In the case that you've been living under a rock for the past few weeks or if you're of the select few that hasn't been scouring the web 24/7 for all of the
Star Wars-themed news you can find (we'll assume the former), you may be unaware of the current feud going on between a group of Couch Jedis and The Weinstein Company, which happens to be the group responsible for the release of the
Star Wars nerd-themed love-letter Fanboys..
Well, let me quickly bring you up to speed. It seems that last summer a whole bunch of Star Wars devotees got their underoos all urine- soaked when they caught a rough cut of the film Fanboys at the Star Wars Celebrations in both London and Los Angeles. Let me tell you they loved it so much it got a standing ovation, which is a surefire sign that a movie is Oscar-worthy.
However, they got all upset when they found out recently that the term rough cut actually ended up meaning rough cut and the movie changed from a heart warming tale about a " group of Star Wars fans who travel to Skywalker Ranch to steal an early copy of
Episode I: The Phantom Menace so their friend can see it before he dies of cancer," to a film about a bunch of die hard fans who go on a road trip to break in to Skywalker Ranch, just because they want to see the movie a few months early with no mention of the cancer plot. The Superfans have since vowed to boycott the film and anything bearing the Weinstein's name due to the plot change.
While I understand their dismay at hearing that the film they loved so dearly got changed from their original viewing, I have to take issue with the naivete of these
Star Wars supernerds. My first issue is that I question whether or not these people are the least bit familiar with the Hollywood machine. Have they never heard of rewrites or re-shoots before? Why should something that they hold dear be immune to the Hollywood process? Maybe if they'd actually watched films like
The Player or
The Big Picture rather than re-watching
The Ewok Adventure for the 800th time they'd have some semblance of understanding of how the film industry works.
My other issue is that these superfans are so adamant about just how awful the other version obviously is, without ha
ving actually seen it. Let's pretend for a second that the only thing more important than being the first in line for the first showing of any new superhero or sci-fi release to a superfan is the health of his/her friends. You mean to tell me the film plot is only valid if someone has a disease as the reason to drive the plot? The only reason a fan would go to Skywalker ranch is because he has Cancer and hence the new plot is utterly unbelievable because
Star Wars fans are the most pure of heart people in the world? Right, next you're going to tell me
Revenge Of The Nerds would've been a lot better if instead of going on a midnight panty raid to the Pi's house, Booger Presley gave a rousing speech about his battle with hemophilia in it's stead.
I know what you think Fanboys, you think this film is about you…but it's not about you. This is the furthest thing from a based on a true story biopic about your life, though you seem to think it's the closest you'll ever get, so now it's personal. The film is actually about a bunch of kids who try to get a copy of
Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace before it comes out by going to the Skywalker Ranch…Did you do that? Most likely you didn't.
I think
Star Wars fans are guilty of a little anger displacement. Instead of being mad at the Weinstein Company, maybe they should be angry at George Lucas for the three lousy prequels he made them waste their money on.
Pathetically, on the day this post goes up…outraged Star Wars fans will be protesting in theaters in both New York and LA against the changes made by "Darth Weinstein"…right as if there's nothing else important in the world going on to protest.
P.S. I also think naming all of your enemies Darth something is pretty lazy and uncreative...and I heartily protest it's usage.
First off, I was surprised to see "21" on top, taking in nearly $24 million. The trailer didn't so much as motivate me to get out of bed, so it was a bit of a shocker that it got that many people in the theaters. I fully expect to see Blackjack take over as the next televised non-sport, similar to what happened with Texas Hold 'Em after "Rounders," complete with boring semi-celebrity tournaments.
oves one thing and one thing only: If you're not a film's target audience and you protest it's release, you probably won't affect the film's box office very much, even if it sucks. After all there are plenty of people out there who like laughing at dumb jokes for an extended period of time. Just ask anyone who watches MAD-TV.
