Top 10 Signs Movies Are Getting Worse
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Script written by Michael Wynands
#10: Failing Directors & Actors Keep Getting Huge Projects
When evaluating whether someone is a good fit for a job or not, it’s crucial to consider their entire job history, not just the highlights reel. A recognizable name isn’t always synonymous with quality results. For example, the Wachowskis arguably haven’t had a major hit since The Matrix trilogy, and yet they keep getting massive projects like Jupiter Ascending, which, inevitably flop. In 2012, Taylor Kitsch starred in not one, but two huge box office bombs, but still somehow landed in True Detective's second season. If the same failed actors and filmmakers keep getting big films, we’ll never find the next Spielberg or Leonardo DiCaprio.
#9: Everything Is CGI
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Advancements in digital effects have drastically changed modern cinema - mostly for the better. Visually-stunning films like District 9, The Avengers, Inception, The Matrix and Avatar wouldn’t have been possible without modern CGI. However, in the early 21st century, CGI has become a case for “too much of a good thing”. There is still a time and a place for practical effects, but too often, studios opt to go the cheaper, quicker and less labor-intensive route of CGI. Seemingly every superhero film ends with a massive CGI on CGI showdown. We came to see film, not a videogame cut-scene.
#8: Shaky Cam & Quick Editing
So how do you avoid people noticing that something is a little off? By taking the music video approach of quick cuts or... mess with the eye’s ability to focus with shaky framing. There’s a time and a place for shaky cam - found footage films, a high-speed pursuit on foot. But entire films? No thank you. Both quick edits and shaky cam can be effective tools to heighten the tension and sense of chaos, but when overused, they lose their effectiveness. They’ve also become a bit of a crutch for filmmakers. Why craft a compelling sequence when you can just fake it via editing.
#7: Too Many Films End on Cliffhangers or Teasers
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Storytelling 101: your story needs a satisfying ending. Now, there are creative ways to break the rules in a manner that will bring something fresh and exciting to the table. The Wrestler, Inception, Before Sunset - these are all films that end off by leaving you with important questions to ponder. But cliffhangers for the sake of cliffhangers, or post-credit teasers? These are little more than marketing ploys to ensure that you come back for the next instalment, in however many years that might be. You can give us a teaser, but you better give us a satisfying ending first.
#6: Every Studio Wants a Cinematic Universe
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Do you know why the Marvel Cinematic Universe succeeds where others have failed? Because their films work independently of one another. Each film has a story with a beginning, middle and end. The post-credits scene might tease the next story, but not until the first one is wrapped. All that interconnectedness is secondary. But based on the MCU’s success, every studio seemingly feels that they deserve their own cinematic universe. Universal’s Dark Universe, Warner Bros.’ Arthurian universe, the DCEU, Sony. The problem is, they spend so much time cramming the seeds of future films into these launch titles that the movies themselves fall flat.
#5: Every IP Gets a Movie
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Cinema might be entertainment for the masses, but that doesn’t mean that every popular product should be made into a film. Battleship? The Angry Birds Movie? The Emoji Movie?! When you start with such a thin concept, the narrative you craft will rarely succeed. With so many potentially great scripts floating around out there just waiting to get put into production, it’s insulting to have these intellectual properties thrown onto the screen. Name recognition might be an important factor for getting people into theater seats, but names like these are silly enough to keep people away as soon as they recognize them.
#4: Studio Interference
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As lucrative as the end product might be, filmmaking is an artistic endeavor. When you come between a director and their vision, the resulting film is bound to be somewhat soulless, and more often than not… less than successful with critics. When studios hire a director, they’re entrusting that individual with the responsibility of shaping the property. Or at least… that’s how it should work. With major think tanks behind franchises however, movies tend to get made by committee rather than a scriptwriter and director. Studios might have the final say, but they seem to be exercising it way too much.
#3: Trailers Show WAY Too Much
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If done correctly, a single trailer can paint a rough sketch of the premise and build curiosity. But with the neverending hype machine in place, you’re looking at a teaser, 3 domestic trailers, 3 alternative international trailers and, quite possibly, a number of short clips from the movie. In this age of internet sleuthing, people can quickly put those various pieces together - and by the time the film hits theaters, there’s likely very little left in terms of surprises. When you finally sit down to watch the movie and the best moments have already been made public… disappointment is inevitable.
#2: Studios Aren’t Taking Risks
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It just seems like there are too many boxes that need to be checked in order for a film project to get a greenlight today. There’s the requisite love story, the action, the drama, the need for enough humor to avoid scaring off the viewers. Studios are incredibly hesitant to put out R-rated movies for fear of cutting into their potential profits. They're also so concerned about their bottom line that once all the outliers have been taken out of consideration, all we’re left with as viewers are rehashes of the same old film, with a fresh coat of paint and dusted off characters.
#1: All We Get Are Reboots, Remakes & Sequels
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Many critics claim that Hollywood isn’t bothering to start new franchises anymore, playing instead to nostalgia and relying on surefire successes mined from the past. Unless a sequel is truly abysmal, the name recognition is likely enough to ensure that studios will make back their investment. Though we can blame the studios for not being willing to take risks, we as audience members need to take responsibility as well. If we want to see more original films, we need to show that to studios - by getting out there and seeing the original stories that do get made.
