I admit I don’t understand the vitriol in the past handful of years in so-called nerd culture. Once upon a time, it was hard to find good movies or television shows that catered to sci-fi or fantasy fans, at least of much quality. In the early 1980’s, people would eat up the likes of Empire Strikes Back or Excalibur (both great) because most of what was released was schlock. Catch a snippet of Space Crash and you’ll see what I mean about low quality.
Nowadays we’re blessed with an array of quality in the likes of the Marvel movies, The Witcher, and the Star Wars shows of the last six years. There is even good lighthearted fare in the likes of the recently concluded The Outpost, and Lucifer. I’m personally very fond of Britannia.
For whatever reason, though, we also have some outspoken internet trolls, let’s just call them whiners, that are all pissed off because television shows and movies don’t have the plot points that they think they should have. The most egregious whining has been from fans of Game of Thrones and the Star Wars sequels.
Firstly, oh my god, shut up, whiners! It’s freaking fiction! These are not documentaries that someone screwed up historical facts about! Rey does not exist! the Targaryans don’t exist! Raging nerds seem to think that filmmakers need to consult them about the path characters take. If you want a move to go the way you want it to, shut up and go film your own! Even some of the actors like John Boyega bitch about how they think their characters should have been utilized!
Look at any historical warfare for example. No WW2 veteran whined that their “role” in the conflict was not heroic enough for posterity. Do you think any of them said, “No, I shouldn’t have my leg blown off by a landmine here because I’m a main character and nothing bad happens to me, and I rescue a blonde that becomes my wife”. That isn’t realism! The downfall of Daenerys Targaryen at the end of GoT’s run is unfortunately very realistic. The heroic females of that show were Sansa, Arya, and Brienne! The character of Finn floundering around in The Last Jedi is very realistic because war often has very unfortunate setbacks.
If you watch any of these or other shows with an open mind and heart like I do, you’ll see how truly brilliant they are. I love how Game of Thrones ended because it was not a cartoonish fairytale ending. I love the Han Solo movie because it was lighthearted fun that gave us the back story we deserved. I LOVE the Star Wars sequels because they were gorgeously filmed and brilliantly written. Each time I see them, I catch a nuance to the tales I hadn’t noticed before, including a great symmetry with the original trilogy.
The most important thing to remember… it’s just entertainment. It’s just a way to pass the time, put a smile on your face, and forget your troubles for an hour or two. We are not owed more than that.
Kayla Says 