Hype is the Media Killer

*Originally published on 9/23/09





There are times where it's not good being a nerd who looks forward to major movies, comic events, or book releases. Hype is a double edged sword, you get excited for these things and as time passes, anticipation builds. You reach a point where you feel like you have to temper your expectations, there's no way it (whatever it may be) can be THAT good.

Once in a while something does live up. The Dark Knight, for example still blows me away every time I see it. Watchmen is a graphic novel that really is as good as people say it is. It is just as much the classic novel that people told me it was.

There are times, however, where your expectation is so high that it doesn't live up. Even if the movie or book is good, you had higher expectations.

A prime example of this is the Swedish vampire film, Let the Right One In. Don't get me wrong, the movie's good, quite good in fact. The thing is that I had read review after review, both from critics and friends of mine, who went on at length about how the movie is a modern classic. Some went so far as to say it's one of the greatest vampire movies of all time, if not THE greatest vampire movie ever made. I went in expecting a mind blowing movie experience. It wasn't.

Again, the movie is good. I do recommend it. However, I think you should keep your expectations within reason because it may be "all that" but you don't get the bag of chips, if that makes any sense to you. I'd give the movie a B or B+.

Another thing that hype ruined for me was the Spider-Man story, Kraven's Last Hunt. I picked up the trade after hearing nothing but amazing things about this story. Like Let the Right One In, I picked up something that was good, but I wasn't amazed by it the way I was expecting to be. It doesn't even really qualify as a Spider-Man story as it focuses on Kraven. It does a good job with him and definitely adds a new dimension to the villain, but it seems inaccurate to label this a Spider-Man story.

I'm really excited for DC Universe Online. I know a lot of MMO players are skeptical due to SOE's involvement, but from what I've seen, it's going to be a great game. One commenter on..ign I think it was, I can't recall off the top of my head, brought up the point that the game has been talked about for awhile so they have a very high bar to jump.

I like getting excited about upcoming movies, stories or games. Anticipation is part of the fun, it's like Christmas in that sense. The feeling of excitement you feel as it draws closer makes the whole experience that much more enjoyable. Sometimes, that same hype can ruin the thing you were waiting so eagerly for. It's important to find that balance between excitement and reasonable expectations. If you get too hyped up, you'll be met with disappointment, but if you're a constant cynic who never looks forward to anything, you miss out on a large part of the fun.