NFL
By: Rick O’Donnell
Quick, name your favorite movie franchise. Got it? Good, then you’ll understand this article. Chances are, if you have a favorite movie franchise, that franchise has a certain subset of fans who are adamant and toxic about their supposed love for that franchise. Now, I’m not here to call out a specific group as the worst offender. The majority of them exist within the fantasy or sci-fi world of make-believe movies, and more than anything else, they’re the reason good movies aren’t getting made.
Now, I’m not saying you have to love every movie that has ever been made in a series. No, some of flat out better than others, sometimes they’re a whole lot worse. However, the people who have to get online and ruin the movie/TV show experience for everyone else are growing out of control. We get it, you didn’t like the new (insert your favorite series here). Still, I think more often than not, those “fans” forget why they loved movies in the first place.
I’ll use the upcoming Superman movie as an example. I will be seeing this movie, in theaters, probably no less than three separate times and it has nothing to do with my excitement for the movie or whether or not I think it will be a good one.
The first time I watched it was because I was fortunate enough to get an early screening on Tuesday before its full theatrical release. My area typically doesn’t offer early screenings or anything like them so as a movie lover, I jumped at the opportunity to be one of the first people to sit through the movie. I took an opportunity to see a movie in a way I have yet to experience as an early release, so I got the tickets.
The next time I will see the movie is because of my uncle’s kid. He’s young, he knows I like superhero movies, and he wants to go see the movie with me and his dad. He’s actively excited to go to a movie he knows I want to see and he kind of likes those movies too. So no matter how good this movie is/isn’t, I’m going to see it again because I’m not going to miss out on his excitement.
Then, and finally, there’s one of my closest friend’s sons who wants to go see it with me as well. He’s into gaming, anime, and Magic: The Gathering, but also likes the superhero genre. I’ve known the kid all but a year or two of his life and he just graduated high school. He’s excited to go see the movie with me and his mom. Good or bad, I will sit through this movie for a third time. Fingers crossed it’s good.
Why? Because I believe movies aren’t just for personal enjoyment. No matter how good or how bad this movie is to me personally, I will have shared 3 separate experiences each time I sit through it. My personal experience, then the ones I share with people who want to include me in their excitement for it. Who knows, maybe we’ll all share our disappointment after, but I still am honored that people want to share that with me.
That’s the problem with toxicity for me. Outside of the plot, actors, and characters in these movies, there are shared experiences along the way. Somewhere along the way, we forgot that it’s more than just the movies. It’s about the discussions we have after each new movie. It’s the culture of excitement for the next iteration. I love the “water cooler” moments I get to have sharing in the experience of the movies even if those conversations steer me towards what went wrong in said movie.
Those are what movies are about, the shared experiences, and people forgot that. Far too often, these fandoms want to get online and sway people away from that shared experience simply because it wasn’t what they wanted for the character or story. It’s okay to not like something and it’s okay to discuss why you don’t like something. However, it’s never okay to attack someone for being excited about a movie or sway people away from seeing it. You’re ruining their movie-going experience more than any remake or reboot ever could. You don’t love movies, you love being right about movies. Save it for your podcast. The rest of us just want to enjoy our franchises in peace whether we love the next movie or not.
