Influenced by Spielberg or Lucas? Spielberg, while having some misses I respect... Lucas is a confirmed Hack IMO... a two trick pony at best for directing (American Graffiti and Star Wars). JJ is no Spielberg... but he is a hack like Lucas IMO! Quite frankly I'm surprised he hasn't gotten more Razzie Noms!
The reason Abrams hasnt been nominated for a Razzie is because he produces and directs solid movies and TV shows. Clearly Abrams has been channeling Spielberg his entire life. Super 8 is his love letter to Steven Spielberg and superbly goes to show how much he has been inspired by him. Abrams has a very distinct tone to his movies and TV shows. Be it Star Trek, Mission Impossible 3, Star Wars, Cloverfield, Super 8, Lost, Fringe... Like Spielberg, you know youre watching a JJ Abrams movie. Now thats either a good thing or a bad thing depending on your own tastes but as far as Im concerned, I think its a very naive thing to say someone like Abrams or Lucas is a hack, two people whove made hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars and created not only huge juggernaut franchises or contributed to the revival of two huge franchises, but their own production houses. In terms of Lucas, he revolutionised cinema with his help in creating ILM. These guys arent hacks just because theyve made bad decisions on occasions.
Im not suggesting that either Abrams or Lucas havent made questionable movies, but theyre not hacks. If we are to judge them as such then we would be wrong to do so because it would make Roddenberry just as much of a hack... Star Trek is The Twiight Zone, its Forbidden Planet and Wagon Train, alright so the former beat cop and WWII pilot had the idea sure, his philosophy was ballsy ok but Gene L. Coon put it into practice, writers like Harlan Ellison and Ray Bradbury and DC Fontana all added to and elevated his initial idea for Star Trek. I mean who holds Andromeda in the same regard as Star Trek? Nobody. Roddenberrys early TNG episodes where garbage! Recycled from old TOS plots, TMP was a snore... TNG didnt get good until Roddenberrys involvement lessened. Wrath of Khan; arguably considered the best Star Trek movie; Roddenberrys involvement was minimal. The Undiscovered Country; he hated.
Roddenberry much like Lucas, much like Abrams borrowed from what had worked in the past, from those who had inspired him. Where Roddenberry was inspired by the likes of science fiction writers of the 40s and 50s and shows like Forbidden Planet, Abrams is clearly inspired and influenced by The Twighlight Zone, Steven Spielberg and Star Wars. That doesnt make him any more of a hack than Roddenberry.
I think its very easy for us to pound away at our keyboards yelling about what we dont like about JJ Abrams or George Lucas, but these are two very successful film producers whove made a ton of money and whove also seen talented men and women to take their properties or ideas forward, they have directed or produced critically acclaimed movies and developed, expanded and saved mega blockbuster franchises. These men arent hacks.
Lets not forget that before 2009, Star Trek was dead and buried. There was no suggestion that anyone else was going to take it on. Abrams did and sure I, like many fans have legitimate problems with his take on Star Trek but actually, that 2009 movie is superb and arguably the greatest Star Trek movie since Khan both creatively and most certainly financially. These achievements cannot be dismissed and Abrams hard work at dragging Star Trek from a backwater TV network to a multi-million dollar movie franchise that had people take notice should not be belittled.
The fundamental problems with Star Trek didnt begin with Abrams and while I dont agree with all the decisions he has made with his Star Trek movies, that doesnt mean someone else would of done a better job. He elevated the Star Trek franchise as a whole, and while his creative decisions had mixed results, his first Trek movie was superb based upon what audiences expect from a movie today (or in 2009). I think where Star Trek is now is in a position where theyre likely going to do a soft reboot with Abrams remaining as producer and with his production company Bad Robot, support the next team coming in to make the next movie; be it Quentin Tarantino or someone else.
Whoever it may be, there will be those of us who love what the next movie is, and those of us who dont - it will never be what we all want though because we as a collective group of fans are so divided on what we think is true Star Trek, that there is no right or wrong way for anyone to approach a Star Trek movie or TV series anymore.