Implications of inevitable disappointment
May. 5th, 2026 12:41 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
november_5thMy excitement to an upcoming event frequently fails to align with the reality of it.
I've read Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 15 times in 2 years. Not a typo. The comforting Baritone of Ray Porter's voice as he reads me a lullaby of scientific experimentation and extraterrestrial friendships is *chef's kiss*. Love it.
Then the movie was announced. Oh my goodness. Others also saw the magnificence of that literature and were going to adapt it for the big screen? I get more Project Hail Mary in my life? Yes please! Sign me up!
I joined forums and commented on videos and posts. We had a community that was tracking the actors involved. I scoured James Ortiz's instagram posts for accidentally revealed production hints (of which there were many). And when it finally was introduced to theatres, I was the first to buy my tickets at the nearest IMAX, over an hour away. I pre-purchased a screen-accurate t-shirt that I saw in the trailers. I wore my Project Hail Mary pin. I was ready to drown myself in my love for this prose-turned-picture.
And then, I hated it. It was all wrong. When you have every word memorized, every intonation and character and rationale -- and then they change it?! Unacceptable. I almost threw my drink. It was wrong. They did it wrong.
My dear patient husband was subjected to my rant on the entire drive home. Did I mention the theatre was over an hour away?
I felt the same when the cast of Joss Whedon's Firefly was teasing a comeback. What? After so long? We are getting another season of Firefly? I almost dropped my drink in the restaurant when I saw the first post. For the next few weeks, I refreshed social media feeds frequently, anticipating the next post that would reveal hints of the secret they were holding.
And then, the day came, and it was announced. Firefly, the animated series.
Oh.
Animated.
Huh.
I guess that makes sense.
And just like that, I haven't thought about it too much since.
Time and time again, my expectations fall short of reality. And it's a me-problem, not a them-problem. My appetite is insatiable, but also, specific.
And I'm not sure what to do with that information. I don't fully yet understand the implications of that on the rest of my life and behaviours, but surely there are some?
I must note the exception though: travel. Planning the trip is almost equally as enjoyable and exciting as the trip itself. But the trip itself has never disappointed. Go figure.
I've read Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 15 times in 2 years. Not a typo. The comforting Baritone of Ray Porter's voice as he reads me a lullaby of scientific experimentation and extraterrestrial friendships is *chef's kiss*. Love it.
Then the movie was announced. Oh my goodness. Others also saw the magnificence of that literature and were going to adapt it for the big screen? I get more Project Hail Mary in my life? Yes please! Sign me up!
I joined forums and commented on videos and posts. We had a community that was tracking the actors involved. I scoured James Ortiz's instagram posts for accidentally revealed production hints (of which there were many). And when it finally was introduced to theatres, I was the first to buy my tickets at the nearest IMAX, over an hour away. I pre-purchased a screen-accurate t-shirt that I saw in the trailers. I wore my Project Hail Mary pin. I was ready to drown myself in my love for this prose-turned-picture.
And then, I hated it. It was all wrong. When you have every word memorized, every intonation and character and rationale -- and then they change it?! Unacceptable. I almost threw my drink. It was wrong. They did it wrong.
My dear patient husband was subjected to my rant on the entire drive home. Did I mention the theatre was over an hour away?
I felt the same when the cast of Joss Whedon's Firefly was teasing a comeback. What? After so long? We are getting another season of Firefly? I almost dropped my drink in the restaurant when I saw the first post. For the next few weeks, I refreshed social media feeds frequently, anticipating the next post that would reveal hints of the secret they were holding.
And then, the day came, and it was announced. Firefly, the animated series.
Oh.
Animated.
Huh.
I guess that makes sense.
And just like that, I haven't thought about it too much since.
Time and time again, my expectations fall short of reality. And it's a me-problem, not a them-problem. My appetite is insatiable, but also, specific.
And I'm not sure what to do with that information. I don't fully yet understand the implications of that on the rest of my life and behaviours, but surely there are some?
I must note the exception though: travel. Planning the trip is almost equally as enjoyable and exciting as the trip itself. But the trip itself has never disappointed. Go figure.
no subject
Date: 2026-05-05 11:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-05-05 11:29 pm (UTC)I'm glad it's not just me. I'm also glad there are people out there who AREN'T like that and who can appreciate things for what they are, as separate creations.
I'm also extremely grateful that I saw Lord of the Rings before I read the books. I would hate to lose my love and appreciation for that trilogy because of devotion to the source material. I would have missed out on something great.
Based on the reviews for the Project Hail Mary movie, I feel like I'm unable to connect with a truly great movie, because I'm getting in my own way.
Do we need to stop reading,
How do you fare when the movie/film/game/whatever is based in the same world as the book, but tells a different story (different character, different perspective, or different timeframe)?
no subject
Date: 2026-05-05 11:36 pm (UTC)I read the Hobbit and LoTR when I was 10, so been a fan for ages - you build up a mental imagery in your head of what things are like, and the fact that they had to remove SO much from the films (even though it was a trilogy) which ends up making no sense didn't help either.
I think reading is always a priority for me, in 99% of cases the books are better than the movie/TV adaption, but I take the attitude of "it's someone's perspective of the source material, not mine" and just accept that it's *different*
Oh if they go off in a different direction, that just irks me. "This isn't how it's meant to be!" hahahh