People seem to think it's bad to call a spade a spade, but I'm gonna do just that here. A mini-rant, if you will; though I never write much.
So here's the deal. Star Wars. Doctor Who. The Lord of the Rings. LOST. Star Trek. The Matrix. Heroes. Comic books. My vlogs. All stupid. Really, really stupid. Always have been. Even the original trilogy of Star Wars; it's just as dumb as the new trilogy. Incredibly stupid, all of them; littered with bad science, horrible physics, plot holes, one-dimensional characters, and insults to our intelligence.
However, these things all have something in common: they are terribly entertaining. Just as we have suspension of disbelief, we also have suspension of inanity. It's important to remember this the next time you are tempted to get into a stupid argument about these stupid forms of entertainment. It's entertainment, not a dogma. Enjoy.
I don't think they are stupid as much as they are simply posing the question, "What if...?" No matter how unbelievable the premise is, it just comes down to, "Yeah, but WHAT IF?"
ReplyDeleteYou can call the idea of a purple sky stupid until you're blue in the face, but you're still going to be awe struck the day you wake up and there it is. (I remember an unnaturally pink sky some years ago, and the reason was a volcanic eruption in the pacific ocean that sent ash into the atmosphere, causing the sky's hue to change drastically at sunset)
There are plot holes in stories, but such is life. There are "plot holes" in science which make religious people skeptical. There are "plot holes" in religion which make science people skeptical. Everything has plot holes, even this post.
I agree with you on everything - except that you place the original Star Wars in the same category of stupid as the new one. I submit that a self-aware postmodern science fiction film that apologizes for being stupid is more stupid than a low-budget absurd space opera that takes itself seriously (and has a lack of whacked out CG characters). Therefore, I must shun you forever. (Or at least for about 7 or 8 minutes. Or until you break a sweat. Ok, maybe not. But honestly - as far as my stupid entertainment goes, the original trilogy beats the pants off of the new one. (Ok, flame war starts....now.) Ha ha ha.
ReplyDeleteStupid is stupid, though you can prefer one over the other if you really want. However, I must laugh at people who say one stupid thing is better than another stupid thing. Some things in the stupid original trilogy (less we lose perspective and start to argue it must have merits beyond mere entertainment): Luke, Wookies, Ewoks, C3P0, "NNNNNNOOOOOO!", "you are my son", "you are my sister", blobs attracted to women, pet muppets that laugh, torturing robots, crying monster keepers. To name a few.
ReplyDeleteYou've been followed up. (I know a "follow up" is actually a noun, but I'm going to try conjugating it from now on and see if others won't take the bait and roll with it)
ReplyDeleteAnyways, here's my post on the topic:
http://www.victorymanual.com/2007/03/28/a-follow-up-to-a-rant-about-fictional-tv-and-movies/
I guess you have a point there, Claytonian. However, some things we love aren't stupid at all.
ReplyDeleteA gem wrapped in a dish cloth is still a gem, and not a dish cloth.
ReplyDeleteThough film/tv may not be as erudite as we wish it were at times, I think we mostly look beyond that and find something which does have levels of meaning and intelligence for us. Especially in the stuff you've listed in your post.
And I think that's why these things entertains us. We find the gem in the dish cloth, and discard the cloth.
How that applies to those really bad movies which I love purely because they are soooooo bad I'll never know :P (This applies to most horror films made in the 80's)
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Can't argue with the stuff you pointed out, and won't argue farther. (Though I could point out tons of stuff in the new ones that, in my opinion, trump the old stuff.) I'll just cling to my favorite stupid part of the whole series. Or, if you prefer, the bigger and better gem in the slightly less soiled dish cloth. Ha ha.
ReplyDeleteAt least the original trilogy stuck to the hero's journey and whatnot, there were parallels between it and modern thought, etc. The new trilogy is just absolute and total drivel. Horrible, horrible, non-entertaining drivel. They both may be stupid, but one is entertaining and one is not. The Matrix asks a question we can wonder about. The sequels to the Matrix do nothing. The Matrix is entertaining and its sequels are not. There is something that needs to be there for something to be entertaining. Conflict is a large element. Conflict and wonder. Humans thrive on conflict and would be in a state of ennui without it, but the conflict has to be important, not a freaking six lightsaber weilding robot. Sometimes things are better left unexplained and plot-holed so we can wonder. Small organisms that grant the force make everything that was once magical bullocks. We need heroes and we need a cause. The Lord of the Rings was a great read. The movies were probably the most boring thing I've ever slept through. This is because one was skillfully done and the other relied heavily on eye candy. There is a definite reason we find things entertaining, and I think it's deep down and inherent.
ReplyDeleteOh and, IT'S A TRAP!