Reboots, Man
San Diego Comic-Con took place last week, and as a fan of many nerdy and funny things that often have a presence at SDCC, I was kind of looking forward to the news that would be coming out of the event. I don’t follow it nearly as closely as I do E3, my weird week of watching press conferences and trailers and live shows and such about video games. But then, they’re different shows, not only in content, but also format. Anyways. I found myself distanced as the week progressed, however, as larger world and political news weaved with the discussion of cartoons and the alt-right getting James Gunn fired from GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3. I also watched a lot of silent movies, and some really surprising, small modern ones (like Demetri Martin’s DEAN [2016]), and it all coalesced into a distinct feeling of disinterest in the corporate nostalgia that churns out reboots and franchise revivals at a breakneck pace.
This isn’t a revolutionary statement or an uncommon one. There are many who take a much harder stance when it comes to the Marvels, Disneys, and Star Wars of the world. But the fact remains that I love these things, the “nerdy” properties that have fostered so much online hate and fuel monumental media conglomerates that are helping hurtle us through late stage capitalism. More and more, however, I find it hard to enjoy them with reckless abandon. It’s a product of growing older, a changing political climate, and evolving taste, but I think there’s also something to be said about the nature of corporate creation and how it panders in a way that lobotomizes audiences.
With the rash of ’80s and ’90s nostalgia informing the million dollar projects of companies across the entertainment industry, it’s not hard to see that there is an increasing dependency on needing to return when things were fine again. I mean, just look at Make America Great Again. But of course, things were never just fine and dandy for many people, at any point in the past; we were just younger and more naive, and if we had the privilege, we think it was just a simpler time. These companies are tapping into the nostalgia epidemic, one I have admittedly been infected by. As with most things, these experiences can be taken in moderation. I don’t truly judge anyone trying to escape their situation and going to watch, like, the new PREDATOR or whatever. But it’s indicative of a greater problem, a doubling down on the same kind of stories and characters that have persisted for decades. And those stories and characters, besides being rote in their very nature of being seen for decades, also speak to a class of person (white people) very much in control over those decades.
New stories are needed, if only for the sheer selfish desire for better stories. The exhilaration of new creations can’t even be imagined until unique voices are given chances to tell them. And they are in some ways, increasingly more often. Smaller stories are still given the shaft, though, and in a world where ordinary people only go see movies a few times a year and are leaving traditional TV behind, giving them what they remember is a surefire way to get them back. Much of this conversation has been centered on how “new” this corporate manipulation technique and “creative bankruptcy” is, but it isn’t truly. Movies have always been based on books and films have been remade since the beginning. But with all the more “content” being fed to people across numerous platforms all day every day, it’s happening on a scale like never before, just as the internet has done for nearly every industry. And that’s a truly disheartening thing. It feels like we’re at a stage where everyone is in the Coliseum watching lions tear a man apart while Rome burns outside. I’m one of those people watching in spite of the flames getting closer.
When I emerged from this listlessness, I had a desire to pursue original art, which I do already, to a greater degree. Raising voices that aren’t always heard for me means talking to my coworkers about smaller movies. Art is always important, and worth preserving and enjoying. And the blockbusters are part of that, part of this culture for all the decay they may signify and the dumb fun they offer. It’s all part of a balance; I’ll enjoy my Star Wars then watch SORRY TO BOTHER YOU. More importantly, I’ll fight very real problems and do those things. Consuming more than creating isn’t a great road to go down. Neither is the alternative. Everyone deserves to spend their free time however they see fit, and if they see fit to do so watching a live-action KIM POSSIBLE movie, that’s fine. I’m just left wondering what this will lead to. I’ll probably still write about the very things that cause me some unease. But I also eat at Taco Bell too much.
Can I just get rebooted?
