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San Francisco, 11:53 PM
Sat Nov 7
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08/24/09
08/24/09
08/24/09
Who we are is largely determined by our experiences and memories.
We can't let go of the past, because we are the past.
-Kle.
08/23/09
Maybe it's a character. Maybe it's a setting. Maybe it's how the story reflects on the human condition or society or whatever. Maybe it's the cool-ass spaceships. Point is, people like the things they like.
When there is the opportunity to take in new stories in the context of those things they like, people go for it. That desire for a continuing narrative the foundational premise of a TV or comic book series. In fact, that's the core fault of this whole rant: each new movie, comic, TV series, reboot and reimagining IS new.
Not letting go of the past is me sitting here watching Frankenstein, his bride, son, ghost and house over and over again and only interrupting it long enough to play 8-bit Nintendo. It's not franchises that are predicated on an inability to give up the past: it's museums.
Franchise players desperately crave the new. That's why Hollywood is happy to oblige them with shiny new sequels and remakes. The only point of distinction is that they want the new in the context of the known. That is to say, they want new things of what they like. Once it genuinely does start getting old, that's when it tanks, loses money, goes off the air, gets cancelled.
08/23/09
08/23/09
08/23/09
08/23/09
I first saw Star Wars in the 70s when I was in my 20s and still hang on. I'm just as bad as every one else
08/23/09
As sure as I'm sitting here, I'm sure someone, somewhere, is writing BSG fan-fic where Adama et-al chose not to (verb) all the (nouns) into the (proper noun) and (verb) where they were. And thats OK.
08/23/09
08/23/09
08/23/09
08/23/09
Now I don't know how successful moving from tv/movie to comic has been but maybe it can show movie studios that moving one property from one medium to another can get them more money IF they stick to the source. I know Transformers and GI Joe seem to say you can do it badly and make money but those I'm sure will fizzle out while something done right like Iron Man will yield reward in the long run.
08/23/09
TRON with Zombies?
Now that would be cool!
08/23/09
Knowing that that's not entirely fair, I have noticed scifi and fantasy fans seem to flock to the familiar. Far from exploring strange new worlds, they will watch the most wretched dreck if it has the right people in it. I'm counting myself as part of the phenomenon. I've bought shit just because Bruce Campbell is in it. I gave Journeyman, which I thought actually turned out to be rather interesting, a chance because I loved Kevin McKidd in Rome. That said, I've seen way too many fans enjoy shit that, with a newcomer or in a different story universe, they wouldn't accept. I think part of it must be familiarity, and the comfort it brings. And we're quick to criticize that in others whose fandoms we don't share, though I think everybody flocks to old comforts periodically.
08/23/09
08/23/09
Hmm... Alan Tudyk would make a good cylon. And Christina Hendricks would be a good Six, righy? Maybe you're onto something. I just wonder whou could play Romo Lampkin.
08/23/09
08/24/09
08/23/09
It is "the path of least resistance". But our old favorites becoming new media products (ie. tv to comics) are generally appreciated for the novelty, not treading new ground.
I'm not certain if -new- fans are made from these continuations of storyline. It's more marketing to squeeze more money out of the Long Tail of super-fans who will drop money on the franchise no matter what.
08/23/09
Really, it's also a matter of laziness on the part of the market research departments: "BSG did well? they must want remakes of campy '70's SF!" so you get Bionic Woman and Knight Rider without anybody bothering to ask why BSG is successful.
08/24/09
08/23/09
08/23/09
So yeah, I'm sure someone did!
08/24/09