In a change from my usual blog posts I need to address something that I feel very passionate about. Namely, TV Shows and Movies and their negative decline over the last few years in large part because of social media and online negativity but also by media companies that reboot old shows that were successful and cancel new promising TV Shows because they are too expensive to produce.
Stop killing TV Shows and Movies!
Watching the latest Star Wars live action series 'The Book of Boba Fett' and reading the complaints online from people has pushed me into action. I've kept quiet for a long time but I can no longer be silent. These complaints could kill this show and make Disney halt or delay any future production of new Star Wars related shows. It has already happened. As well as ordinary members of the public having a go, online journalists are also openly critical of the show and are already speaking as if the show is finished. This negative feedback needs to be checked immediately! Disney may do a 180 like they did with all the planned live action movies and kill this off before it can find it's feet.
Social Media
Social Media started off as something great. A communication tool for connecting people; a vision of a positive future for all mankind. These days it is far from the lofty ideals it was created for. I personally find it hard to look at any of the SM platforms these days as they are a hive of negativity, Karenisms, narcissism, racism, sexism and any other negative-ism you can think of. You can have a go at any network, producer, director, actor etc. without ever leaving your Parent's basement. Your ego trips have consequences.
Cancellations
I have seen and owned thousands of movies and hundreds of TV Shows in my life from VHS to Blu Ray so I feel I'm somewhat qualified to comment on this topic. Many times in the past I would get interested in a TV Show only for it to be cancelled way too early. Firefly and Forever are 2 small examples of shows that had a bright future but were summarily cancelled. Back in the day, some shows didn't get a chance because they were listed on a bad night during the week when audiences are otherwise busy. Politics, finances, bad luck, bad timing have affected the run of many other cancelled shows. Recently and most disturbingly, shows are being cancelled or placed on hold due to online reactions. Since when did we give keyboard warriors this much power? The Book of Boba Fett could end up being one of these cancellation victims if people are not careful. Please trust in Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau and give it more time.
The First online critics
I believe the X Files was the first TV Show to listen to it's fanbase and detractors online and this was great back in the early days of the internet. Media companies using online opinion to guide their product has grown exponentially over the years since but now I believe it has gone too far. Social Media has become a place for millions of unhappy people to vent any old frustration and jump on a bandwagon of negativity towards anything and everything. Companies should take some of this onboard and ignore the vast amount of this negativity. Opinions are like arseholes, everybody has one.
Disney Buyout
I wasn't exactly happy when Lucasfilm was sold to Disney but George Lucas never asked for my opinion on the matter (LOL). I was excited to see what would happen after they promised to release a Star Wars movie just about every year and multiple new Live Action series. I grew up with Star Wars and from an early age developed an obsession that was shared by most of my friends. George Lucas could and should have expanded the universe himself over the years but alas he did not. The thought of having new Star Wars material every year was like a childhood dream coming true. Maybe Disney got a little too excited themselves after shelling out so much money. Dave and Jon now seem to have a new/old direction to bring Star Wars in and I for one am glad to see it.
The Sequels
Unfortunately, Disney shit the bed during episode 7, 8 and 9 and the negativity which had been building for a while exploded around the time of the Solo movie. I recently re-watched the sequels again and they are really bad! I had ignored a lot of issues when I saw them upon release. Rewatching again - The plots seemed aimless and made up on the spot and some of the story/action scenes were really bad to say the least. Gravity bombers in space, WTF? It certainly shows the prequels in a much better light. At least George had a consistent story to follow but then again; he wrote it.
Consequences
Negative reaction has forced Disney to stop moving forward and slow down. I think that they did need to slow down and take stock of what they were producing but the thought of long delays between new movies is now heartbreaking. Rogue One was brilliant even if it had a troubled production and Solo was not bad at all. If people hadn't given out, we would now have had a trilogy exploring Han Solo like never before. Disney now seem to be using the Live Action shows as a launching and rebranding platform. I hope it succeeds and they push forward with new projects soon.
Redemption
The Mandalorian was a breath of fresh air. It told a compelling tale and stayed true to the Star Wars universe and kept getting better and better as time went on. The action was just right and there was even an element of humour thrown in for good measure. Having showrunners who are passionate Star Wars fans themselves has paid dividends. I can safely say that everyone is excited for season 3 to be released.
The Book of Boba Fett
My take. It's slow going so far (4 episodes in) but I think I know the direction the showrunners are going. Everyone is giving out that he's become a nice guy but I believe that this will change before the end of season one. I'm kind of hoping that he will become a little ruthless and just starts blasting as the season winds up. You cannot compare this show to the Mandalorian as it's a different flavour of the Star Wars universe. Boba Fett only had a few small lines in the Empire Strikes Back so who's to say what he should be like in this new series? Anyway, good TV Shows take a while to flesh out their characters properly and most TV Shows only reach their stride by the third season. Give it time and stop jumping on the negativity bandwagon people!
Takeaway
My 2 cents here. 'If you've nothing good to say, then say nothing at all'; that is the way I was raised and it kinda stuck. Your innocent negative comment on a faraway post can have long lasting consequences when joined with hundreds or thousands of others so please think carefully before posting. Positive comments with a little constructive criticism go a lot further than a hissy fit with expletives. 'I like the way you did this but could I suggest......' would be a far better way to go.
TV Shows are the modern equivalent of stories around the campfire which have existed since human beings could first communicate. Let them tell the story their way without your interference and just enjoy watching. Turn your brain off for a while and don't join in on those negative posts to be part of the pack. The consequences of all this negativity can be seen in what Hollywood is pumping out these days. Reboots and reimagining's of past TV Shows and Movies that made money before. Do you really want this to continue going forward? Is that what you want?
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