Why are fanboys so hard to please?

Docker2.0 · Apr 24, 2007

Marvel has released a slew of movies, and while some of them I didn't particularly like but I won't go around and badmouth them to the point to affect someone else's opinion. But some fanboys are extremists! Some movies can do no wrong due to the director/producer(i.e.Nolan) but some directors get dogged like crazy due to past projects(i.e.Tim Story, Levy). ANY crack some fanboys see in a movie they see or hear about, they go and discourage anyone from seeing it, i.e. Ghost Rider. Some fanboys want a movie that is oscar type material but comic movies are really scifi and should be given a break. F4 hasn't even come out yet but some fans are bashing the movie saying how horrible it is but it hasn't even come out yet. Some movies are nowhere near as bad as fans make them out to be but low and behold they make it like the next Gigli. Sorry to b!+ch and moan peeps but its frustrating to hear directors like Zak Penn who is very talented get ripped to shreds by fanboys who can't write a complete sentence but complain about something someone else worked on. Anyway, sorry to rant peeps but it grinds my geers to hear some of this stuff. Please post.

matrix_ghost · Apr 24, 2007

I think it has more to do with the fact that in many people's eyes , certain sacrifices are just taken too far. Sure we understand that adaptating comics requires that certain changes need to be made.
The problem comes once those changes are taken too far. Alot of people have favorite characters and to see their characters being butchered will piss them off.

That is not to say that they themselves aren't wrong either. You're right in saying that many fanbos just take things way to seriously. Many things are black and white to them. Which is at the same time understandable. What's the use of having certain characters in a movie and not being able to protray them as they are in the comics ?
In the end you just get the (X)INO ( X = First Letter of Comic book movies) thing all over again.

I didn't follow the whole Zak Penn thing completely but the guy did write X3. Now i don't hate X3 the way it's hated on the Hype. In fact i very much prefer it OVER X1 and X2. That doesn't mean that i see flaws in the movie. And i also realise that the comics have a wealth of great stories. When those stories are misused for other purposes , it will piss off alot of fans. The whole Phoenix storyline was just merely a glimpse of how it's in the comics.
On the other hand it "fits" X3 because of the way the story is in X1 and X2.

To me at least the fault in fanboy hanting lies on 2 fronts
1 The studio adapting a comic book property
The fans expect that the movie will do justice to the comics and not be used as simply a money maker.

2 Fanboys themselves who really see things just too black& white
Yes they have every right to pissed when they see that their character are raped but every one needs to realise that changes will be made. Keeping the essence of the characters and the story is something that people need to realise as well.
And movies can always improve. First impressions are important and it's here when fanboy hate begins. 'That is why people like Zak Penn and Tim Story have a hard time.

GL1 · Apr 24, 2007

Because when you read or follow something for years you invest yourself emotionally in it... it becomes "your" show, "your" comic book and "your" character.

And people are really possessive with their stuff... even if it's not actually theirs.

Docker2.0 · Apr 24, 2007

Thanks you guys for your imput. I'm a comic fan, been following them since I was 4 years old(I kid you not!) and I know just about every Marvel characters history and background, so some of these are "my characters". Most of the heroes that made it to the screen have pretty close to the comics. With the exception of Doom, the F4 has been dead on. The characters are light. DD is gritty, Blade was......updated and GR was close to the source but familied up. I have been waiting my entire life to see some of my favorite characters on the big screen, so I'm not going to bash them every chance I get. If it wasn't for people like Avi, Fiegle, and Zak, even MSJ, these heroes would never had been made. And with the money they are making, they should be around for awhile but fans who "boycott" movies cuase Peter Jackson or Spielberg didn't make it, instead we got this comediac director in Story making it, is bs. Who would want to make movie when the fans constantly bash it for the craziest reasons? I have the utmost respect for Story, Penn, MSJ, and even Ratner cuase they are catering to a very fickle audience but despite the complaints from comic fans, the movies have all made over $100 million domestically. So someone is enjoying them.

3dman27 · Apr 25, 2007

most fanboys want superhero movies done right the FIRST TIME :hyper:

blud_knight · Apr 25, 2007

because we all know better than the guy or guys making the movie duh!
:woo

t:

Bubonic · Apr 25, 2007

I agree with GL1, but even in the comics, different writers have different visions, but usually do stay close to what has been laid out for them.

Personally I get upset because I realize each one of these characters has amazing potential. And its a big money potential as well, since everything Marvel has franchise written all over it.
If they stretched out James Bond 20 times over, they could make it happen with Spidey.

So when something half-assed comes out, badly cast, badly scripted, badly adapted, and badly directed, that potential franchise hits a brick wall.

I liked DD's directors cut, yet that doesn't matter, it wasn't what we saw in theatres, and I doubt we will see it done right for a few years at least.

GR made money, but I felt the movie was brain dead, and it played it so safe. I think risk can be taken with the material, if it guys the character dept, or if most of the movie is solid anyways. I hated the way the GG looked like in Spidey, but the casting was great.

Although some people are fundamentalist, but at times you can't really help but be pissed.
Have them make a movie that isn't only good "for a comic film", have them make a movie that'll be a complete experience, that'll make you think, make you feel, and amaze you.

CConn · Apr 25, 2007

They're not hard to please, they just - like most people - don't like bad movies.

Superman: The Movie, Superman II, Batman, Batman Returns, Blade 1 & 2, X-Men, X2, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Batman Begins...all good movies, and all of them are pretty well liked by the fans.

GR, FF, Hulk, DD, X3 etc. however, unfortunately, are not considered to be good movies by most people, and thusly, get trashed.

Now, y'know, I can understand how you personally might like them, Docker, but don't confuse your own opinion with general consensus or straight out fact. It just isn't.

Sun_Down · Apr 25, 2007

I believe it's because most of the hard-to-please people don't even know what the hell they want in the first place. Just pop your head into the Superman forums to see what I mean. You'll see people complaining that SR wasn't faithful to the comics while simultaneously complaining that it was a copy of the Donner films. But nobody ever calls the Donner films "unfaithful". Yeah, I don't get it either.

Chaos Bringer · Apr 25, 2007

GL1 said:
Because when you read or follow something for years you invest yourself emotionally in it... it becomes "your" show, "your" comic book and "your" character.

agreed. invest in other ways too. time. money.

Docker2.0 · Apr 25, 2007

CConn said:
They're not hard to please, they just - like most people - don't like bad movies.

Superman: The Movie, Superman II, Batman, Batman Returns, Blade 1 & 2, X-Men, X2, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Batman Begins...all good movies, and all of them are pretty well liked by the fans.

GR, FF, Hulk, DD, X3 etc. however, unfortunately, are not considered to be good movies by most people, and thusly, get trashed.

Now, y'know, I can understand how you personally might like them, Docker, but don't confuse your own opinion with general consensus or straight out fact. It just isn't.

I agree with what you say but the film that I didn't like was Spidey 1. That movie was miscast and there was so many corny lines in it but I won't continually gripe about it becuase I'm happy it was even made cause I'm a spidey fan. I just think it's crazy for fans to cry and complain about these movies before they even come out. But thanks for the intelligent response.

The Batman · Apr 26, 2007

its because of topics like this that we continue to get mediocre movies.

the whole "you should be glad they make movies, so dont bash them at all" mentality is really sad. The fact is, there are few truly good comic movie/franchises. Most of them are bad.Thats why fanboys bash them. Its as simple as that.

Changes in comic films can be accepted if they actually make sense. Thats why people dont really complain about organic webshooters anymore, or leather x outfits, or the black bat suit. On some level, they make sense. But killing off the leader of the x-men in a movie to give your already overhyped cash cow even more screen time? Giving Elektra lame superpowers when she didnt even need them? Making Dr. Doom have superpowers when the whole concept of the character is about is iron will and the fact that he earned most of the things he had? They're unnecessary changes.

And fanboys, probably in part not to look like the whiny sterotype society has put on them, let studios get away with crap like this. They accept that tim story will never take the FF to heights they deserve, and they're content on some average movies which will probably showcase jessica alba more than most of the team. They wont complain when Mark Steven Johnson gets another comic flick and runs that into the ground, cause hey, if they say anything, they'll be called whiny fanboys.

it's sad that if you're not superman, batman, spider man, or the x-men, chances are your comic movie will suck....but thats what happens when fanboys let hollywood run wild on lesser known characters

SurfDUI · Apr 26, 2007

When your critizied (sp) on a daily basis by peers, superiors, family, you have little alternative than to spit that disdain back out. Normally a fine outlett like reading would allow for some brevity, but the type of fiction that we all support is about achieiving in the face of adversity and being a authorityon anything that came from childhood puts you in a place where you'd feel superior.

It's just not cool to read unfortuanatly...I like to think of comic fans in two flocks. Comic book guy from the simpsons, and the smaller rest of us, who were in the mix from the jump and also have a grasp on day to day living. :hyper:

Dr. Fate · Apr 28, 2007

The Batman said:
its because of topics like this that we continue to get mediocre movies.

the whole "you should be glad they make movies, so dont bash them at all" mentality is really sad. The fact is, there are few truly good comic movie/franchises. Most of them are bad.Thats why fanboys bash them. Its as simple as that.

Changes in comic films can be accepted if they actually make sense. Thats why people dont really complain about organic webshooters anymore, or leather x outfits, or the black bat suit. On some level, they make sense. But killing off the leader of the x-men in a movie to give your already overhyped cash cow even more screen time? Giving Elektra lame superpowers when she didnt even need them? Making Dr. Doom have superpowers when the whole concept of the character is about is iron will and the fact that he earned most of the things he had? They're unnecessary changes.

And fanboys, probably in part not to look like the whiny sterotype society has put on them, let studios get away with crap like this. They accept that tim story will never take the FF to heights they deserve, and they're content on some average movies which will probably showcase jessica alba more than most of the team. They wont complain when Mark Steven Johnson gets another comic flick and runs that into the ground, cause hey, if they say anything, they'll be called whiny fanboys.

it's sad that if you're not superman, batman, spider man, or the x-men, chances are your comic movie will suck....but thats what happens when fanboys let hollywood run wild on lesser known characters

I agree, and I agree with GL1 - you follow something long enough, you're bound to feel emotionally invested in it, and to see your favorite characters mis-represented or a studio liberty taken too far is just disheartening.

The Batman · Apr 28, 2007

especially when the changes arent necessary in the slightest...

I just want good films, and most of the comic movies out there today just arent achieving good film status. I'm hoping "Iron Man" will be good, because marvel is in charge, not some hollywood studio.

Kevin Roegele · Apr 28, 2007

'Fanboys' is a collective term, not an actual group campaigning for specific, defined things. They are hard to please because they are all individuals who want different things based on their own likes and dislikes.

The intelligent fan is one who looks at, say, Batman Begins and says, "This is not the definitive Batman come to life, because there is no such thing. This is Christopher Nolan's interpretation of Batman, played by Christian Bale, and I'll judge it on those merits. Is it a worthy telling of the story?"

nocomics · Apr 28, 2007

I was never a big comic book fan,never really liked alot of the comics. about all I ever read was Crow/Spawn,and maybe a few select other comics..I do know most about all the superheros/villains and have a good idea of their backround etc...
I take comic movies just like taking a novel and making it a movie. It wont be the same,they will make little tweaks,and adjustments to the story.
Comic movies are a good source of money for movie studios,plain and simple. I don't mind the slight deviation from comic to movies. I do believe what works in the comics won't work or always work on the 'big screen'. Its up to the writers/director/studio to make it work. Theres just so much that goes into making the movie work,and usually the director or writer takes the fall.
My opinion; I dont want to see some bright ass costumes or out of the ordinary contraptions. I personally believe most comic movies work best if they have a 'darker-tone' to them than they did in the comics..I think spiderman was and has been the exception to this rule..
*I wont say I wont ever see a off the wall type comic movie,just prefer a darker feel to a movie.

Dreads88 · May 7, 2007

Honestly i think the only hero movies that stayed true to the comic were punisher spawn and the first batman

Da Games Elite · May 8, 2007

I can see where both sides are coming from in the argument. I am not a die-hard comic book fan (I love 'em, but I'm not into cosplaying, conventions, etc.) I am, however, a massive fan. So I feel feeling on boh sides.

In favor with the fanboys, they are right in some retrospects. FF, I felt, was an all around bad film. Aside from the Thing's backstory, and the Torch's personality, it completely screwed up the story and legends of the series. Dr. Doom, though, was the worst. He was a freaking *** compared to the original character. He was nothing like the original Dr. Doom, not to mention appeared for about ten minutes even though he was the only villain. (Seriously...) And his ten minutes were unspectacular, faggy, and pathetic. For that, fanboys can get pissed off at. I will not stop them. I felt, while watching, as though I had overdosed on sleeping pills.

However, in my opinion, only a few comic book movies, I consider, BAD: FF, as said above, Catwoman (who's only saving grace was Catwoman's body...), Electra, Batman and Robin (....nipplesuit...?) and, going WAY back, Flash Gordon. I have enjoyed, otherwise, just about every other superhero film.

GR was, in my opinion, a very good film. Not up to par with X-Men or Spidey, but very fun and good. X3 was a great film, you just needed to see it differently from a different perspective (c'mon guys...let's count all the deaths in the comics that the guys who died in the movie had...). Daredevil was very close to the comics, even copying the shots.

However, I must also state again that many fanboys are OVERREACTING TO MANY FILMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FF: RoSS looks like a great improvement over the last film. And even if it turns out to be the Batman and Robin of the series, you still shouldn't be judging it just because the first was bad. Would you say Roger Rodriges was a bad director after only seeing Sharkboy and Lavagirl?

What really pisses me off is when people, recently, screamed about how little screen time Venom had in Spidey 3. I mean...WHAT THE HELL DID YOU EXPECT!!!!?????? The majority of the movie is about BLACK SUIT SPIDEY, not VENOM!!!!! C'mon! I mean, let's face it, I am a huge Venom fan, and I was satisfied. I mean...c'mon!

So, in the end, yes, fanboys are excessively hard to please, and, even worse, judge things by minor disappointments that have a chance of redemption.

Docker2.0 · May 8, 2007

Thank you! Finally someone gets it! I agree 100%!

zanos · May 9, 2007