"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?
