Is Originality Dead In Mainstream Movies?
"I remember it well."
A hot summer’s day, the city’s hustle and bustle in full swing and me walking back from one of the most exhilarating movie experiences of my life. According to my vivid recollections, that’s pretty much how I felt after having just watched Terminator 2. The incredible hype machine, the months of waiting and then the extremely gratifying payoff. A truly memorable event if ever I had one. I swear, the track by Guns 'n' Roses - You Could Be Mine, was almost my anthem of that summer.
Because the way I saw it back then, newly released movies (or music, for that matter) were based on an epic scale. It was a genre-defining time and the envelope was constantly being pushed far beyond the expectations of most.
In the years that followed, we had ground-breaking classics like Jurassic Park, The Matrix and The Sixth Sense. I even consider (and I know this choice might be controversial for some) The Blair Witch Project to sit alongside the same prestigious company for it's achievement in bringing documentary-styled movie making to the masses. These were my feeling then and even now. I recall enjoying these movies immensely and understanding full well I was witnessing something I’d never seen before.
Now Fast Forward to Present Day...
It seems to me as though that this glorious period of my adolescence could have been the closing chapter on originality in it's purest form and may now be consigned to a thing of the past. With filmmakers desperately trying to re-create those glory years preceding it, this has so far proved a fruitless endeavour. Now I’m not saying all movies made today should be immediately condemned to the trash heap and forgotten about.
All I’m saying it that most movies today seem to be based upon an idea and conceptualization having already been executed beforehand. Building upon the foundations of someone else’s vision only to make a few tweaks here and there, repackage the whole thing and sell it back to the masses. So I have to wonder.
"Are We Living in a Time where Popular Entertainment is Just All One, Big Cash Cow?"
My personal feelings on the matter lean towards that latter statement being true. You only have to look as far as the juggernaut franchises like Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) or DC Extended Universe (DCEU). A whole back catalogue of comic-book entertainment history, that’s just itching to be marketed and distributed for the insatiable appetites of crazed fans around the globe. Billions of dollars just waiting to be handed over to the corporate money spinners of the entertainment world.
Though that does paint a rather damning picture of the workings of these industries, it’s not necessarily all bad. I mean, it’s my personal opinion that the quality of the movies themselves are top-notch. The whizz-bang special effects, Hollywood A-listers galore and ongoing background story narratives, are all stunning. But (there’s always a “but”, lol) you have to ask yourself, how different are these movies in the general context of what we are being sold on an annual basis?
Not very, as far as I can see. Switch up a few main characters, change the setting, rinse and repeat. The ultimate “comfort zone” money spinner for dollar-hungry corporate studio execs. And it’s my feeling that originality in general and the current spate of Hollywood franchises are mutually exclusive. You can’t have one with the other, plain and simple.
Is It Me?
Now, another way I used to look at this was introspectively. Age creeps up on us all and our perceived views and attitudes a few years back may very well be incompatible with how we see things today. So, what appeared "original" to me back then is old news to me now. So for the next generation of our youth, they would have had no exposure to what I did back then hence not be able to cast a direct comparison as to how things have changed (or not, as the case may be).
Everything they view will be through a fresh pair of eyes and a clear canvased mind-set. So it begs the question. Is it my stubborn complacency I’ve unknowingly built up over the years or are the changes I think I see shared with others as well? It’s something I have thought about though still struggle to find an answer to.
But as I see things at present, the bottom line for me is a simple one…
Originality Is A Dead Artform In Mainstream Movie-Making
And as bold a statement as that is, it does leave me with a sad and heavy heart. How I would love to recapture the experience of going to the movie theatre and feel the same "rush" as I did all the way back in 1991. The feeling of having your mind blown by someone’s artistic vision that you just know is world-defining, extraordinary and unique, in every sense of those words.
Now, according to sources, we have over a century of rehashes to look forward to. From MCU, DCEU and more recently, the Star Wars Universe. So many universes, so little time, eh? Because one thing is looking very likely indeed. And that is there seems to be no end in sight. Cinematic culture as a creative medium, could well be a bygone era and the droning “hypnotic lullaby” of corporate regurgitation, taking it’s place for us all. I see us being spoon-fed recycled ideas and strategic marketing campaigns, for decades to come. All with a view to further line the pockets of the major bigwigs and keeping the money machine well-oiled and chugging along nicely.
So yes, I do believe originality in mainstream movies can now be considered a thing of the past, though I'd love to think the contrary, of course. I realize this subject can be a very divisive and debatable one, given that it’s a discussion based on so many varied opinions. But on the other hand, is there even a right answer at all if that’s the case? Or just simply an individual’s point of view?
Asian films still give me that wow response. I don't know what to expect. I watch a lot of them on Netflix.
I haven't watched too many Asian movies but that's something I could look into.
Cool
You've totally pegged it @ezzy! Hollywood only follows formulas that are proven to make money. They test scripts and revise them until they appeal to the widest variety of people. The end product is so generic and diluted it has no soul. We want to follow a different path for HardFork!
Thank you, @ericvancewalton!
Yes, diluted and formulaic seem the order of the day, for Hollywood. It's gonna take something completely "out-of-the-box" so to speak, to change that. And yes, Hardfork! I guess the clue is in the title, lol! Taking things in a different direction with a tight, original script. If there is someone who can pull it off, I'm rooting for you and the HF team.
Thank you again for the comment and hope you are doing great! :)
Great post! You made me go through my lists of cinema visits (I have an unlimited cinema pass) and I guess you have a point, for me only Interstellar can compete with the list of movies you named in the beginning. I loved that film. I still enjoy cinema a lot but it rarely leaves me in awe like it used too when I was a kid. It's just for entertainment nowadays. Terminator 2 is one of my favorite movies of all time btw. I have seen it an insane amounts of time on VHS when I was little.
Thank, my bro! Interstellar was amazing, yes. Christopher Nolan is always trying to push the boundaries of film-making. For myself, I honestly think now is the "rise for the television shows". It seems people generally are talking less about the latest movie they watched and more about the last episode of "Game of Thrones" or the like.
"Less popcorn culture, more substance" is what I say, lol. :)
Thank you for the comment, my bro! :)
I replied to the wrong post. Sorry, Eric.
Absolutely. Interstellar is a stellar exception. :)
Very well written. Thanks! You're absolutely right. When I was in college about 15 years ago, I used to go to the movies by myself all the time. This was because I loved movies. I could see a matinee in a comfortable theater setting for like 3 or 4 dollars. I saw all the movies.
Now today: Movies basically suck. They are crafted with one purpose: To be equally pleasing to every member of the family. There are no more unique and original stories. Everything is a cross-genre blockbuster.
I think this is just the natural progression. I don't like it, but I'm anxious to see what the next generation of stories look like. We're starting to get an idea, with kid's films like Frozen, Zootopia, Minions, Moana, etc.
As I'm sure you know, @ezzy, stories are an ever-changing representation of culture. And with the way cultures have been evolving all over the world, it's time for some fresh stories. I can't wait until movies are good again ;)
Thanks for your awesome post.
Hey @chrisroberts! I love your feedback! It seems like you're on the same page, you and I. Although as you mentioned about the new generation of movies, it will be very interesting to see the direction it takes. I mean, maybe movies have always just replicated each other's genres. I still can't help but feel that through the 70s, 80s and 90s, we broke new ground in so many ways. I can't see it nowadays, apart from obvious technological advancements.
Thank you again, buddy! :)
You made my day with your comment @chrisroberts :)
It's definitely not you, brother. Originality is most certainly dead, but that can't be avoided. Just like in literature or any other artform. With the changing times, the best we could hope for is to stand on the shoulders of giants that came before us. Even those we feel are original may be just a copy of things done in the past, even if it's unintentional.
Talking about mainstream media, their products seem formulaic because they are. With the enormous investment they put in, they would rather go for what has worked before rather than experiment on something radically new. Sure, some still risk it, and while some succeed, a lot of other fail. Miserably, at that. Independent movies have more leeway because they seem like they have nothing to lose. A few pay off, and receive the due recognition, but a lot of others just fizzle out into obscurity.
It's a sad fact, but we can't fault these moneymaking juggernauts. They have the means, and they can do whatever they want since the audience just gobble it up. If there would be a collective disapproval, rendering their film a box office bomb, then they would most certainly go back to the drawing board. But, if they profit from something, they won't ever stop hacking at it until everyone is saturated.
Hey, my brother!
Thanks you for your pearls of wisdom! Haven't we seen very conceivable plot-line already? From romance to action to horror. All encompassing, my bro. How many times can we be fed the same story in a different way? And that problem also exists for us as authors. Coming up with new and inventive ways to tell our stories can be quite a daunting task.
But in terms of movie-making, they have the blueprints to work from. Namely, Marvel, DC and Star Wars. Almost unending threads leading to numerous branching story arcs. The possiblities are endless and don't get me wrong, they've been doing a stellar job. But when does that saturation point kick in? Maybe it'll take decades, who knows? But one thing looks certain. As far as mainstream movies are concerned, this looks like it's got as good as it's gonna get.
Thank you, my bro!
Personally, as someone whose originally from comic books, I don't mind it being brought to life. I do take some offense whenever they lean on a protocol. There's a balance that must be struck there, and I just hope that they anticipate it before people get saturated.
We drew the short end of the stick. Even if we feel we like we've stumbled upon an original idea, there is already someone out there who will think that it's derivative. The best that we could do is to innovate as best as we could, so as not to grow stale. You're a master of that, so following your example is a good first step :)
Oh yes, my bro! The quality of these latest comic book adaptations is top notch. However all the "creative" work has been done for them. Innovation is key, as you say! But when that'll take a proprietary role in regards to mainstream cinema, is another matter altogether.
What a thorough, well-thought out article!
Personally, I think we don't get the same 'Wow! factor' from movies as we did, because we can stream movies now. Long-gone are the days when we HAD to go to the movies to see a new release because that's the only way we'd get to see it unless we wanted to wait five years (YES, FIVE years) for it to be released to the next medium - television.
I bet you're not old enough to remember that, @ezzy :)
The other factor is this:
Hollywood was always a money-making business, that goes without saying, but do you think it's been turned up a notch or ten over the past few years? I do.
Rather than take a chance on a new story/concept/idea, Hollywood seems to be driven by the necessity to make multi-million dollar profits on everything they churn out and so, we the public are left with no other choices but those the movie-makers deem profitable enough.
It also looks like the profits are bulked up by skipping one or two steps in the movie-making business... steps such as finding and buying a new story, for example.
Re-hashing an old, tried and tested story has always been a thing but it's got to ridiculous levels these days.
I think with everything, though, turn and turn-about. We may just see Film written by @ezzy before we know it.
Hey @michelle.gent! Thank you for "blessing" my post with your presence! Hope you are doing great! :)
Lol, And I love that last line! Who knows, stranger things have happened!
But yes, I totally agree. Hollywood know what will sell and how to market it. Most of the time now, the "summer blockbusters" as we used to refer to them, are CGI heavy "eye candy". Literally hypnotising people with colours, sound and visuals. Not to say some of the stories aren't good, but there's a massive load of source material at their beck and call. No one "thinks" about taking things to the next level, only what sells and maximizes those profit margins first and foremost. Therefore, original ideas and scripts are, most likely, seen as too risky and shoved to the wayside. It's a shame but I honestly can't see an end in sight for this mentality. Let's watch this space!
Thank you and bless! Give all my best to s0u1 as well! :)
Hey! :)
I have to agree with you. Back in the golden age of cinema, film-making was an art.
Yes, of course, making a profit was the aim, but not the be-all and end-all and certainly not to the cost of the quality of the film.
Terminator 2!! How I loved that movie, and still do :) Jurassic Park, The Matrix, The Sixth Sense and I would also agree with The Blair Witch Project-funny my husband and I were just talking about that movie!
I would add The Lord of the Rings to this mix, and Braveheart.
But I fear you're absolutely right, and have been lamenting this very idea for some time. It is possible it's because of our age...though I haven't heard my teenage children get particularly excited over any movies lately so...terribly sad. I hope we're proven wrong!
Hey there, @dreemit! Man, I've missed you!
You mentioned Lord of the Rings! That trilogy is my favourite film of all time (as I see as one movie chopped up into three). And yes, even though they were also taken from pre-existing source material, they were instant classics to the nth degree!
I'm with your teenage children on that (even considering the age difference). I never can excited and passionate about movies like before. A lack of originality? Too much exposure before release? Something is definitely not right and it's a crying shame that those rapturous "feelings" may never return within our lifetime again.
Bless you and hope you're keeping well. :)
There are a lot of reasons for this. One is this constant emphasis on NEW and DIFFERENT so that after a while, everything has been played out already. This is a starch contrast from just emphasizing what is GOOD.
Also, I have never really expected much from Hollywood once I understood how it worked. Think about it, profit is the goal. How do you bring in the most profit? Make something that is for any and all demographics...and the way they've done this is by dumbing everyone down to a 13 year old teeny bopper level (no offense 13 year olds). A lot of substance has to be thrown out in order to please so many different demographics and usually plot suffers. There are a few films that are allowed to be more complex in their storytelling, but for the most part it's just the same formula for everything. There are still a few decent Hollywood films but I honk most of that has to do with directors visions, the institution always wants to dumb things down.
Tv seems to be doing much better right now...maybe due to more competition, snd the fact that most of the good stuff relies on subscriptions on HBO Netflix etc. . I don't know how long that can last though, the underground always produces better art in the end.
I'm trying to think of an appropriate response to your comment, but to do so would just ruin it's perfection. I see things EXACTLY as you describe. And agree with every word.
Thank you for some fantastic and oh-so-relatable feedback, man. :)
there is originality, but no one wants to risk investing in it. that's why we have few good mainstream movies per year. like all other entertainment industries, movie industry grown and changed over the years. not only, that audience have higher expectations than before, but to create one blockbuster movie you need hundreds millions of dollars . its much safer to create remake, sequel or movie adaptation of comic/cartoon/game (and anime/manga these days).. we are stuck with these kind of films now...and its just going to get worse for us 80/90's kids. thank god there is much more than mainstream in movie industry. good post btw, you got yourself a follower sir :)
Thank you for your support and great feedback! It seems filtering the gems out of a sea of "generic reproductions" is the way to go then. I've yet to see any "new plots" per se after years of watching the same old spin retold so very many times over. But yes, I do agree that our outlook, from our current perspectives, won't be improving anytime soon.
for the most part, i agree. there's plenty of crap that hollywood throws out there (see: EVERY REBOOT EVER) that's mostly unnecessary.
while i get what you're saying about the Marvel/DC movies, this is also prime CGI time for them to make the movies that would even come close to looking like the comics, so...i get it. it's also pretty brilliant the way Marvel has tied their movies into their shows. not only is it brilliant in a business sense, but it's brilliant writing as well. that they've kept everything tied together so long over so many movies is pretty damn impressive.
but then you also get people like christopher nolan putting out movies like "inception" or "interstellar"...movies that legitimately make you think. Aronofsky, Lars von Trier...so on and so forth.
couple that with the surge in strange, thought-provoking shows like "The Leftovers," the third season of "Twin Peaks," "Black Mirror," and others, and i think you've got people sitting up and taking notice that thinking outside the box doesn't necessarily mean a movie or show won't be successful....quite the opposite, in fact.
is it harder to find these more out-of-the-box viewing options? sure. will hollywood continue to pump out bullshit we've seen over and over again? of course, because the viewing public is mostly simplistic and easy to please and because money is at the heart of everything hollywood does, NOT art...
you make great points, @bucho. And as I mentioned in the article, by no means are the Marvel/DC media bandwagon "bad" by any means. Quite the contrary. But it terms of "originality", they have it all done for them. And having that enormous database of information available to them, a huge chunk of creativity gets eschewed as well. So they can easily tinker with what they have as much as they like, but I feel nobody can called anything they produce "original", because it's just not. But yes, they are doing a great job with what you have to work with.
Nolan is, I feel, one of a handful of directors really trying to break the mould. Totally agree. And yes, television shows now have their time to shine. Very impressive budgets, storylines and cast listings. I see that medium as having surpassed mainstream movies by a country mile, at the moment at least.
It's definitely not just you.
Christopher Nolan's name being mentioned in this thread, no less than three times already, is no accident - people are craving for something that isn't derivative, but Hollywood is currently underserving them. I can't remember where, but I read some recap of the top grossing films of some decade recently, and the ONLY movies on the list that included totally original content (and not some sequel and/or reboot) were either written or directed by Nolan.
That's why I'm so invested in consuming the work of relatively unknown artists right now, in all forms (movies, stories, visual art, etc), it's just infinitely more interesting to sift through than the pablum and retreads I'd get via the mainstream.