COUNTDOWN TO DARKNESS 5-page preview

Discussion in 'Star Trek Movies: Kelvin Universe' started by F. King Daniel, Jan 20, 2013.

  1. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2001
    Considering that the actual comic is going to be released in three days, don't you think you're overreacting? Is waiting a paltry 72 more hours really that intolerable?
     
  2. Admiral Buzzkill

    Admiral Buzzkill Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2001
    Resenting the fact that people won't tell you anything about their movie before you see it is dumb.
     
  3. BeatleJWOL

    BeatleJWOL Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2012
    Location:
    Winston-Salem, NC
    A better approach for you would just to go ahead and say "I want to be told what happens in this movie so I don't have to spend money to see it in the theater."
     
  4. M'Sharak

    M'Sharak Definitely Herbert. Maybe. Moderator

    Joined:
    Aug 22, 2002
    Location:
    Terra Inlandia
    I believe the phrase "laying it on with a shovel" would probably be closer to the mark.
     
  5. teacake

    teacake Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2007
    Location:
    inside teacake
    Like the time Anakin free fell into a flying car in his pursuit of Zam Wesell?
     
  6. Ovation

    Ovation Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2003
    Location:
    La Belle Province
    I certainly do NOT. And really, the "Abrams is such an asshole for keeping us so unspoiled" theme is getting a bit, well, stale.
     
  7. The Wormhole

    The Wormhole Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jul 23, 2001
    Location:
    The Wormhole
    There's a difference between keeping the audience unspoiled and what Abrams is doing. Keeping the audience unspoiled is easy, don't say anything. What Abrams is doing is promising to reveal something, only for it to turn out to be meaningless or not really a revelation at all. That's not being secretive, that's the literal definition of being dicked around. And it's an offensive way to treat the fanbase.
     
  8. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2001
    ^Maybe it isn't meaningless, though. Maybe it's just not what you were expecting or assuming it would be. That's the whole problem with having advance ideas about something, with trying to judge it before you have the whole picture.

    Frankly, I think most of the anticipation has been built up by the fanbase and the press, not by Abrams or his people. So I don't think he's promised anything and then reneged on it. I think the fans and the press have just read a lot more into what's been said than what was actually there.
     
  9. The Wormhole

    The Wormhole Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jul 23, 2001
    Location:
    The Wormhole
    To an extent, maybe. But then you have the way Cumberbatch's role was kept secret when it was announced, with only vague hints about him being a "canon character." By the fall, Abrams finally officially announced the the character was "the villain," a truly pointless revelation since everyone had already guessed that anyway. And then finally he's revealed to be named John Harrison. The only canon character named Harrison in TOS is a backround extra who never had any dialogue.

    Then there's the whole issue of whether Khan is going to be included in the movie or not, which I would have given a firm answer to first thing had I been calling the shots for this movie. Come on, if the answer is yes than you have everyone saying "hey cool, that was my favourite movie. It should be interesting to see what they do with this." If the answer is no then "Hmm, well maybe they're going to do their own thing. Should be interesting." Instead, we have no real clue at all about something which should be part of the plot synopsis.

    Abrams and his minions are also known for screwing with their audience, like with Lost when they kept repeatedly denying the island was supposed to represent Purgatory, even though that's exactly how things played out by the end of the series.

    So yes, maybe I am upset that things aren't going exactly the way I would have wanted them to, That still doesn't mean the fanbase isn't being screwed with all the same.
     
  10. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2001
    Well, I'm a member of the fanbase too, and I sure as hell don't feel "offended" or "screwed with." I don't feel I'm entitled to be told about a story before it comes out. On the contrary, I think it's good not to know too much in advance. What matters is the movie itself, the complete story it has to tell, not the advance publicity. I think modern society has gotten too preoccupied with publicity as an end in itself, obsessing with previews and trailers and spoilers and leaks to such an extent that it drowns out the actual story at the heart of it all. I mean, for Pete's sake, we've reached the point where we're getting promos for teasers for trailers for movies! It's ridiculous! I don't need all this foofarah in advance. It's not what matters. I'd be fine going into that theater in May and not having any clue what to expect.

    Hell, the reason they call them "spoilers" in the first place is because people used to think it ruined the viewing experience to be told too much in advance. There is value in being surprised by a story. I think Abrams is absolutely in the right to try to restore that sense of mystery and surprise, to resist the modern pressures to spill everything about the movie months in advance. I'm not offended by his approach; I laud it. So you can damn well speak for yourself and not pretend that your excessive sense of self-entitlement represents the consensus of fandom as a whole.
     
  11. Jeyl

    Jeyl Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2009
    Location:
    Asheville, NC
    Amanda: Spock, why did you bring us onboard?! You've DOOMED us! YOU'VE DOOMED US ALL!
    Spock: ...Ok. Transporter chief, beam us back to the planet's surface.
    *they all energize back onto Vulcan*
    Spock: Better now?
    *They all fall through the cracks and die*
     
  12. thumbtack

    thumbtack Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2002
    Location:
    Ankh-Morpork
    They've elected to go with don't. For all four issues, in fact.

    Despite the fact that have been trying to break it as slowly and softly as possible, that is not what they have everyone saying.



    .
     
  13. Pauln6

    Pauln6 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2009
    Location:
    Bristol, United Kingdom
    +1

    Plus, I rather like the comic preview. It builds on some of the themes touched on in the ongoing comic and gives a bit more insight into Spock's frame of mind in the older issues. The comics are always a bit thin and the stories never have enough depth overall for my taste, but they're still entertaining enough. There's enough here to pique my curiosity.
     
  14. Ovation

    Ovation Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2003
    Location:
    La Belle Province
    My sentiments exactly (member of fandom since 1973). :techman:
     
  15. Kruezerman

    Kruezerman Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Jun 3, 2012
    Location:
    Meatloaf with Macaroni and Cheese
    +1

    Since 92, my Trek was DS9!
     
  16. The Wormhole

    The Wormhole Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jul 23, 2001
    Location:
    The Wormhole
    I guess that's what it all comes down to, I don't care for surprises, and never have. Even as a child I always peaked at my Christmas presents. Hell, I remember when Generations came out, I had the novelization (or juniour novelization, to be more accurate) several days before the movie's theatrical release, and the first thing I did was read the last chapter. I don't usually do that with books, but since this was a movie I had to know how it ended. Of course, with this and Trek XI I can't do that since novelizations are released after the movie's release. Okay, that's not an Abrams thing, a lot of movies are doing that these days.

    Yes, I admit, I'm a spoiler whore and that's not going to change. And maybe it is detrimentat to know everything in advance, but not relvealing anything is simply another extreme. And could potentially be detrimental, there are those who argue that complete mystery as to the plot worked against Super 8. Unfortunately this is a theory that can't be proved since everyone else reveals something about their movies before release.
     
  17. Admiral Buzzkill

    Admiral Buzzkill Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2001
    Well, get used to it. Most people don't think that way, so they're not going to market to a tiny minority.
     
  18. The Wormhole

    The Wormhole Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jul 23, 2001
    Location:
    The Wormhole
    Oh, I know movie studios aren't big on spoilers, but when did the internet change? Sure, spoilers don't leak as much today as they did a decade ago, but no one eve tries to get that exclusive scoop on coming plot developments. Damn it, it was because of spoilers for Enterprise and Nemesis that led to me registering on Trek BBS in the first place.
     
  19. Ovation

    Ovation Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2003
    Location:
    La Belle Province
    I loved Super 8. I primarily loved it because I had no idea (except the vaguest notion that it was some sort of homage to early Spielberg) what it was about before I saw it. The characters are exactly the age I was in the timeframe the film's story is set and I grew up in a neighbourhood not all that different from the one depicted in the movie. I had friends who resembled the kids in the movie a great deal. All of that was much more fun to experience as it was unfolding rather than having it all spoiled ahead of time.

    As for not having any "spoilers" for the new movie--two trailers and a 9-minute preview seem pretty meaty in the spoiler category. What more do you want, the final draft of the script published online months before it comes out? Access to the workprint? A copy of the manuscript of the novelization?

    Thankfully, neither you, nor anyone else who has no need to access such things, appear likely to be granted such access. Makes it far less likely the rest of us will be spoiled.
     
  20. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2001
    Okay, but that's your personal preference as an individual. So please don't go around claiming you speak for fandom as a whole, or accusing the filmmakers of committing some gross betrayal of decency just because they don't pander to your personal tastes.