There have been times that I have referred to the mythology of certain franchises and that if you did not know the mythology you could enjoy a particular film VS knowing the mythology and hating that very same film. I want to spend some time examining this.

As a fanboy I realize that not everyone is a fanboy and I have to learn to not hate these people for being ignorant as to why a certain movie upsets people. I said ignorant, not stupid. There is profound difference. To be ignorant means to not know. To be stupid is to not even realize you r ignorant and still run at the mouth. Yes, I have my stupid moments too.

To move forward I am going to throw out a couple films here and give you the reactions of the fanboy, the non fanboy movie whore and the casual filmgoer. This is a therapeutic exercise for me as much as it is an attempt at an educational piece for you. Things could interesting and I am sure we will both learn something along the way.

X-Men: The Last Stand

Fanboy: Utterly disgusted with the blatant disregard for the mythology that many of us grew up with or even had not discovered until adulthood but loved just as much.

First off, the phoenix was an alien life form that had been imprisoned to keep the universe safe.

Secondly, you do not kill off some of the most important characters of the story and the franchise. Cyclops, Jean Grey, Professor X and others. Killing off characters is something that I believe first became popular as result of Tim Burton killing off the Joker at the end of Batman. It is a trend that pisses off fanboys more and more with each movie.

Non Fanboy Movie Whore: If you know nothing of the mythology but are an obsessed film fan, I can see where this film was the best of the 3. It had the best characters and the best story line. If this franchise had never had a comic history the story was superb and one I would have loved. However I would have still had one major problem with not only this film, but also the whole franchise. They never gave you any development of the perceived relationship between Jean and Logan. I found it unsettling as both a fanboy and as a run of the mill movie whore. Not knowing the mythology makes killing the professor a great plot twist that you would have never expected. It is unexpected non formula film making that I crave.

Casual Filmgoer: Your casual filmgoer knows nothing about the comics and does not really care that much about things like story and character development. Your casual film goer wants to shut off the brain and enjoy mindless entertainment. This film fits the bill to a tee. They give you everything and ask you to figure out nothing. It is all laid out for you and all you have to do is sit back and enjoy.

The casual filmgoer is the mortal enemy of the fanboy and non fan boymovie whore. The casual film goer is the bane of their existence. It is because of the casual filmgoer that X-Men: The Last stand made the money it did at the box office and is the target audience for Hollywood studio pictures. They are the bread and butter of the industry. That market once owned by the 18-34 crowd has now been replaced by the 13-17 crowd who spend their parents money to go o the theater to see damn near anything.

It is a matter of numbers and the numbers favor the casual filmgoer. While fanboys have been ever increasing in numbers due to the removal of the stigma of being a total geek loser if you are fanboy, now the fanboy is the keeper of the history to his/her non fanboy friends. They get to tell people about the wonderful worlds they have visited through comics and video games. People now listen, even if it is only to half listen to what the fanboy has to say. Over time it is plausible, however improbable that the fanboy voice will become louder as the years go on. I has already been happening and it is a movement that is slowly growing numbers.

The basic movie whore understands the fanboy because of their own love of cinema and the pain that it is inflicted upon them by the ever growing trend of subpar remakes and the ever growing trend of making a movie with a PG-13 rating as the goal. The rating should never be the goal of any project and no director should ever cut anything that would detract from the story just to make the PG-13 cut. Adults also love to go to the theater and prefer to go when the theater is not full of a bunch of rowdy teenagers who will be texting and taking pictures throughout the movie. It is also uncanny how the PG-13 film I have seen in a theater suddenly got better when I saw the unrated version on video. It was these missing pieces that complete the story in some cases or add much needed laughs and shock value that was missing in the theatrical release.

Do I see this trend ending any time soon?

Unfortunately my honest answer has to be no. While film is an art, Hollywood is a business. While it is upsetting, business trumps art most of the time. It is a sad truth but it is true. In order for there to be any type of change someone has to have the balls to make that R rated flick that is so damn good it breaks box office records and then another movie has to be made that does the same thing. Unless someone can get those movies out, the system will be stuck where it is.

While this upsets me greatly, nothing will change unless there is a mass of people that make enough noise and make enough of an impact that Hollywood has no choice but make changes. For me it means that unless it is a comic book movie or a franchise that has previously not carried an R rating I will not watch any new movie not rated R. I sure as hell will never watch a PG-13 Horror movie ever. You want make a difference then join the cause and tell people about it. Have those long heated discussions that make people think you are crazy until they finally start listening to you. Then join the following group.