Well, yeah, for the most part, I do. But that’s because mostly I see nothing but slop like this:
But then I ran across this, an attempt at adapting the Timothy Zahn Star Wars sequel trilogy, starting with Heir to the Empire. Damn, this really looks good:
That had me find this, thanks to YouTube’s algorithm:
It tells a nice prologue and bridges the story between Star Trek VI and Star Trek Generations. It shows what the crew got up to in between those movies, all set out like a long music video. I can’t say I wasn’t entertained.
That led me to this little set of Indiana Jones short films, one that is a prelude to Temple of Doom and the other is a prelude to the Fate Of Atlantis game.
There some continuity problems here and there and sometimes it doesn’t quite look right but it’s getting damn close:
Then there was this, Chris Reeve’s Superman meets Helen Slater’s Supergirl, a meeting we never got even though it was supposed to happen.
Again, not quite there yet but really, in a year? 2 years?:
Hell, I even have enjoyed some of these music videos:
So what am I supposed to do here? Just hate A.I. because there’s not real people at work? Because it is taking away work from actors and cameraman and so forth?
Technology has been doing that since that dawn of time. Plus if Mark Ruffalo can’t work anymore, I’m not going to shed one bloody tear.
Take a look at what the so-called stewards of the IP like Disney and Paramount, have done to our beloved properties. How is NuTrek or The Last Jedi any less of a desecration than these A.I. copies?
I’d say they are worse, these A.I. efforts have clearly been made by somebody with a deep love of the material.
Ok, I’ll agree that none of this is brand new material. Oh, it may tell somewhat new stories, but not a new property from the ground up, that will have to be the next step.
If I continue to be entertained by these versions over the so-called official canon releases, well I’m going to spend my time watching some of this.
Some of these are genuinely good and certainly respect the source material. I understand issues around using the actor’s likeness and all, but does that hold for any fan art of these characters?
How many action figures and comics were produced and the actor’s didn’t see a dime anyway?
I’m not trying to make a case for A.I. replacing Hollywood, though I have no problem with Hollywood in its current form getting replaced in general.
Nor am I saying that there’s not a lot of A.I. slop. There is piles of it, and that, I absolutely do hate.
I only am saying I don’t hate this. There’s some nuggets of gold in the swamp.
What does this mean for the future? Really, what is this leading to?
Maybe A.I. is less the problem than the lack of talent behind the prompts. Anyone can have a camera, editor, and microphone. This doesn’t mean they can make a coherent script or write something compelling. I’m not sure even A.I. can do that yet. Yet.
As far as another tool in the toolbox, well… I have to re-evaluate in the face of stuff like this.
What a roller coaster ride we are on. If you hate and will not accept A.I. as a valid movie form, to be honest, I’m not sure you’re wrong. I’m not sure you’re right.
All this article is, is an attempt to process this kind of stuff. Am I supposed to feel guilty for enjoying some of these? I think some will say “yes”.
What do you think, Outposters? Sound off below!
