I write a lot about movies, and TV shows, and books and manga and anime and video games. Those are the things I’m passionate about. In fact when I “grow up” I want to be a movie critic. I want to be paid so people are forced listen to my opinion about film. Over here on Waffle’s Rant I keep updates about various topics. My general life, what I’m currently writing and a few of my favorite fandoms. Mostly you’ll see things about Kingdom Hearts or on occasion you’ll get an update on the upcoming ‘Last Airbender’ movie, the live action version of ‘Avatar: the Last Airbender’. So gather around children, because I have a lesson to teach you.
People don’t owe you much. Now I know that must come as a shock to you. You probably think you’re entitled this or that but you’re not. Honestly you should be happy that you won that very important race at the beginning of your beginning, if you know what I mean. Asking for anything else is a bit rude. Seriously why can’t ya’ll be happy that you’re here on Earth! Why must you demand that filmmakers owe you, of all people, anything?
Here’s the thing being a fan doesn’t make you entitled. Hold on I know what you’re thinking, it probably goes along the lines of: BUT WITHOUT US THIS THAT OR THE OTHER THING WOULDN’T EXIST! THERE WOULDN’T BE A MOVIE ADAPTATION WITHOUT US! OF COURSE THEY OWE US YOU DUMB BROAD! Well that’s not true, that’s a lie and hey you didn’t need to take that tone with me. Plenty of things have been made into a movie without it being a best selling novel or a hit TV show or a sold out musical or whatever else you’re thinking of. Do you think people were really clamoring for a ‘Fight Club’ movie? Or do you think that people really wanted to see ‘Spiderman the Musical’? No fans, a good… story is what makes an adaptation. Don’t get me wrong, you do count for something! Just… not enough to make you entitled to anything.
I know each and everyone of you reading this has been disappointed by a movie that stole its plot from a book or a song or another movie or a TV show or a video game or something. Fact remains they took that plot, they took that story and they made it into a movie. I hear your cries, my brothers, and I sympathize. It’s hard to see something you love basterdized past the point of recognition, it hurts. It stings and it feels personal.
I’m talking to you “Lord of the Rings” fans! I’m looking at you “Harry Potter” nuts. To the child on the left clutching “Percy Jackson and the Lighting Thief” this goes out to you as well. I could go on. I could mention that horrible third X-man movie, or how sucky it was that the twenty-first chapter wasn’t even REFERENCED in “A Clockwork Orange”, or that there was no mention of Sue in “Forrest Gump”. Yes children I’m bringing up adaptations that you probably didn’t know were adaptations, and if you did you probably haven’t read the source material. So it’s easy for you devotchkas and you malchicks to sit down and watch a movie without having ever read the novel and simply enjoy it.
Wait now I know what you’re thinking! How can you be expected to read EVERY book, see EVERY episode before you go see the movie version. Can’t you just watch ‘Star Trek’ and stare into Chris Pine’s soulful eyes in peace? No. Because you’re not a fan.
Now see how silly that sounds? You’re assuming that everyone who pays ten dollars to see a movie knows what they’re getting into. You just sit in the back of the theater with your little “Team Jacob” shirt on laughing, don’t you? Laughing because you know Jacob imprints on Renesme! Whoops, spoiler! So, fans, can’t you let go? Just a bit? Can’t you go into a movie knowing there has to be changes made? Can’t you remember that a five hundred page novel can’t be made into a three hour movie without losing something?
Everyone wants their favorite books and shows and what-elses to be cared for and respected. The sad fact is you can’t expect a movie that’s based off the first book of a series to include every little reference to future events that’s in the series. The studio, writer and director doesn’t know if they will get to make the next movie so including all those little bits would be pointless. Upon seeing that movie it’s unfair to point out those missing references because in the context of the movie they wouldn’t make any sense.
To compare one to the other is unfair to both pieces of work. The movie can’t be everything the book is and the book can’t be everything the movie is. They are two different types of media with two different points of view. Yes one might be better than the other but a movie that doesn’t stay completely faithful to the book can still be a good movie. The most important thing to do is to go into a movie with an open mind and try to enjoy it for what it is and not what it isn’t.
So what do film studios owe you? I never said they don’t owe you anything. They owe you to do their jobs correctly. The screenwriter owes anyone who buys a ticket to adapt the original source the best they can. The casting director owes you to pick the best actors, the ones who will do the best job with the given material. The director owes you a good looking film, a well acted one, one with a good atmosphere. The actors owe you a movie with heart and soul, they owe you a real movie. The producers owe you a well funded film, one that didn’t skimp on the details. The editors owe you a streamlined film. See, Hollywood does owe you! They owe you a good movie!
You see, nobody cares that I saw the first episode of ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ the first time it was on TV. They don’t care that I made sure I could watch the new episodes every Friday, even if I had to wait two hours to catch it on Pacific Time. Nobody cares how I fretted that Zuko would die and how I cried in front of my little sister during the finale. Warner Brother’s doesn’t give a damn that Sirius Black is my favorite character from “Harry Potter” and that I literally stood up in the theater and yelled “WHAT?!” at the top of my lungs when he died. Logan Lerman doesn’t care that I thought he was the perfect actor to play Percy Jackson. They don’t care. I’m not special because of my opinions on this or that. I’m not entitled to anything because I’ve been there since the beginning. I don’t get privileges because I have a Ravenclaw scarf or a poster on my wall.
Fans nitpick. I’ve nitpicked. In all honesty though, we’re doing ourselves a disservice. Going into something that we care deeply for with open eyes and an open heart is the best thing we can do. We can research, we can look at something critically, we can watch and understand and process. It’s not right to make a decisions based on a gut feeling. When learning that a bunch of white kids had been casted as obviously ethnic people in the upcoming ‘Last Airbender’ film I was disgusted. I’m still going to see the movie though. I’m going to watch that movie even though M. Night has said it won’t be humorous. Oh I can form an opinion, but I can’t judge. I can’t criticize and call it a crappy movie before I’ve watched it. You see, the studio doesn’t owe me a funny film. They owe me a good one. Now I can’t tell you if it won’t be a good movie yet. I can’t tell you if it is a bad one. In a months time I’ll have an answer for you. Maybe the fact that it won’t have the same humorous spirit the show did will hurt it. Maybe it won’t.
Movie makers don’t owe you much. What they do owe you is that you don’t waste your time or your money on a bad movie. All they owe you is a good movie. I’ll never tell you a good movie is a faithful movie. A good movie is simply a good movie.
