While touring the Florida Botanical Gardens, we remembered
seeing alligators on our previous visit.
Finally we found one, lounging in the weeds beside the water. We leaned on the railing of the observation
deck, but it was just laying there, so we took a few photographs and continued
on our way. Later, we saw this sign.
My first thought was “Why would anyone molest an
alligator?” My second thought was “How
can you molest an alligator?” With their
long teeth and snap-tight jaws, alligators can take care of themselves. But then I remembered an attack at a zoo a few years back, and the allegations that the humans had
provoked the animal, leading it to perform some extraordinary feats to escape
its enclosure and seek revenge upon its tormentors.
After I watched “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor,” I
looked up Jon Spaihts on Wikipedia. Yes,
I had remembered correctly. After his work on “Prometheus,” he had joined Universal to write the reboot of The Mummy movie
franchise. While I was happy they were
making a fourth movie, I was surprised at the notion of a reboot. I had enjoyed all three movies,
and would have liked following Rick and Evelyn off to Peru, in search of Evelyn's brother Jonathan and South American mummies, as “Tomb of the
Dragon Emperor” promised. The movie made a lot of money, everyone interviewed seemed to enjoy
making it, and the director, Rob Cohen, praised the cast and said he’d love to
do a sequel.
Intrigued, I searched online for anything I could find about
Mummy 4. One site suggested that
everyone involved hated “Tomb,” including martial arts star Jet Li. Another slammed star Brendan Fraser. It was also said Universal didn’t want Rob Cohen to direct the fourth
one. When I looked on one forum, it
seemed as though the fans were criticizing virtually every
aspect of the movie.
This reminded me of something writer Kevin J. Anderson said
at a Science Fiction convention. Several
young writers had made scathing criticisms of some of his stories. Yet when they heard he was editing an
anthology, they submitted their stories to him for inclusion. Now, I’m not suggesting that he took their
previous criticisms to heart, but editors always receive more stories of
sufficient quality than they can possibly publish. His warning: If you wish to become a
published writer, be careful what you say about others.
None of us are capable of being truly objective. So many factors influence our judgment. Just because you didn't like a particular aspect of a story doesn't mean that it didn't resonate with others. After three successful
movies, I'm guessing that Universal executives probably calculated that a reboot version, with a new story and actors, can attract more viewers than a fourth movie dependent upon the history
and family dynamics of the previous cast. So, sadly, I may never learn of Jonathan's adventures in Peru.
I’m not suggesting that posting criticisms online is comparable
to molesting an alligator. The
chances are slim that anything you say about the Mummy movies could reanimate a mummy who will go to extraordinary lengths to hurt you. But why take the risk? Isn’t it safer to be respectful and
complimentary to everyone who contributed to the Mummy movies? After all, everyone who works to craft compelling Fiction, in any form, is attempting to create something out of nothing. And they're doing it with the sole intent of entertaining you.
Better yet, why not be respectful and complimentary about
others' efforts because you want to see the best in them, not because you fear some kind of reprisal.
Dragon Dave
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