I don’t know what it is but I think my tolerance for geek-like stuff is kind of low right now. I can’t say I’m excited about Dark Knight. I’m sure it’s a freaking fantastic film but I can’t say that the first movie is a great film. I know I was really excited about Batman Begins after seeing it but repeated viewings on television have revealed a drag and depressing movie filled with neat gadgets. And that’s what I think this latest one is going to be. I want to see it but I’m already apprehensive about the movie. Honestly, I wish Tim Burton was back helming the franchise.
Maybe it’s an over-saturation or something, but I’m finally tired of Batman, San Diego, Watchmen and whatever else may be coming. 2008 may be the year of the comic book movie but I think I’ve hit the wall. I’m seeing Hellboy tonight and really looking forward to that but after Iron Man, Hulk, Wanted and all of the anticipation for Heath Ledger and The Dark Knight, I’ve fallen into a funk.
And it’s not just about movies. I’m honestly just tired of chasing after the latest and greatest. I don’t know whether it’s the hype machine or just the constant drive for something new but is there any end in site? Maybe this is must me yelling “Jane, get me off this crazy thing!” but where’s the enjoyment of what we already have?
Part of the whole internet thing is that we’re all about the here and now. We’re about The Dark Knight today. Tomorrow we’ll be about James Bond and then Harry Potter after that. We’re all about Final Crisis and Secret Invasion right now, or even Locke & Key or Casanova (a damn good book) but where will they be tomorrow when the next internet craze hits?
Maybe it’s just my crazy dream but why can’t there be much discussion of a new movie or a new comic or a new television show beyond the first week of release? With the current entertainment cycle, we live in weekly increments, excited for Tuesday, Wednesday or Friday and then quickly looking forward to the next week while almost forgetting what happened and what was great last week, let alone last month, last year or last decade.
For comic fans, this is the week of pure and unadulterated hype beginning this weekend with The Dark Knight and continuing next week with unending analysis of news from San Diego’s Comicon. I’ve even got a slightly related San Diego post planned for this weekend and I’m not going but I want to highlight one book that will be available at San Diego. But between everyone saying “Off to San Diego” and the whining “San Diego isn’t what it used to be and doesn’t treat us fairly,” I’m already done. I plan to shut the computer off next Friday night after I’m done posting reviews and not turn it back on until Sunday night when I’ll try to download some podcasts (no doubt talking about San Diego.)
Rambling? Yes this post is but heck, I’ve got another hour to waste at work.
I love comics. I love movies. I enjoy writing and reading about them. But I think I’m getting a bit tired after 38 years of the unending weekly cycle (sometimes unending daily cycle) of waiting for the next big thing. It’s time to sit back and relax a bit. Not everything needs to be about Wednesday or Friday, to be about being the the first to say “Secret Invasion suxors” or “OMFG DK RULZ!” right after a midnight screening.
So, I’m finally seeing Hellboy tonight and I already feel late to the party because I didn’t see it its opening weekend. Heck, I’m seeing The Dark Knight tomorrow and think I’m losing some of my geek cred because I wasn’t at a midnight last night or seeing it tonight instead. I’ll see the movies but more and more I’m wanting to adapt them to my own pace, to see them when I want. And that doesn’t mean through DVD or DVR because I still am a bit rushed to see them on a big screen (the biggest TV in my house is still only 27″.)
I’m trying to step out of the race is what I guess I’m trying to say. It’s time to reclaim your geek life at your own geeky pace.
Well said Scott, this is similar to what I went through with comics a couple of years ago and summer movies last year. I couldn’t agree more about the next big thing. I loved Iron Man but two weeks after it came out it was kind of dead to everyone. All we could talk about was the sequel. The Dark Knight will be the same. Go to Hellboy and enjoy it. It’s light hearted fun, like the first one. Don’t worry about the rest of the net, learn to read only a few sites, even then be selective about which stories you read. Most of all, don’t worry about agreeing or being on the same page with all the other critics/reviewers/readers/watchers. I’ve disagreed with public opinion on most things the last couple of years and I’m having the time of my life with all this. That’s what is great about Boxwatcher for me, I can tell what I think and damn anyone who disagrees, which seems to be about everyone. Find a way to make it all fun again.
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