I had already decided that I would quit all forthcoming Star Treks when I was gifted the 2009 reboot movie so I watched it patiently. It didn't offend me in the same way that the new Star Wars movie did. The Star Wars film was being marketed as a sequel and that's why it riled me. (See two previous posts on the subject from last month.) This was advertised as, more or less, a remake. Perhaps a little prequel thrown in since the characters were first meeting, but you can't just recast all of the old characters and call it something new. It had some nice homages. Zachary Quinto is a dead ringer for Spock and Karl Urban's interpretation of McCoy is fairly true to Deforest Kelly's portrayal, which meant a lot to me since Bones was my favorite character of the first show. But, my base opinion on all of this reboot nonsense is a very simple one: If you're out of original material, it's time to stop.
I've been thinking a lot lately of the vitriol being spewed forth from people who get on message boards and in comment sections towards those who don't approve of the new movies and reboots of most things in general. All though there are some out there that just go for Abrams' jugular, from what I've seen, everyone that shares my view has at least one or two good reasons and can explain them coherently. Whereas, those who accept the new reboots and remakes can do nothing but call people of my opinion "haters." Like that means something. But the more I think of it, the more I think I can understand where these types are coming from. They've never had anything original to call their own in their generation. Raised on brain dead reality shows and quite a few remakes in general, they have nothing that can mean something to them (except perhaps Harry Potter.) This trend of remaking things isn't actually new. I've noticed that for the last 20 years or so, there's been an awful lot of remakes. All in the name of better special effects. When it started to strike me as getting out of hand is when Total Recall was remade. Really? I mean, I understand that every generation has it's hands in the classic literature adaptations that have been made and remade since cinema was invented. No problems there. Total Recall was a great movie, but a classic? I don't know. Perhaps one day they'll understand when J.K. Rowling passes on and people start to reboot Harry Potter. Then perhaps they'll understand why "canon" and original vs. expanded universes are so important to a well built story.
This meme of J.J. Abrams in an interview with John Stewart is meant to be funny, but it explains so much of what the reboot fad is all about and the people that are into the new stuff. It's done from the perspective of someone who grew up either with the originals or watching them from the sidelines and haughtily saying, "I think I could do it better," and then telling the generations they're marketing to that grew up without it that since this is how it should have been (in their minds), it's okay to tie it intimately with the old franchises as though it were a genuine part of it.
You may say, "Doesn't everyone who write fan fiction basically saying that they can do it better?" Yes, they are. And while a lot of it is embarrassing, some of it is very good. I liked the Dark Shadows movie. I saw a lot of versions of things I've read in fan fiction floating around in that movie. But it wasn't being touted as the legitimate successor to the original show or concepts. It was done for fun. As was Maleficent. Maleficent didn't adopt Aurora, okay. That wasn't a part of Sleeping Beauty in any way, not even the original fairy tale. But, it was a stand alone example of an imaginative retooling of the story. And there was no demand for us to accept either as anything but a coloring book style of our old favorites. That's how I see the new Star Trek movies, and I'm sorry, but this is just where I get off the ride. That's not hate. That's critical thinking. That's the mind of someone who doesn't like everything waved in front of her just because it's got a familiar name and logo stamped on it. That's knowing when to stop ingesting something before it makes you sick and there's nothing wrong with that. Make no mistake, burnout can happen to anyone, even those who are in my age range and on board with all the changes, hailing them as "breathing new life into the old stories." I'll just keep the material that was built specifically on the original foundations and continued in creativity and originality. I'd rather binge watch Star Trek Voyager (my lease favorite of the Trek series) than continue into the "next generation" of film productions.
Yes, the term "hater" could be more applied to someone who's just sounding off that it's all Abrams' fault. But, we take the reboots and remakes as a personal affront, so have pity. One day you'll either understand, or you'll be so burned out on it all you'll end up hating the things you once loved and you'll be in a more pitiable state than us "haters." In return, I'll apologize for saying that those who accept all of the changed products with no criticism at all have no standards. It does sound cruel when I say it that way. That's just how it looks from my perspective. I'm sure everyone can agree that there's not much original material out there anymore and lament the fact that no one even seems to be trying to create anything new and imaginative. It's time for a revolution in all fiction genres! Lol.
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