J.J. Abrams is vastly overrated

J. J. Abrams has to be one of the most overrated people working in Hollywood for the last few years. What’s weird is he isn’t considered as such, rather he is very popular with critics and the public and widely considered to make good films. The reason I consider him overrated is because his films all seem to follow a formula. He tends to do a few things very well which also happen to be the things that overshadow the flaws in his movies. A good example might be the Star Trek film from 2009. Star Trek wasn’t really true to the spirit of Star Trek and indeed had many things that were out of place in a Star Trek film or just didn’t make sense. However he managed to focus on the things that fans care about and so, everybody praised the film. The Kobayashi Maru, Captain Pike, Spock Prime, etc. There is so much wrong with that movie as enjoyable as it is, but it all gets ignored because people see familiar elements that they like and that’s what dominates. What’s more they see their beloved universe realized with a proper budget, which blinds them even further.

J. J. Abrams seems very similar to Drew Goddard was as a writer on Buffy, which is to give little nods to the fans such as having Buffy learn that Xander lied only for it to ultimately lead to nothing. It was only there as a reference to make fans excited and start talking which somehow stops them from realizing that it was nothing more than what it was. I think it’s great when shows or films that are part of a franchise give little nods to fans, but that should not be the focus. With J. J. Abrams films it seems to be and he does it so well that people stop caring about the numerous plot holes and character flaws. J.J. Abrams has done what almost every other direct in Hollywood has tried to do…to make people think your movie is great by hiding behind cheap nods and visuals. Well, good for him, I suppose.

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