe's view.

And if we're talking about big Hollywood blockbusters, then I definitely agree...as far a American summer movies go, if one allows me to spend two or three hours without feeling like I've wasted them...well, that's about as good as it gets for me.

I don't want to see Watchmen...good or bad, I don't care. I like the comic too much to enjoy a truncated version of it, no matter how well they do it. I didn't see League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, From Hell, or V for Vendetta for the same reason.

She makes a good point about Beowulf. Ultimately, a bad movie of a truly enduring classic like that is just a gnat attacking an elephant. I think the main problem is that, as a fan or the original work, you have to explain to people over and over again that the original JUST WASN'T LIKE THAT. Which gets tiresome after a while.

So, for example, if Sandman stays in development hell (where it belongs), it allows me to wear a Sandman T-shirt out in public without having people say, "Man, you liked that crappy movie?" And me having to say, "No, I like the comic..." and getting into a defensive conversation I really don't want to have, and that will bore both of us to tears.

But then, if the movie fails, it goes away, and we can forget about it.

Unless it's Robotech, and then we've got to have that same, excruciating conversation off and on FOR TWENTY FRICKIN' YEARS!!! (and counting...)

[Duke Togo]

I read through part of this, skimmed over parts, and I generally agree. The "Lucas raped my childhood" crowd disgusts me, for the reference and the absurdity. However, I am guilty of totally falling out of love with Braveheart after learning what a sham the history portrayed in the film was.

[eugimon]

completely agree with the author. Some people have no farting perspective.

[Twoducks]

Moral of the story: a bad movie/adaptation/remake can't kill the original it is based upon, so why waste time bitching and being unhappy and pissed about something nobody is forcing you to see in the first place?

[mikeszekely]

Moral of the story: a bad movie/adaptation/remake can't kill the original it is based upon, so why waste time bitching and being unhappy and pissed about something nobody is forcing you to see in the first place?

Nothing better to do on the net?

[Dobber]

I agree with you guys and the article. PLUS, even if purists hate a specific adaptation...especially if said adaptation is successful, I still don't get what their problem is. It usually gets people interested in said original....look at Robotech and Macross for example. I only new of robotech from my childhood. Then I found out about the original and have never looked back!!

Chris

[Dio]

I think the article draws far too much of a distinction between people who are obsessive over socially-accepted interests and those who are obsessive over "geeky" interests. Obsessive is obsessive, regardless of the focus. The girlfriend who's ignored over World of Warcraft is just as unfulfilled as the one who's ignored over Monday Night Football (and it irritates me to no end when they can't draw that distinction - fortunately, I hammered it home to my wife very early on). Whenever you allow any passion in your life to hurt you psychologically, or cause you to behave in an antagonistic manner, you're letting it go way past the point of reason.

I also take issue with the fact that the author claims geeks give up on their interests out of frustration. If that were the case, you wouldn't see geeks returning constantly to their hobby time and time again after every perceived slight they go online to vent about. Yes, I've seen people act like complete immature idiots (G1 Transformer purists, I'm talking to you) over how they feel a movie based on their favorite hobby is tarnishing their childhood, abandoning the source material, etc - and have chided them for it, and earned quite a bit of misplaced enmity in the process. I too have been disappointed at first by changes that were made to things I held dear, but instead of getting worked up about it, I found things to love with the new revision (Macross 7 FTW!).

Maybe I'm just a more easygoing fan of the things I'm into, but I definitely consider myself a geek (MS in Mechanical Engineering, if that tells you anything). I just don't see the point in letting something get me angry - and if it does, I shift my interests elsewhere until it catches my eye again. For example, I bounce back & forth between enjoying Transformers and Macross/Robotech on a pretty seasonal basis (coincident with dry spells for toy releases).

The problem arises, again, when you allow the focus of your passion to become the only thing in life you derive enjoyment from. When it disappoints you, you're left with nothing, and the inability to adapt your interests to a new topic locks you into that spiral. But that's not a "geek" thing, let's call it what it is - the personality flaw of obsessive interest in something, to your own detriment.

The phrase "get a life" holds very true for the unfortunate people who cannot figure this concept out. Diversify your interests a little bit and life is that much more fulfilling.

[Radd]

I've never been one for the "_______ raped my childhood!" crowd, but on the other hand....there are lots of absolute crap movies made from some very nice comics/anime/videogames/etcetera, and I can't really fault fans for being upset about that, or voicing their complaints.

I'm mainly playing devil's advocate here, I generally agree with the article in the original post, but I can also see how some could read it as "shut up and deal", which is an attitude I have seen some people take when it comes to people griping about a crap movie. I don't hold with that view either. If everyone just accepts whatever crap is shoved down the pipe at them, then there's really no reason for anyone to make anything good.

[eugimon]

I've never been one for the "_______ raped my childhood!" crowd, but on the other hand....there are lots of absolute crap movies made from some very nice comics/anime/videogames/etcetera, and I can't really fault fans for being upset about that, or voicing their complaints.

I'm mainly playing devil's advocate here, I generally agree with the article in the original post, but I can also see how some could read it as "shut up and deal", which is an attitude I have seen some people take when it comes to people griping about a crap movie. I don't hold with that view either. If everyone just accepts whatever crap is shoved down the pipe at them, then there's really no reason for anyone to make anything good.

I get what you're saying but I think the author made it pretty clear she was speaking of people who refuse to see the larger work because they're nitpicking stuff. Like her Pirates of the Carribean example, PotC may have been a bad movie but not because they were using rapiers from the wrong decade.

I hear gun enthusiasts say stuff like this as well, "oh he fired a something something but the sound effect was CLEARLY a something else." And deride the whole movie as a result... unless the movie was a training video for the use of that particular firearm, who the frak cares?

[Scream Man]

I guess I fall somewhere in the middle of this. Whilst I ranted about the Goblin costume in Spiderman, and becryed all manner of things about Star Wars, I also will happily still watch Robotech or any Dubbed anime. I dont know what causes me to worry about one more than the other, but i do.

[eugimon]

I guess I fall somewhere in the middle of this. Whilst I ranted about the Goblin costume in Spiderman, and becryed all manner of things about Star Wars, I also will happily still watch Robotech or any Dubbed anime. I dont know what causes me to worry about one more than the other, but i do.

there's nothing wrong in about not liking something because it's not good.. but not liking something even though it is good but because it wasn't 100% accurate to the book or comic or TV show, or whatever, that's something else.

[JsARCLIGHT]

But that raises the question of "what is good?"... one person's good is not another person's good. And from my personal experience entertainment is one area in which there is no such animal as a "right" opinion of something. Everyone's opinion is valid related to their point of view. Others may disagree with that opinion but in the end it's nothing more than a difference of opinion... and what makes something "good" and another thing "bad" is simply a majority holding a similar opinion. Which then raises the whole "lemming" argument... do you force yourself to like something just because everyone else does? Do you convince yourself to hate something just because it seems it's the popular thing?

IMHO (and as I am always want to say) the "problem" does not lie with the "hater" or the "lover" but rather with folks seeming inability to allow the perseverance of an opinion that differs from theirs. We are strange creatures in our need to be "right" and we will go to outrageous ends to "win" when our opinion is questioned. But there is no "winning" in a battle of opinion, no matter how much we convince ourselves otherwise. No amount of "proof" or "fact" will convince someone that their personal opinion of something is wrong, no matter what outrageous opinion they hold or what outrageous ends they go to to justify it. And it is these outrageous ends that create the "internet rabid fanboy reaction" this article talks about. You can bark and bark and bark at the dog on the other side of the fence but at the end of the day you both are still on your sides of the fence with no real change in anything.

[Mr March]

It is interesting reading the reactions. I've posted this topic on several other boards and it's been entertaining.

Personally, what I've read into this article most is the argument of fan perspective. Or better to say, the lack thereof among fandom. It really is disheartening to endure the rabid fanboy ferocity after a while, but I suppose even the most level-headed of us is guilty of acting as such on occasion. Digressing, I think the article works brilliantly as a call to reason despite a few flaws. The overall message is to relax and moderate your fandom more; avoid acting as the disgusting "spitting nails" tyrant that gives geeks a bad name for arguing over minutiae. The face palm needs a vacation every now and then

[eugimon]

But that raises the question of "what is good?"... one person's good is not another person's good. And from my personal experience entertainment is one area in which there is no such animal as a "right" opinion of something. Everyone's opinion is valid related to their point of view. Others may disagree with that opinion but in the end it's nothing more than a difference of opinion... and what makes something "good" and another thing "bad" is simply a majority holding a similar opinion. Which then raises the whole "lemming" argument... do you force yourself to like something just because everyone else does? Do you convince yourself to hate something just because it seems it's the popular thing?

IMHO (and as I am always want to say) the "problem" does not lie with the "hater" or the "lover" but rather with folks seeming inability to allow the perseverance of an opinion that differs from theirs. We are strange creatures in our need to be "right" and we will go to outrageous ends to "win" when our opinion is questioned. But there is no "winning" in a battle of opinion, no matter how much we convince ourselves otherwise. No amount of "proof" or "fact" will convince someone that their personal opinion of something is wrong, no matter what outrageous opinion they hold or what outrageous ends they go to to justify it. And it is these outrageous ends that create the "internet rabid fanboy reaction" this article talks about. You can bark and bark and bark at the dog on the other side of the fence but at the end of the day you both are still on your sides of the fence with no real change in anything.

eh... that hurt my brains.

ow.

[Radd]

I get what you're saying but I think the author made it pretty clear she was speaking of people who refuse to see the larger work because they're nitpicking stuff. Like her Pirates of the Carribean example, PotC may have been a bad movie but not because they were using rapiers from the wrong decade.

I hear gun enthusiasts say stuff like this as well, "oh he fired a something something but the sound effect was CLEARLY a something else." And deride the whole movie as a result... unless the movie was a training video for the use of that particular firearm, who the frak cares?

Right, which is why I stated that I agreed with the article, but could see where others would read it another way. One or two of the responses before mine seemed to be leaning in that direction.