It's no shock, therefore, that I’m frustrated by the recent hate-watching for The Acolyte, a show I’m looking forward to, but waiting until it’s near the end of syndication to actually watch. It doesn’t look that bad, and it’s been critically well-received, but the scrutiny it’s getting from Star Wars fans for “woke messaging” is rivalled by the hate-watching with each new episode. This alone is a turn-off, but YouTuber Jeremy Jahns is also doing that. Yes, that Jeremy Jahns.
Now, I have nothing against Jeremy. I’m even Subscribed to him! But while I enjoy most of his content, and agree with him occasionally, I find certain videos he makes are unnecessarily edgy. He’s entitled to opinions, but he’s definitely guilty of hate-watching. Especially with Star Wars, a franchise I’m positive he hasn’t had anything good to say about for 8 years.
The most obvious sign Jeremy’s not a fan of The Acolyte is the shot of a whiskey glass in his episode thumbnails. The second most obvious sign are the video names, which sound like nitpick-y clickbait titles. I know he’s unhappy, and ranting isn’t necessarily a bad way to garner clicks, but he has a responsibility to be honest to fans while also being fair. I should know, I’m one of them! But he’s not being fair.
I haven’t watched his videos on the show yet. I don’t plan to until it ends. But getting drunk to whine about a show you don’t like sets a bad precedent. Unlike many reviewers, Jeremy’s under no obligation to watch this show. He might get occasional early screenings, but he’s made it clear he gets to choose which movies he watches. He’s also had the discretion to admit when something wasn’t for him, like when he refused to rate to Dunkirk. So wouldn’t it make sense to steer clear of The Acolyte if it’s not engaging him?
I’m serious. I’ve seen several YouTubers use alcohol to “numb the pain” of hate-watching, something I think is edge-lord behaviour. If you’re already not a fan, why get drunk? Better yet, why persevere at all? Your experience might be “more enjoyable”, but life’s too precious to waste. It also sends a bad message to fans that getting plastered is the only way to enjoy “trash”, which isn’t true. One person’s trash is another’s treasure, after all!
I wouldn’t be as frustrated if Jeremy’s fans didn’t act entitled as well. I remember calling out his criticism of She-Hulk twerking in the comments of one of his videos, and immediately people were “presenting me with an L”. Ignoring how I didn’t really care, Jeremy not jumping in to stop this is telling. He can delete nasty comments, I know that because I can too on the few videos I’ve uploaded. Why isn’t he?
I’m serious. I’ve seen several YouTubers use alcohol to “numb the pain” of hate-watching, something I think is edge-lord behaviour. If you’re already not a fan, why get drunk? Better yet, why persevere at all? Your experience might be “more enjoyable”, but life’s too precious to waste. It also sends a bad message to fans that getting plastered is the only way to enjoy “trash”, which isn’t true. One person’s trash is another’s treasure, after all!
I wouldn’t be as frustrated if Jeremy’s fans didn’t act entitled as well. I remember calling out his criticism of She-Hulk twerking in the comments of one of his videos, and immediately people were “presenting me with an L”. Ignoring how I didn’t really care, Jeremy not jumping in to stop this is telling. He can delete nasty comments, I know that because I can too on the few videos I’ve uploaded. Why isn’t he?
It doesn’t help that in attempting to stay course, Jeremy can sometimes misread what he’s watched. This is especially true about his rant on The First Order being “a joke”. Firstly, The First Order are Fascist wannabes who are incompetent, that’s the point of their existence. And secondly, The Empire’s Stormtroopers were too. They might’ve shown restraint, but they couldn’t do their jobs efficiently outside of Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin. They couldn’t even aim, something lamp-shaded frequently with quips about not being able to see through their helmets. This is all surface text.
I’m not even sure why this is an issue. George Lucas has stated multiple times that The Empire’s a thinly-veiled allegory for Nazi Germany set to the backdrop of The Vietnam War. It makes sense, as he lived through the latter and was an active critic of it. Star Wars borrows much of its politics from real-life Imperialism, and that includes the incompetence of the villains. The First Order isn’t supposed to be “cool”, and neither is The Empire.
By complaining about this, Jeremy missed the point of the Star Wars Sequels. As did his fans, with many comments calling out Disney for “being too woke” and “making fun of fans”. Putting aside how “woke” is vaguely defined online, this is dog whistling to bigots. Again, Jeremy was hate-watching, something that hasn’t let up with The Acolyte. It’s disappointing.
I’m not even sure why this is an issue. George Lucas has stated multiple times that The Empire’s a thinly-veiled allegory for Nazi Germany set to the backdrop of The Vietnam War. It makes sense, as he lived through the latter and was an active critic of it. Star Wars borrows much of its politics from real-life Imperialism, and that includes the incompetence of the villains. The First Order isn’t supposed to be “cool”, and neither is The Empire.
By complaining about this, Jeremy missed the point of the Star Wars Sequels. As did his fans, with many comments calling out Disney for “being too woke” and “making fun of fans”. Putting aside how “woke” is vaguely defined online, this is dog whistling to bigots. Again, Jeremy was hate-watching, something that hasn’t let up with The Acolyte. It’s disappointing.
To reiterate, I have no issues with Jeremy voicing his opinions on what he doesn’t like. He’s allowed to, and I’d be a hypocrite for calling him out. I also don’t think he’s a bad reviewer for hate-watching, especially when far more talented people have also done it. But that speaks to how big a problem hate-watching is. Because aside from not giving you joy, it often makes you misunderstand the intent of what you’re watching. I mean, why bother?
Creators of these projects also get the wrong impressions from people hate-watching. As do studios, who fund them. For creators, it sends conflicting messages about their efforts, something made worse by how difficult it is to make art. And for studios, who speak in numbers, it tells them they should green-light more bad art because it’s popular. That’s how we got multiple Transformers movies from Michael Bay before Bumblebee flopped.
You know what’s more effective than hate-watching? Avoiding what you dislike. Studios speak in money, and not rushing to see something sends a clearer message that it’s not worth making. That’s why I’m avoiding Megalopolis, among other reasons. And I suggest other people follow suit with The Acolyte if it bothers them. We deserve better.
Creators of these projects also get the wrong impressions from people hate-watching. As do studios, who fund them. For creators, it sends conflicting messages about their efforts, something made worse by how difficult it is to make art. And for studios, who speak in numbers, it tells them they should green-light more bad art because it’s popular. That’s how we got multiple Transformers movies from Michael Bay before Bumblebee flopped.
You know what’s more effective than hate-watching? Avoiding what you dislike. Studios speak in money, and not rushing to see something sends a clearer message that it’s not worth making. That’s why I’m avoiding Megalopolis, among other reasons. And I suggest other people follow suit with The Acolyte if it bothers them. We deserve better.
Besides, detractors of The Acolyte, and modern Star Wars generally, need to recognize that not everything’s for them. Nothing’s stopping you from enjoying older Star Wars efforts, and review-bombing this makes you look petty and insecure. It ignores how Star Wars, the space opera about wizards with magical swords, was always a silly franchise for pre-teens. That shouldn’t prevent it from having standards, but it was never for adults. And that needs to be respected, instead of demanding the franchise always cater to you.
Because isn’t that healthier for genre fiction long-term?
Because isn’t that healthier for genre fiction long-term?
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