From the wonky opening that brought you “Fuck you Star Trek fans” and “Phwooar, Princess Leia”, comes this … “Nerd culture is the product of a late capitalist conspiracy, designed to infantalize the consumer as a means of non-aggressive control.”
It has come to my attention (thank you google), that the excellent website, Io9 picked up on some controversial comments I made to the Radio Times, which can be summed up in the above headline. Now, maybe I was being a little bit trollish, I can be a bit of a Contrary Mary in interviews sometimes. When you do lots of them, you get sick of your own opinions and start espousing other people’s. Having said that, the idea of our prolonged youth is something I’ve been interested in for a very long time. It’s essentially what Spaced was about, at least in part.
One of the things that inspired Jessica and myself, all those years ago, was the unprecedented extension our generation was granted to its youth, in contrast to the previous generation, who seemed to adopt a received notion of maturity at lot sooner. The children of the 70s and 80s were the first generation, for whom it wasn’t imperative to ‘grow up’ immediately after leaving school. Why this happened is a whole other sociological discussion: a rise in the student population, progress in gender equality, the absence of world war; all these things and more contributed to this social evolution. What fascinated Jess and I was the way we utilised this time. For Tim and Daisy, not having to grow up in the way their parents did, simply meant a continuation of their childhood. For Daisy, it was the pursuit of her girlhood dreams and fantasies. For Tim, he channeled his childhood passions into his adult life, cared about them as much, invested in them, the same level of time, importance and emotion. His hobbies and interests defined who he was, rather than his professional status.
In the 18 years since we wrote Spaced, this extended adolescence has been cannily co-opted by market forces, who have identified this relatively new demographic as an incredibly lucrative wellspring of consumerist potential. Suddenly, here was an entire generation crying out for an evolved version of the things they were consuming as children. This demographic is now well and truly serviced in all facets of entertainment and the first and second childhoods have merged into a mainstream phenomenon.
Before Star Wars, the big Hollywood studios were making art movies, with morally ambiguous characters, that were thematically troubling and often dark (Travis Bickle dark, as opposed to Bruce Wayne dark)*. This was probably due in large part to the Vietnam War and the fact that a large portion of America’s young men were being forced to grow up very quickly. Images beamed back home from the conflict, were troubling and a growing protest movement forced the nation to question the action abroad. Elsewhere, feminism was still dismissed as a lunatic fringe by the patriarchal old guard, as mainstream culture actively perpetuated traditional gender roles. Star Wars was very much an antidote to the moral confusion of the war, solving the conundrum of who was good and who was evil. At the heart of the story was an ass kicking princess who must surely have empowered an entire generation of girls. It was a balm for a nation in crisis in a number of ways and such was that nation’s influence, the film became a global phenomenon.
Recent developments in popular culture were arguably predicted by the French philosopher and cultural theorist, Jean Baudrillard in his book, ‘America’, in which he talks about the infantilzation of society. Put simply, this is the idea that as a society, we are kept in a state of arrested development by dominant forces in order to keep us more pliant. We are made passionate about the things that occupied us as children as a means of drawing our attentions away from the things we really should be invested in, inequality, corruption, economic injustice etc. It makes sense that when faced with the awfulness of the world, the harsh realities that surround us, our instinct is to seek comfort, and where else were the majority of us most comfortable than our youth? A time when we were shielded from painful truths by our recreational passions, the toys we played with, the games we played, the comics we read. There was probably more discussion on Twitter about the The Force Awakens and the Batman vs Superman trailers than there was about the Nepalese earthquake or the British general election.
The ‘dumbing down’ comment came off as a huge generalisation by an A-grade asshorn. I did not mean that science fiction or fantasy are dumb, far from it. How could I say that? In the words of Han Solo, “Hey, it’s me!” In the last two weeks, I have seen two brilliant exponents of the genre. Ex Machina and Mad Max: Fury Road, both of which had my head spinning in different and wonderful ways and are both very grown up films (although Max has a youthful exuberance which is nothing’s short of joyous, thanks George Miller, 70) I’ve yet to see Tomorrowland but with Brad Bird at the helm, it cannot be anything but a hugely entertaining think piece.
I guess what I meant was, the more spectacle becomes the driving creative priority, the less thoughtful or challenging the films can become. The spectacle of Mad Max is underpinned not only multiple layers of plot and character but also by an almost lost cinematic sense of ‘how did they do that?’ The best thing art can do is make you think, make you re-evaluate the opinions you thought were yours. It’s interesting to see how a cerebral film maker like Christopher Nolan, took on Batman and made it something more adult, more challenging, chasing Frank Miller’s peerless Dark Knight into a slightly less murky world of questionable morality and violence. But even these films are ultimately driven by market forces and somebody somewhere will want to soften the edges, so that toys and lunch boxes can be sold. In that respect, Bruce Wayne’s fascistic vigilantism was never really held to account, however interesting Nolan doubtless found that idea. Did he have an abiding love of Batman or was it a means of making his kind of movie on the mainstream stage?
Fantasy in all its forms is probably the most potent of social metaphors and as such can be complex and poetic. No one could ever accuse Game of Thrones of being childish. George RR Martin clearly saw the swords and sorcery genre as a fertile means to express his musings on ambition, power and lust. Perhaps it milieu makes it more commercial though, would a straight up historical drama have lasted so long? Maybe Game of Thrones wouldn’t have been made at all ten years ago. A world without Game of Thrones?! if Baudrillard had predicted that, I probably would have dropped out of university and become a cobbler**.
The point of all this is just to get my position clear. I’m not out of the fold, my passions and preoccupations remain. Sometimes it’s good to look at the state of the union and make sure we’re getting the best we can get. On one hand it’s a wonderful thing, having what used to be fringe concerns, suddenly ruling the mainstream but at the same time, these concerns have also been monetised and marketed and the things that made them precious to us, aren’t always the primary concern (right, Star Trek TOS fans?)
Also, it’s good to ask why we like this stuff, what makes it so alluring, so discussed, so sacred. Do we channel our passion and indignation into ephemera, rather than reality? Not just science fiction and fantasy but gossip and talent shows and nostalgia and people’s arses. Is it right? Is it dangerous? Something to discuss over a game of 3D chess, perhaps.
Speaking of which I better climb aboard the old hypocropter and fly back to writing Star Trek Beyond.
In short:
- I love Science Fiction and fantasy and do not think it’s all childish.
- I do not think it is all generated by dominant forces as a direct means of control…much.
- I am still a nerd and proud.
Love and rockets,
Simon
p.s. Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan are also Stormtroopers in The Force Awakens.
*Those type of films are made today but not by big studios. Before Star Wars, SciFi and Fantasy were seen as B movie fodder, that the big studios were wary of. Alan Ladd Jnr really doesn’t get the credit he deserves for backing George Lucas.
**No disrespect to cobblers, I merely intended to allude to a profession that would not fill my days with fantasy. Not that cobblers can’t enjoy fantasy, they can. After all, some of them are magic elves who only come out at night to save a poor husband and wife from destitution. Surely a metaphor for the invisible underclass, enabling social mobility among the executive echelons of the pre war working class.
Simon Pegg
Actor/writer - Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Paul, World's End. Also, secret agent, starship engineer and diesel weasel. GSOH. Must love dogs.
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If you thought the attacks from geeks were bad, Mr. Pegg, just WAIT until the cobblers read this. They will make your life HELL.
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Don’t let the “social police” kill your day, Simon. Your comment was spot-on.
In the 1950s, one of the most popular genres of entertainment was the western. Little boys dressed up as cowboys and “indians” and played bang bang shoot-em-up. In the 60s, this genre took hold of television and film. It serviced those who had grown up playing those games and listening to Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. Clint Eastwood owes a lot to those little boys because his career was fed on the childhood fantasies of those little boys.
At no time in recent history have we not drowned ourselves in something that could take our mind off the world at large. In my own country, it wasn’t so long ago that men drank up the saloon, came home shit-faced drunk and beat the shit out of their wives to relieve their stress. It was great entertainment for some I’m sure and I’m certain that as painful and horrific as the events were for the women who had to endure their brutality, those big boys looked like raging toddlers. This led to women seeking a way out — the wrong one — and prohibition was born.
Sometime, somewhere, someone is always saying exactly what you’ve said. Some people prefer to “infantilize” themselves with a bottle of Scotch, a collection of guns or yelling at a bunch of men in tights chasing after a ball. But for some reason, it’s the geek stuff that seems to bother people the most. Why is that?
The film you mentioned as being a think piece, Taxi Driver, is a film in which the women are all victims and the trouble protagonist is the star of the show. He grows more violent as the film progresses and we all call it art because it’s “dark” and “seedy.” Is it any wonder that women — at the very least — stopped (or never did) truly respond en masse to this? The films you mentioned are the cherished films of a patriarchal society that was, at least at that moment, dying at the hands of the women’s right’s movement.
And as you so aptly pointed out, along came a film with an ass-kicking princess. There were some bumps in the road, but Leia was a “shot fired.” No one cares who made that shot first.
In the last ten years, it’s been sci-fi and fantasy that have propelled many actresses from co-star to star and given a whole host of little girls something to hang on to when all around them they’re constantly reminded of how inferior, how little they are. You’re absolutely right. Princess Leia was vastly important to me as a child. So was Wonder Woman. While the think piece films of that time focused on male boxers (Rocky), greedy stock brokers (Wall Street) and a whole helluva lot of war flicks that, depending on who you talk to, either glorified or really showed the horrors of Vietnam — science fiction and fantasy gave us women who had something to do rather than cry.
My love of science fiction and fantasy isn’t part of some grand scheme of keeping my head down and in the dark about social change. First, I’m well aware of what I’m doing. I’m not hypnotized into complacency. Second, to attribute lack of care regarding the world at large to science fiction is giving sci-fi both too much and too little credit. I know that you had no intention of painting geeks at large with a broad brush as childish consumers and I believe you. But to suggest that we are all part of some larger scheme to turn us into zombie consumers of entertainment also suggests that were are incapable of making our own decisions. That we are so taken by the shiny that we cannot possibly give enough concern to issues of importance. My Facebook feed alone, filled with people who have similar tastes in film and television, says that this just isn’t the case. The people at protests who have held up signs decrying oppression that have featured quotes or symbols from Hunger Games or Doctor Who tell me that, if anything, these characters and these stories move people to emulate the heroes they see in books or on screen to their best potential. While it’s great to see Travis Bickle’s arc and while it may be important to discuss some of the topics that those types of films bring up, I’ve rarely heard someone at a protest use him as a catalyst for change. However, I have heard many of my friends who protest and cry for social change alongside of me invoke the Doctor or Superman or Katniss Everdeen.
If that is infantilization, I’ll take it.
“Age is foolish and forgetful when it underestimates youth.”
Have you looked at a Japanese person lately? The culture is overwhelmingly niche-oriented, infantilized and introverted to the point where there’s a term for it (hikkikomori). The birth rate is lower than the water levels in California, and people are getting counseling about how human reproduction actually works. Incidentally as an engine of economy, that’s probably why Japan is also so successful. So yea, you’re totally right about that.
On the other hand, there’s also unique opportunity in the Japanese geekery underground erupting into light to express adult ideas normally kept at bay by a non-nerd, non-scifi mainstream. In the 90’s, that was immortalized by such animes as Serial Experiments Lain (existentialism, AI, introversion) and Neon Genesis Evangelion (suicide, depression, xenophobia), alongside celebrated art films like the Happiness of the Katakuris and Tampopo. They’ve all got a vein of darkness running through them, explorations of the subconscious and social values. Japan is sometimes a much more conservative society than either the UK or USA, but these works are not only tolerated but celebrated- precisely because they are veiled in this aura of geekery and whimsy. Our infantilization protects us from the forces of conservatism, dogma or fundamentalism because those old farts think we’re bloody daft.
Food for thought. Btw love your work. If I ever see you IRL I’d love to buy you a pint.
As far as cinema is concerned we can blame it all on Star Wars. It changed everything. After Star Wars there were lunch boxes, figures, sequels… Ever since then films have had the crap marketed out of them. Why? Because it now costs the GDP of a small country to fund a blockbuster. Yep, Star Wars broke cinema.
BTW I fucking love Star Wars.
I saw Mad Max Fury Road at the weekend and it was a bit like the Namibian desert in which it was filmed – vast, magnificent and pretty empty. It’s definitely something to see at the cinema, it needs that huge screen and big sound.
I just wanted to say great article loved reading it and I love how u have diesel weasel in your bio.
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A thoughtful response. Who would have thought a sound byte didn’t contain the whole context of the story?
Next time instead of being a “contrary mary” maybe you could be a “Rhymin’ Simon”?
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Thanks for clearing that up.
I think it’s just a case of seeing Avengers 2 and like me being wholly depressed by the experience. :)
Well said, Sir. I read the article on Daily Mail and one of the commentors mentioned actually visiting your site for clarity. I’m glad I did. I was a little puzzled at first since most of your work that I’ve enjoyed was steeped in nerdy, immature, goodness. Although I love sci-fi and action flicks, I’ve felt the same about Hollywood pre-our generation and the direction it’s taken over the past 30 years.
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Cinematic Sci-Fi and Fantasy have always lagged behind the literature. But even then, what books get published rely largely on market forces as well. So when a genuinely original voice gets published I count it as a win.
I love science fiction for it’s ability to simultaneously state where we are and where we are going within a framework that would not be easily digested otherwise. Escapism is fine, but like one cannot live solely on salt water taffy, a diet of escapism can narrow one’s world view and may indeed lead to a general blindness of the larger issues in the world. Or if not blindness, then perhaps apathy. A balanced diet is what is needed. Hmm, should we develop a food pyramid/grid for fantasy fiction?
There is sooo much untapped potential in some of the older works by Theodore Sturgeon, C.M Kornbluth, Alfred Bester, Fritz Lieber, Steve Rasnic Tem, etc. I’d love to see some serious movies based on their works.
I agree the superhero movies might be heading for over saturation – just as the superhero COMICs did back in the 90’s giving rise to a slew of indie titles. Are we possibly heading for a sci-fi movie renaissance? Will bloated summer block busters give rise to more movies like “Primer”? Who knows. But I do feel that science fiction, fantasy and even horror are valid genres for serious expression and exploration of humanity’s problems, hopes and fears.
So thanks for the clarification, Simon. But I wasn’t worried. I’ll just finish listening to my audio adaptation of “Metamorphosis” so I can get back to playing Skyrim.
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Pegg, you bloody wanker! You can speak all your french… but you don’t need, we know you didn’t mean “that”, obviously… by the way, is a valid point of view, of course. You made us think, this is frightening. Fans from Brasil send you a Forte Abraço!
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i love Pegg’s movies. That said, I’m not sure his blog here was an apology, a rant, or a rationalization. I have no respect for JJ Abrams; basically, he’s a mindfuck, and he destroyed the ST rboot, and he’s playing his same sociiopathic games with SW. So, Mr Pegg, I won’t be seeing your ST movie, and am looking forward to whenyou return to original work, and get out of the Spielberg/Lucas/Abrams clique!
So basically you’re just parroting what prominent Science Fiction author Theodore Sturgeon said back in 1957 which is known as ‘Sturgeon’s Law,’ that stated 90% of everything is crap in reference to the number of books coming out then and later on in 1958 updated it to include films. I don’t think the general public even cared that much then as most of it was seen as a few hours of escapism as far as movies go and screw having to think about it. Sometimes it’s good to have a mix – ride on the rollercoaster while trying to work the Callan-Symanzik equation. It’s up to the fans to find them.
Just please make the best Star Trek you can get away with. The best of Trek is adult sci fi, and that can be “inclusive” too. #layeredplots
Firstly, I’m not saying I disagree with you, because you are right at least to some extent and I saw that from the beginning of this. However, one fear I have is that some seem to think that making a film or whatever more “adult” means adding much more graphic themes, rape, murder, torture and other atrocities. I refuse to watch Game of Thrones, or anything of that ilk for that reason. Horrible things happen in our world every minute of every day, bad things happen to good people every day. I am adult enough to know all about that. I don’t enjoy it in my entertainment anymore than I enjoy hearing it on the news or witnessing first hand. There is of course great societal value and audiences for such films that deal responsibly with those topics and don’t glorify the violence, but it’s just oftentimes not for me. I’ve seen things in films that just hurt my heart for months on end and make me never want to watch anything like that again. I guess I’m too sensitive. I don’t think I’m the only one tho. So yes I guess I am an adult who still likes “childish” things in that sense. I like to be hopeful that good will prevail. I like the hero to win and good people to be saved. I like to be in that innocent childish world for a little while because I am adult enough to know that world for the most part doesn’t exist otherwise.
To sum up:
1) Adult doesn’t necessarily mean themes and scenes that will give people like me nightmares for months on end. I hope you know that. I think you know that. But I’m just sayin’. (And good luck with the next Star Trek but PLEASE do not turn it into Mad Max. I’d rather watch a movie where I get to see what happens in a much more hopeful *Utopian* future. That’s one of the special things about Star Trek that I hope doesn’t get lost.)
2) We still need fluffy childish entertainment in the world because the world is hard to take without it. And for the record, if there is deeper meaning, interesting characters, themes that make me think, then even better. :) The best movies have a balance of very strong entertainment value and those messages that makes you think and maybe even cause you to see something differently. “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.” as Julie Andrews once sang. :)
I dunno. I truly believe in the charm of being an outcast. That’s why I hate the hipster trend.
As someone you really loved your work, I was really disappointed to read your comments and I still am. Perhaps it is because I have fallen too deeply in the fantasies of my childhood. I have become obsessed with high school romantic comedy anime. To clarify, I am 25 years old with a full-time job and adult responsibilities. “I’m too old for this shit.”, yet I barely get sleep at night watching these perverted shows and obsessing over them. I never leave my apartment outside of work and I watch nothing but these shows. So I’ve had some time to think things over.
I have read about how Japan is having some sort of population issue where young men have been sterilized (figuratively speaking) by the bright and colorful animated and highly sexualized fantasies, leaving them to lack a desire for any physical contact or anything “real”. And to be absolutely honest, that’s pretty much what I have become. So this is where I believe both you and Baudrillard are incorrect. I believe there is no conspiracy to infantilize the masses with sterilized entertainment as a means of distraction. I believe something far worse than that.
No one is distracting us. We are distracting ourselves.
I think from a young age, we were all milk-fed the ideals of being an adult and how great things will be. When I was a child and bullied, I refused to kill myself because I always felt that life would be better. Yet, life doesn’t care about us. Life just is and we have to accept it and try our best to survive it. The mounting pressures and stresses build, life-long friendships deteriorate and you discover that you are alone. You are beaten mercilessly as a game by strangers and you realize you are insecure and fragile and mortal and alone. Your grandmother and aunt are diagnosed with cancer and still you are alone. You develop incredible social anxieties and more relationships around you fall apart and you are still alone.
No matter what, we are always alone. No one is there to save you. Nothing is as nothing can. So we find our happy place. Sometimes that’s a bar/pub. Sometimes that’s a bench in a park with a nice view. Sometimes it’s our bed. Sometimes, like me, it’s on a TV screen or in a comic book. Sometimes it’s on a stage or in a book or inside someone else or in a syringe. We find our ways to keep us from falling under (healthy and unhealthy).
Reality hasn’t gotten any nicer. Racism, sexism, transphobia and homophobia, murder, rape, corruption and genocide are still prevalent as always. I think we are all fully aware of these things.
Action Comics #1 was sold not only to children, but adults who survived the Great Depression. People who felt betrayed by society and wanted to believe if even just for one moment that justice could prevail. Someone above the law who would take down corruption and crime. People have always needed that undying optimistic hope; the fantasy of never giving up and always trying to do the right thing. That’s what Superman is.
Science-fiction itself has deeper roots in identity and the questions of who we are and who we might be. Stories reflect ourselves back at us and sometimes we see our reflection.
So people flock to superheroes and eventually marketers and studios recognize their appeal. The cartoons are fueled by the merchandise sales. The television shows are fueled by the advertising slots. Each one of us can now more visibly (thanks to print, TV and social media) see our value against that of those around us and those richer and more secure than us. Everything and everyone has value, yet it’s all arbitrary. We are sold things to buy things. That’s the world we live in. Even the marketers have to sleep at night.
This is where I took the most issue with your initial comments. You seemed to take more issue with the entertainment than the way we consume it. I don’t know if I can blame Frank Miller for the pessimistic tone that has prevailed in the comic films for years. He didn’t make The Dark Knight Returns to create a one-note pessimistic tone that would overshadow comics and now comic-based films for years. Alan Moore made Watchmen to make us reconsider how we worshipped Batman and others in the context of the Reagan/Thatcher world, but didn’t make it to deconstruct our own enjoyment of fantasy.
The truth is that we need to dream. We need that bright-eyed optimism many of us had as kids believing that life will turn out great. If we don’t have the ability to lie to ourselves to live another day then we have nothing. So I take absolutely no issue with “childish” things. I try to find the value in all sorts of mindless things. My favorite film of the last several years was Big Hero 6. I’m not sure if you have seen it, Simon, but it’s wonderful. It has good messages and has the ability to challenge us in ways even the writers and animators weren’t aware. They didn’t solve any problems with fists or beating up a bad guy. Maybe that’s the point. Maybe “childish” is more than a sterilized fantasy. Maybe it has the ability to challenge us like 2001: A Space Odyssey or Brazil.
The world can be beautiful, but sometimes we need a fantasy to remember that.
Will George Lazenby, Roger Moore, and Sean Connery also be Stormtroopers?
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My one point of disagreement is that ‘Star Wars’ wasn’t intended as an antidote to the moral confusion of Vietnam (or more appropriately, Watergate). Remember, Lucas was at the time seen as something of a political filmmaker who was at one point tapped to direct ‘Apocalypse Now’ until Coppola decided to do it himself. ‘Star Wars’ is intended to be a political film; it’s just that the message was entirely lost because everyone assumed that America was “the Rebels” because America is always the good guys in an action movie.
Whereas in fact, America is the Empire. Palpatine is intended to represent Nixon had he gone just a little bit further, responding to a challenge to his authority by dissolving the bodies politic that were supposed to check his power. The ending to ‘Jedi’, which was originally supposed to be the ending to ‘Star Wars’ until budgetary concerns forced him to trim it down, involved jungle-dwelling “primitives” using cunning and superior knowledge of the terrain to cut down arrogant soldiers with lots of cool technological toys. In the context of Vietnam, when it was originally written, this couldn’t be clearer.
Which brings up a wider point–science fiction/fantasy has the freedom to be subversive, because its natural language is the language of symbolism. Lucas could make a film about the dangers of creeping fascism slowly undermining a democracy until the people begged to be ruled, knowing that people would just write it off as a kiddie space opera. Beneath the commercialism that we all agree is a negative influence on the genre, there’s a lot of space to play with big, dangerous ideas in a way that gets by the gatekeepers of popular culture.
In an ideal world, of course. Otherwise you just get ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’. :)
Simon you didn’t need to go so eloquently defensive. You were on target in your original comments. For the most part, American culture is fostering a fear-mongering infantilized mommy-state. And our media in large measure reflects that. I live in Los Angeles and you can smell fear of burning infants in the air, daily.
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As punishment you go get a Soyuz reentry capsule, attatched to nasa’s hall effect engine, with large hexagonal solar panels on each side and fly that tie fighter around the moon.
Though I don’t agree with the intentionality of this switch to conspiracy but more to cognitive capture (though I will now need to read Baudrillard, thanks for cluing me in), I agree whole-heartedly on the conclusion that market forces are to blame for the current saturation of particular modes of sci-fi and fantasy. I wouldn’t even stop there- fast news, clickbait, etc are byproducts of sociopsychological factors interacting with consumer driven media and are only going to get worse as the technology advances and the cash flow increases.
Consumer media, consumer culture, has dumbed down a LOT of things by appealing to our appetites, our conservation of cognitive effort, and those things that appeal/placate to our displaced and now growing anxiety. This isn’t new (Westerns, crime shoot em ups, facile 80s action movies were directed to their constituent kids-turned-adult generational consumers), but the business is so huge and focus group calculated now it’s unprecedented in it’s deliberate pandering.
Btw, thank you for saying all this– not just the clarification but the original interview. A buddy of mine and I were talking about this topic, not the interview, not more than two days ago.
I’m really glad you responded. This was a much more intelligent treatise on what you actually meant. I don’t disagree that people do tend towards escapism, including myself, but I think the greatest problem lies in the industry. The reason independent film makers are doing better at raising social awareness is because they don’t care how much their movie is going to make. Or, at least, profit is their secondary concern. As long as the industry underestimates the public–by continuing to assume that white, male leads will make them the most money for example–this trend will continue. Science fiction will continue to fail us sociologically, because all the money continues to fund Michael Bay’s male genitalia fetish.
What you can do for us is start to change it. You have the advantage of being settled into the heart of the entertainment industry. Perhaps you don’t have as much pull as some might, but you have the fan base. We’d follow you into the socially conscious abyss of sci-fi and fantasy that makes us think rather than distracts us with pretty lights. Be our Obi-Wan.
While I agree with all of the above (and appreciate the tenacity in which it was dealt) the same could be said for any number of over commercialized products, celebrities, music, art, athletics, holidays (really we can go on and on) the point is – where there’s money to be made the marketers will come: and this can be both positive in the sense that good things are getting the spotlight it deserves (ie: charities and empowering non profits) and providing the consumer with what they want -there will always be the negative backlash of perversing the subject into something almost ugly- in the sense it no longer appears as it first did (Disney anyone?). This subject piece is brilliant in that it brings to light the downfall of commercialism – but this isn’t new and it’ll only continue to deepen society into a abyss where the consumer is so enriched with the subject matter humanity seems to dwindle down. It comes down to Albert Einstein’s prediction that has finally been realized “I fear the day that technology will surpass human interaction.” For now we can enjoy the geekdom that defines most of us Pegg-fans but funny how we are all interacting via a technological void that takes the faces away from human individuality which is what marketing is all about to begin with. Make everyone the same in that you can sell everyone the same crap.
I feel there’s an element of genuine clarification here, and a bit of back peddling. After all, the quote, “I honestly thought the other day that I’m gonna retire from geekdom. I’ve become the poster child for that generation, and it’s not necessarily something I particularly want to be. I’d quite like to go off and do some serious acting.” was pretty un-ambiguous! But that’s OK. We all say things that either need to be clarified or taken back a bit. Sometimes both. I’m glad you wrote this, Simon.
http://peterpendragon.com/2015/03/16/the-unexpected-virtue-of-superheroes/
Dare I say I was directed here by a comic book writer. And without reading the article I had allready made my mind up.
Thank god for BBC Film4 and Canal +. Thus agreeing with Simon in some way.
Does the industry expect me to pay upwards of £15 to watch a ropey 3D projection on a slightly taller screen. That is the problem, ticket price. And to justify that price we are given Big budget CGI fests.
Many of my collegues only visit to the cinema are these films. I on the other hand pay a subscription of a similar value and get to see most of the independents. Sadly some of these are blink and you will miss them releases, yes I missed seeing Simon in his y-fronts on the big screen, others are adverised nationally only to be shown in Ireland. James Cameron shoots some spectacular films, his ex however could make better films and only used explosions to further the narrative.
I suppose we should differenciate between comic books and graphic novels as there have been many good films whose roots are based on these art forms and ofter show in the narrative of these films they do tend to be one offs(Watchmen V for Vendetta etc.). The fantasy genre in any form is used to challenge society. Should a race hold onto an old mysogenistic belief system? or wage war on those that don’t?
The Hollywood industry is killing itself with formulaic films of which comic book are the latest weapon. May be it should die, or at least come close enough to give it a wake up call to change its ways. Stop with the gadget obsessed Mid life crisis. I’m no shrink but, Hollywood needs to stop, look at itself, let go of its fears and unhealthy obsessions.
How does you saying you’re quitting sic-fi films and moving on to serious films tie in to your apology?
I have loved Simon since Spaced and Black Books .. But I also love my TREK to be TREK .. even if they are saving a whale .. Do it like Gene would .. if I want lens flare and battles I will watch the WARS. W ..
This is an eloquent, provocative piece. However, I think you might be misrepresenting Baudrillard. The postmodern theorist rarely spoke about power in terms of domination by the capitalist elite. The most terrifying thing about his argument was the notion that these forces of subjugation are widely decentralized and dispersed. It would be comforting if we could explain our contemporary condition as “domination of masses by the elite,” because the villain would be clearly identified. Baudrillard’s point is that we are *all* dominated by our tools of communication and by the nature of representation. We cannot pinpoint some sort of authentic capital T-truth about the world, and we will never be able to do so.
I do not think Baudrillard would claim that indie art films and short stories are more meaningful and authentic than Hollywood blockbusters and comic books. He argued that we “live in a world where there is more and more information, and less and less meaning.” We can seek out documentaries and serious dramas in an attempt to locate a deeper reality, but Baudrillard’s entire point is that there is *no* deeper reality.
As Shaviro writes, “The point is not to resist by clinging to older visions and values–a mistake made alike by the survivalist Right and the communitarian Left. Let us rather push further and further, into ever new landscapes of simulation and delusion. Our only chance lies in this: to remake ourselves over and over again, frenetically chasing fashion, keeping up with state-of-the-art technology, and always being sure to purchase (or steal) the latest upgrades. ”
Great essay, Simon!
I find this comment a bit confusing would you mind explaining farther. What does Baudrillard think we should do about all of this? Or does he deal with that question at all?
Also would be awesome if you could clarify shaviro’s point too.
I’m happy to have read this all the way through because, had I stopped where I first became irritated, I would have missed the fun. Well said, Simon Pegg. Too much SciFi is just so much brain candy while some truly spectacular work is ignored because it doesn’t have the big Hollywood budget or promotional machine to shove it down our throats. Thank you for this perspective and for all you do. Cheers!
Aaaaaah, fuck it. You’re entitled to your opinion. Hell, you even made some good points. Keep on keeping on, and whatnot.
Hi Simon,
I totally agree that the theater space is now less hospitable for mature themed content, but I completely disagree that these means we are consuming it less. What has changed is how we consume more mature themed content. I find that I really don’t enjoy the theater experience if I’m going to see some new experimental film or complex drama. For the same price of admission I can own the film and watch it in the comfort of my home. Not to mention there is so much on TV now that offers as much complexity, challenge, and difficult themes as any film from the 70s did. Take a look at the popularity of things like Breaking Bad, The Wire, Deadwood. I would put any of those up against the studio dramas or mature films the studios ever put out. In fact to the contrary of your point I think now more than ever mature and difficult content has become extremely popular its just that the venue has changed.
At any given time Netflix, Amazon, Hulu Plus, and others offer a veritable cornicopia of mature themed content that is continually added to. If this stuff wasn’t popular you’d think they would be offering less of it. The very fact that a bunch the Criterion collection is available seems to indicate someone is watching and wants to watch mature and interesting films. I don’t want to watch something like Nymphomaniac, or Blue is the Warmest color in a theater, I’d much rather watch it at home on Blu-ray where I can enjoy it at my pace and in a safe place.
I really do think you have confused the venue of the art for the art itself. So what that adult oriented films don’t get space in the multiplexes? We are still consuming and watching them we are just doing it the way we want to do it are no longer beholden to what theater owners want to promote.
On a side note, I love your work even the chances you take on things like A Fantastic Fear of Everything. I am cautiously optimistic about the next Star Trek even though I really disliked the last one. I’m still willing to give it a shot as I think you can bring something fresh back to the series.
-Justin Couron
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The people I know who geek hardest are the same people who are into politics, though. You sure you’re not just trying to make a connection that isn’t really there? Like, could it be that movies like The Avengers are bringing down our collective IQ or could it be that, decade after decade, century after century, there are both smart people and dumb people?
As incisively and eloquently as you’ve made your case, you’d have done well, I think, to have had someone edit it before making it public. Grammatical errors abound, taking up arms and marching into every corner of the post.