Really liked this article! One of the best descriptions of franchise entropy I’ve seen. Ultimately inevitable, regardless of how its handled.
One further thought:
My 11 year old loved The Acolyte.
Part of the reason, I suspect, for the perception of Star Wars and Marvel stuff ‘failing’ is that there’s a specific demographic of people who tend to take part in noisy online/Reddit arguments about popular entertainment (on either side of the argument). These are often people who enjoyed these franchises when they were children, but are now adults.
A huge part of the current target audience (e.g. my 11 year old) is barely online and certainly isn’t taking part in online arguments about Star Wars and Marvel. They’re a big, invisible cohort of viewers who still really enjoy this stuff, but you’re not going to find them taking part in The Discourse.
I think Star Wars is incredibly unique because you can see this happening generationally already. The series has been around since the late 70s and every adult has a different starting off point based on when they were first introduced to Star Wars.
When they first came out, the prequels were panned by critics, and actors (both adult and child) were receiving death threats for having the audacity to *checks notes* play a particular character.
But now? Go online and people will RAVE about how great the prequels are! Why? Because they grew up with them. And they didn't see or hear any of the negativity, like you said. And when they did, their opinions were already solidified.
I don't think Star Wars is going away anytime soon for that very reason. I think Disney has the money and the time to be able to "play both sides," if you will. Give the nostalgia blanket with one project and then turn around and give the exciting and new project for the other side of the fandom. The fans can squabble and argue and be insufferable all they want. Enough people will watch and enjoy either (some both).
What I'm really curious to see is where Marvel goes moving forward. As the flagship "shared universe" they reached their natural conclusion with Endgame and now they're trying to find a way to grow in a sustainable way. I'm not going to comment on how successful I think they are at this time, but I am going to see what lessons they might be able to teach me about how to sustain a story long-term.
I gradually became a fan of the animated "The Clone Wars" because 1. The animation, while built on an angular "puppet" style, was imaginative and the dialogue was unexpectedly well-written. 2. The lively character of Ahsoka was the center of the show. 3. The young manhood of Anakin Skywalker only foreshadowed his later conversion as Vader in subtle ways that a new viewer could miss but a fan of the originals would not. It was fun.
Imagine, then, my disappointment with the gloomy weirdo called Ahsoka in the live-action adult version. Like Andor and The Mandalorian*, the show was watchable but not loveable -- baby Yoda notwithstanding. All of them might as well have been produced in black-and-white. Oh, wait. Am I ranting?
The Acolyte wasn't that bad. By which I mean that it was neither better nor especially worse than The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka, and most of The Mandalorian, also complete trash.
The Acolyte also stands on its own; one of the main criticisms was that it detours into a bunch of supernatural nonsense which doesn't relate to the rest of the franchise. (As opposed to The Force.) If there were callbacks or homework relating to some other Star Wars property, I did not detect it.
Tried to watch The Acolyte but couldn't get into it. Even watching the first episode, one will notice the great effort Disney expended on representation. This is an effort I generally welcome, but there is a troubling negative correlation in Disney Star Wars between increased attention paid to representation and decreased attention paid to other aspects of a show or movie, like compelling characters who face difficult decisions with real stakes.
Checking with my 22-year old son whether he has seen it. He tends to know whether I'll like something cinematic-universe-related or not! He nagged me to watch Andor and I really enjoyed it. Generally agree with law of diminishing returns, though.
Really liked this article! One of the best descriptions of franchise entropy I’ve seen. Ultimately inevitable, regardless of how its handled.
One further thought:
My 11 year old loved The Acolyte.
Part of the reason, I suspect, for the perception of Star Wars and Marvel stuff ‘failing’ is that there’s a specific demographic of people who tend to take part in noisy online/Reddit arguments about popular entertainment (on either side of the argument). These are often people who enjoyed these franchises when they were children, but are now adults.
A huge part of the current target audience (e.g. my 11 year old) is barely online and certainly isn’t taking part in online arguments about Star Wars and Marvel. They’re a big, invisible cohort of viewers who still really enjoy this stuff, but you’re not going to find them taking part in The Discourse.
They’ve got better things to do!
I think Star Wars is incredibly unique because you can see this happening generationally already. The series has been around since the late 70s and every adult has a different starting off point based on when they were first introduced to Star Wars.
When they first came out, the prequels were panned by critics, and actors (both adult and child) were receiving death threats for having the audacity to *checks notes* play a particular character.
But now? Go online and people will RAVE about how great the prequels are! Why? Because they grew up with them. And they didn't see or hear any of the negativity, like you said. And when they did, their opinions were already solidified.
I don't think Star Wars is going away anytime soon for that very reason. I think Disney has the money and the time to be able to "play both sides," if you will. Give the nostalgia blanket with one project and then turn around and give the exciting and new project for the other side of the fandom. The fans can squabble and argue and be insufferable all they want. Enough people will watch and enjoy either (some both).
What I'm really curious to see is where Marvel goes moving forward. As the flagship "shared universe" they reached their natural conclusion with Endgame and now they're trying to find a way to grow in a sustainable way. I'm not going to comment on how successful I think they are at this time, but I am going to see what lessons they might be able to teach me about how to sustain a story long-term.
I gradually became a fan of the animated "The Clone Wars" because 1. The animation, while built on an angular "puppet" style, was imaginative and the dialogue was unexpectedly well-written. 2. The lively character of Ahsoka was the center of the show. 3. The young manhood of Anakin Skywalker only foreshadowed his later conversion as Vader in subtle ways that a new viewer could miss but a fan of the originals would not. It was fun.
Imagine, then, my disappointment with the gloomy weirdo called Ahsoka in the live-action adult version. Like Andor and The Mandalorian*, the show was watchable but not loveable -- baby Yoda notwithstanding. All of them might as well have been produced in black-and-white. Oh, wait. Am I ranting?
*A cross between The Lone Ranger and Kung Fu.
The Acolyte wasn't that bad. By which I mean that it was neither better nor especially worse than The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka, and most of The Mandalorian, also complete trash.
The Acolyte also stands on its own; one of the main criticisms was that it detours into a bunch of supernatural nonsense which doesn't relate to the rest of the franchise. (As opposed to The Force.) If there were callbacks or homework relating to some other Star Wars property, I did not detect it.
Not a recommendation, however.
Tried to watch The Acolyte but couldn't get into it. Even watching the first episode, one will notice the great effort Disney expended on representation. This is an effort I generally welcome, but there is a troubling negative correlation in Disney Star Wars between increased attention paid to representation and decreased attention paid to other aspects of a show or movie, like compelling characters who face difficult decisions with real stakes.
Checking with my 22-year old son whether he has seen it. He tends to know whether I'll like something cinematic-universe-related or not! He nagged me to watch Andor and I really enjoyed it. Generally agree with law of diminishing returns, though.
Really. Can't they just leave well enough alone? Sequels are only ever going to be dilutions of the magnificence of the original.
It's always about money.