Nerds and their High Standards
Recently the new Ninja Turtles movie trailer came out.
Looks awesome right?...ehh! NOT!
Okay so the turtles don't look bad, they have the colored bands from the old cartoon and actually look distinctively unique thanks to the different items they carry barring their weapons. It fits into each ones personality.
But then factor in that the film is produced by Michael Bay and directed by Jonathan Liebsman whose filmography (from which I've seen Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, Battle: LA and Wrath of the Titans) would make you wish that Bay himself was directing. Also Megan Fox playing April O'Neil, she's beautiful but in no ways is she a good actor. Then finally there's the whitewashing of Shredder, I mean can't we get a Japanese guy as the awesome villain ready to take over the world, would that be so racist? Or is it racist to turn him into a white guy instead (no knock on William Fitchner though). Topping it off with what seems like a changed origin story.
And you know what pisses me off the most?
How I am being a hypocrite about all this, I can't get over this stuff as a Turtles lover even when I can honestly admit that I haven't read much of the original comics. I grew up on the re-runs of the 80's campy cartoon show and other shows that came afterwards.
But like any other nerd I decided to vent my frustrations, shout at the top of my lungs...no I'm not that brave, I typed out my anger on social media.
What did I get in return?
A guy telling me that there's nothing it has to do with ruining my childhood and I'm hanging onto my child like sensibilities to tightly, and that maybe I should visit a psychiatrist. A bit harsh and extreme, but the bit about it that makes sense; is that I have no right to scream against Michael Bay and co simply for taking a beloved source and placing their artistic vision on it.
Who should complain?
Well for one, the original creators of the Turtles; Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman, and I believe at least one of them did.
Then onto the fact that my hypocrisy takes new root, when I realize I'm complaining just like those Comic book nerds I was chastising a month back about COMPLAINING!
A bit of context here. A few months back the cast for the new Fantastic Four reboot was announced. Among those cast members was the highly talented Michael B Jordan who was set to play Johnny Storm AKA The Human Torch.
Barring the fact that a lot of people complained about the other cast actors for not looking like their comic book counterparts among other nonsensical things. Forget that they probably had never seen Jordan perform effortlessly, in either Friday Night Lights, The Wire or the then recently released (on DVD) Fruitvale Station.
Their big complaint was; but Michael B Jordan's black.
It might have been a stunt cast on Fox Studios part, but Jordan will kill it burn it as Torch
I'm not going to say anything about the race issue or the fact that they blindly hit on that first, but they haven't even seen the movie!!! (I'm sure this isn't coming out great, now that you know about my early hypocrisy)
The first thing to point out to those people is that what makes Johnny Storm, Johny Storm, is his character. The way he acts and reacts as a person is important, his hotheadedness, childish demeanor yet the heroism he displays when most needed by his family; not that he's white or black.
The same thing has to be reiterated when last year Ben Affleck was announced as Batman. Hell people drew up a freaking petition for that one! I mean this one's not even about color, it's just people hate him and can't stand his acting. I mean his won two Oscars!
Then go jump off a cliff
Granted with the politicking the Oscars don't mean much, and he hasn't won any of his for performances; but Nerds need to get over the fact that he wasn't the reason Daredevil was bad. Any actor could have come into the film and played the role, even Daniel Day freaking Lewis and it wouldn't have helped because of the turd pile of a script and shoddy directing.
So once again let's return to my problem.
I have two choices in front of me, that make sense and that prevent me from making a total ass of myself.
I can watch the movie this July. I can review it as a separate entity yet also highlight where it doesn't match to the image of the turtles that I have had as a child. Then I can say if I like it or not, and be a bit biased and start to hate it on it all I want for the wrong reasons cause I'm human.
Or I can decide it isn't for me and avoid it altogether, then I need to remember I have no right to complain whatsoever about the movie. I didn't like the trailer, I didn't watch it because it wasn't for me and that's the end of that.
So to my nerds around the world, I would like to say first; take my advice, choose one of the two options above. If you want to keep the turtles the way you remember and your sure Bay wont do justice to it, then don't go watch it and then don't criticize either without having done so. If you do go see it, you have the right to and you also have the right to bash on it all you want.
Second; if you don't like what a film is shaping up to be just don't...WATCH IT! Don't put your money on it, don't go watch BVS or Fantastic Four. I know you have a right to, and I'm once again being a hypocrite by telling you not to. But you people including me cannot be satisfied.
Even when something good comes along like the Dark Knight Trilogy or The Avengers you find things to nitpick.
Sorry, I'm rambling on. It's just that these things have been festering in my mind for too long.
'Nuff Said
Aneesh Raikundalia
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