It’s turning into a rough week for fanboys. Simon Pegg worried about the "dumbing down" of culture thanks to the obsessive seriousness with which comic book movies and the like are treated (he also expanded more eloquently on those thoughts later). And now, a longtime target of fanboy rage, Damon Lindelof, is arguing that the community has become so cynical — which he sees as some kind of cred traded among geeks — they won’t be able to actually admit they enjoyed his upcoming "Tomorrowland" (read our review).
READ MORE: Watch: Discover Brad Bird’s ‘Tomorrowland’ With George Clooney In This New Trailer
"There’s this great thing in all of us where we want to hope, we want to believe. But then what happens? We saw that hope with Obama’s first election … and then, with the second election, the cynicism sets in. We all want to be activated, but…it’s so easy to default back to cynicism," he explained to Vulture. "Which isn’t to say that you have to love everything — obviously, we have to open ourselves up to some level of criticism. But when we all took this on, people were saying, ‘You can’t make an original movie anymore, and you certainly can’t make an interesting Disney movie. If you make a Disney movie named Tomorrowland, it’s gotta have Space Mountain, and you basically have to sell tickets to the amusement park.’ "
"Now, I don’t want to start a war, but as a self-identified fanboy, I think that with this movie, it’s gonna be really hard for fanboys to say, ‘I really enjoyed this movie. It made me feel good,’ " Lindelof continued. "God forbid you tweeted something like that! What would happen to you? You’d lose your readership! ‘You sold out!’ "
And "Tomorrowland" star George Clooney agrees with Lindelof that the trend of being mean has taken hold. "Listen, we’re at sort of a cynical time in society," he said. "Don’t ever read comments on anything! People can live anonymously, and I honestly think that when they were talking about freedom of speech in 1787, the theory was that you had to own your speech. It had to belong to you, and you actually had to take some responsibility for it. Now you can just sit alone and say horrible things, and it becomes fashionable to be shitty to people."
It’s perhaps easy to understand Lindelof’s own cynicism, given that he probably saw the worst of fanboy culture when he was on Twitter. But that said, it should be noted that geeks and fans are the first to champion something, very loudly, when they see something they like (see the frothing adoration for "Mad Max: Fury Road"). But what do you think? Is the culture so caught up in finding fault they can’t dare to recognize something of value? Let us know below. "Tomorrowland" arrives on Friday.
What a smug prick!
Damon Lindelof has been involved in some of my favorite moments of television and cinema over the past decade. LOST was an absolute gem…it was one final breath of fresh air of storytelling about everyday/relatable heroes before entertainment found its antihero/superhero jackpot. The ending was beautiful. Was it a little stretched out due to ABC\’s mandating 18 episodes for Season 6? Sure. But conceptually there\’s not a better way they could have possibly ended the show (unless it wanted to give up its heart).
I don\’t want to be overly biased for Lindelof but…I mean…the stuff I read people say is so over-the-top. I\’m not blind, I see his flaws, but the way that people just dismiss all movies he\’s involved in…it\’s like…really? At this point he\’s become a scapegoat for older generations to stomp their feet at because he\’s not making new franchise movies the way THEY want it made. Fortunately, he seems well-respected within industry. I will see Tomorrowland this weekend and look forward to his next project.
Mayeb people would like the movie if it was, you know, good
I agree. These people want to be seen as cool or witty. You can\’t be cool when you put yourself on the line. Instead, you need to make a snide comment and explain why something sucks, why you\’re "above it." Nobody likes anything anymore, it puts themselves on the line.
I agree. Original movies are rarely acknowledged and praised as they should. Everything today is either a remake or a comic book movie. While I do enjoy them, I love to see original films with fresh ideas. I remember seeing JJ Abram\’s Super 8 a few years ago and was totally impressed with the story telling. I loved not knowing what was coming next. I felt the same when I saw Tron Legacy (also a Disney film)
It\’s simplistic for Lindelof to paint this as an issue of optimism versus cynicism. It\’s actually about authentic versus inauthentic. Generally, in out culture, if you point out an obvious problem or flaw, that opinion is seen as authentic if others have also spotted or suspected that same flaw. Conversely, if one whitewashes the problems or gushes forth with unearned positivity, that is seen as inauthentic or naive. If "Tommorowland" earns its optimism in an authentic way (say, the way "E.T." managed it 30 years ago) he has nothing to worry about. But if Lindelof got lazy and heaped on the bromides and positivity bumper sticker slogans in lieu of an earned optimism, then yes, he will get Twitter heckled viciously.
Have to agree in that people have gone to the point that they rather see a darker sci-fi movie rather than one with light, hope, and optimism.
"People don\’t like my film, it\’s their fault"
what\’s a fanboy? i know what a ladyboy is (don\’t ask), but fanboy? is that the millenial equivalent of a nerd/geek?
True maybe but perhaps he just needs to realise he isn\’t really a great writer of films either.