JJ Abrams: Hero or Hack?

[Sockeye66]

Lost was intriguing.
Currently binging Person of Interest
First Star Trek reboot was fun but haven't been a fan of the following sequels.

Haven't been compelled to sit through any of the new Star Wars.

Not a hack, I do think he does better on the smaller screen.

[Mark S.]

Abrams is very, very talented, but he suffers from two big flaws:

His stupid "Mystery Box." If you don't know what I mean, watch this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpjVgF5JDq8 . As a schtick, that idea works maybe once or twice. But a story has to have an end. I completely respect a storyteller who gives us 2 + 2 and respects our intelligence enough to come up with 4. But too many Abrams shows (like ALIAS and LOST) pose the question but never come up with an answer. It's more like 2 + x - y + 7 = z. A mystery is only intriguing as long as there is an answer.

As a director, he has ADD. His career is like a dog who gets interested in one thing and then --- "Look! A squirrel!" He started doing ALIAS, then left that show to go to LOST. He started re-doing STAR TREK movies, then left those to go do STAR WARS movies. He gets involved in 11/22/63 and CASTLE ROCK and WESTWORLD. He dabbles but never really gives any one show his full attention, so they all either come out half-baked or looking like they were produced in a kitchen with way too many chefs.

But when he gives a project his full attention and passion, it's really good. The first two seasons of ALIAS are great television.

[ColoGuy]

He used to do great stuff.

[Enigma777]

Originally Posted by blktoptrvl

I first became aware of Abrams with LOST. It was a show that I loved and couldn't get enough of. So much so that I purchased the complete series on disc. Unfortunately I have not watched it lately (in years) because I know the stories by heart and there are no surprises for me anymore); next time I watch will just be an opportunity I suppose to catch little clues I missed along the way.

Anyhow. Since LOST, I have caught his Star Trek - which for me took a a relatively cerebral franchise and turned it into just another space shoot-em up. I hate it, and I hate the JJ-prise - just ugly.

As for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" I liked the actors and the chemistry between Daisy Ridley and
John Boyega, but other than that, the movie was just another Star Wars rehash... When are they going to stop telling the same story over and over again? Is this JJ's fault, probably not, but Star Wars is lost to me. I don't even remember if I saw the last movie or not - they all run together now in my mind.

So, are you a JJ Fan?

Yes. Not a Star Anything fan. But yes--I'm a JJ Fan, and I did love Lost. Not as much as you, but enough to be obsessed on Wednesdays after it was on Tuesday night.

I really liked the last season and Bosch as El Diablo. Hasn't been a program like it since.

[Coney]

The only project that he was involved in that I liked was Person of Interest.

He said in interviews that he grew up on Star Wars, not Star Trek and he didn't buy into the peaceful world of Star Trek so he was going to inject Star Wars themes when he made the Star Trek movies. I hate what he did to Star Trek. Absolutely hate it. Yes, there are much better YouTube amateur Star Trek episodes on the internet. The first Star Wars movie that he participated in was O.Kish but the rest went downhill. It does seem like he gets bored with the initial projects. I can't tell the difference between the Star franchises in terms of themes. It's all black hat vs. white hat, cops and robbers, and that was not what the original Star Trek was about.

[OzzyRules]

I've never even seen any of the TV shows mentioned here. But I liked the first Star Wars film he did.

[Hannibal Flavius]

Allthough I adore alot of his work, he always seems to ruin it for me by the 6th episode, he's a hack using his position in a bad way, even if I am a fan sometimes, he's petty.