My movie, my opinion…….
Bio: Jay Katz, a comic book collector since 1983 and is the owner/creator of InvestComics LLC since 2005. InvestComics LLC was originally a magazine in 2005 before the website launched in 2005.
A common occurrence before each and every new comic book movie release has become the very norm and fabric of today’s market. The mention of this occurrence comes because of an observance over the reaction before the release of the Justice League film. As with any movie really, people in general will have an opinion about a film just by viewing the trailer. The trailers these days are sometimes way too revealing in the sense many feel they have watched a good portion of a movie, but that’s a discussion for another day.
The main reasons for trailers these days are completely different than that of yesteryear. The Aliens trailer in 1986 beckoned for an excitement within a movie goer. The trailers of today want to spurn a reaction on social media. That’s where the movie studios can truly gauge which way they are truly headed monetarily. Trailers are literally dissected on Youtube video’s. Titles like “What you may have missed” or “New Star Wars trailer broken down” or “Easter Eggs”, all in all it’s utter nonsense. Not to ridicule the Youtubers, but the idea here to ‘break down’ a trailer is a bit absurd. The Youtuber who puts these videos together is extremely creative, but it almost seems to be a huge waste of time. Tons of speculation coupled with blurry still shots. Reading that last sentence made it all seem very silly doesn’t it? Bottom line, kudos to those who take the time and effort to create video’s and write ups regarding a ‘trailer’, but the realization here…? It’s a trailer. Nothing more.
Can you imagine WAITING on other people’s opinion about a movie YOU want to see?
With the write ups and video breakdowns of a new comic book movie trailer comes a fervor of fanboy idealism. Then suddenly, many fans become experts. More importantly and sadly the negativity onslaught begins and sadly many buy into it. More prevalent are those who post “certain” website blogs that have a stored history of dictating how a movie will perform both monetarily and mindset. This is where the problems truly start in my opinion.
Again, nothing wrong with a website doing their thing. It is a free market place for all to do what they deem is important information, but I witnessed countless fans literally WAITING for the “rating” to come out from RottenTomatoes.com. Can you imagine WAITING on other people’s opinion about a movie YOU want to see? Sounds crazy to even think this, let alone read it. Say this out loud to yourself and see if it doesn’t move you in the wrong way, “I’m waiting on a website to release their rating of a movie I want to see, so that I can have a preconceived unbalanced opinion of a movie I haven’t seen yet.” It’s quite absurd isn’t it? But this is where we have come to as a society. Awaiting to see what other people think of something, follow the crowd so you fit in and you’re not conceived as an outsider.
This is exactly what happened with the Justice League movie. I did see the movie, I thought it was very entertaining. I went it not even knowing the “rating”, but knowing so many were mentioning how ill-conceived the rating was on Rotten Tomatoes. Really? Are we really going to formulate an opinion based on a website rating? Really? That’s hampering your ability to go in with an open mind, thus causing you to have a bad vibe before the opening scene. You’re shortchanging yourself, why do this?
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The fanboy will always criticize, nitpick and find that inconsistency just to feel important and brag to their friends. Here’s a thought, how about you watch a movie to be entertained. Escape the realities of everyday life and visit Asgard, Gotham, Metropolis, Tatooine, etc. Immerse yourself into these worlds, these characters, become part of the imagination of a film.
The new Black Panther movie; I for one have no interest in watching this film. The trailer is not captivating enough to draw me in, BUT I will see it nonetheless. As a continuation of the entire Marvel U lure, I feel almost obligated to see it! That said, I will never read or care one iota about a website or a person’s opinion about the movie. I, ME, I make the decision on what I like and do not like. As a fan, I will never be swayed by the masses. Neither should you. Try this with the release of Black Panther film, don’t read or care what “rating” it gets. Go in with a clear mind. Formulate your own ideas and opinions in your mind based on what YOU saw in the trailer and THEN maybe go on to websites/social media to see what is being said. You may surprise yourself coming away with a new outlook. Maybe, just maybe you’ll realize there is in fact a lot of rhetoric taking place that may have skewed your thought process, but it didn’t. It’ll feel good!
On my personal Facebook page (Jay Katz), I always give a “review” of a new movie. Here are the last three reviews copied and pasted, word for word; “Saw Justice League. My review. It was very good.” And “My review of The Punisher Netflix series (on episode 10). It’s good.” And the last one; “Saw the new Thor movie. Here’s my review. It was great.” Notice a pattern here? Besides the fact I like most everything, it’s obviously and sarcastically very short. Too many friends go on a diatribe about what was wrong with the film, what was right, why is this character so off from the comic books, why did the director not include this, why did the writer do that…? On so forth. I say, who cares what your opinion is?! Why do fans feel so compelled to build their army of “Agree With Me!” Why? Let people decide for themselves! This is where social media has taken us. An opinion has become the WORD as opposed to an opinion. Disagree and you will be scorned. Anyone old enough to remember Roger Ebert? That was when an opinion was taken with a grain of salt and you discussed with family and friends about a film. Not that way anymore, sadly.
In case you haven’t noticed, social media has become extremely divisive. It has become the main staple of communication among the youth and It’s dividing the adults. It’s either my opinion or the highway type of forum. A disagreement on social media has caused marriages to fail, families to conflict and lifelong friends to end relationships. All because of a medium that allows an expression of opinion. An opinion expressed to give no wiggle room for a possible different view. Horse blinder media is what I call it. An emotional outcry about how Superman’s cgi mustache removal ruins the new Justice League film. Close up stills of Henry’s face pointing out the “bad cgi.” Are you serious? Video’s and stills have been posted about how bad Henry Cavill looks because of the cgi editing of his mustache. Have we really gone this far? Is this really a deep thought or is it just a feeble attempt to misguide fans or moviegoers? It’s obviously not deep thought at all, it’s misguidance. This is part of the larger issue of having so many critics on social media thinking they are getting paid for their finding or their opinion. These aren’t either, they are merely a blatant coup of the entire spectrum of disgruntled moviegoers/fanboys. Get a grip peeps, a cgi mustache removal does not count as a point against an entertaining movie.
Laying down hard earned money on a movie you do not like happens. It happens because there are bad movies. It’s an inevitability that will occur. Not every film you ever watch will be a 5 star or 94% tomato rating in your notebook. But this is the key component, make your own notebook. Do not peek over to read what others are thinking or trying to convey BEFORE you watch. It’s your opinion, it’s your mind, it’s your money, it should never be swayed. Be opened to others opinion. Maybe you didn’t realize what the writer/director was trying do in a particular scene or plotline. Maybe you missed something completely. Maybe your opinion changes because you weren’t aware of a character development scene. It could be a million reasons why you could think differently, but the main focus as an individual moviegoer/reader or any medium should always be to take the horse blinders off and listen. Be open to everything, try to understand where others may be coming from. Of course this does not mean you must agree with everyone, but understand the mindset of others that do not want to sway your opinion, but want to maybe enhance your perspective.
Perspective is a great asset within the human mind. Use it when perspective is given to you and not close out those delivering a firm assertion. “This movie sucked!” “Steppenwolf was the worst villain ever!” “The mustache removal was hideous!” Let’s get beyond this shall we? Your movie, your opinion…end of story.
-Jay Katz
Jay Katz, a comic book collector since 1983, is the owner/creator of InvestComics LLC since 2005. InvestComics LLC was originally a magazine before the website launched in 2005.
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