The magic of movies is dying. Does anyone remember a time where watching movies made you forget about all of your troubles? As an avid movie watcher, that feeling has changed. When watching movies now, that feeling is not there anymore. Instead, it's a feeling of non-escapism which bothers me. The quality of movies has changed in the last half decade. Ever since the COVID pandemic, movies have felt different. There are a number of factors for this. During COVID, the movie industry was almost destroyed. No one could film anything and no films were being put into theaters because of the shut downs. This led to films being released on streaming services. Films being released on streaming services has changed not only the distribution of movies but the quality of them.
With the recent rise of streaming service distribution for movies, the quality for movies has been its lowest in a long time. It seems like every week there is a new movie on Netflix but the quality of the movie is terrible. Can anyone name a good movie that was released on Netflix this year? I certainly can't. This isn't to shit on Netflix because the movies that were released in the theaters this year were pretty bad as well. Can you name one film that blew your socks off this year? Movies have been trending in a downward direction and it's not good for us.
Another reason this has been happening is because no one can come up with an original idea in Hollywood anymore. The most successful movies at the box office in 2024 were all reboots and sequels. The days of original Hollywood movies are over. Even if a great original movie came out, Hollywood is relying on making sequels of older films. To put this into perspective, Sony is making another Karate Kid movie. Don't get me wrong I love the original Karate Kid and the Cobra Kai series but why do we need another Karate Kid movie? It seems like a cheap money grab. Don't even get me started on Disney turning everyone of their animated classics into a live action film. The reliance of reboots and sequels has killed the originality that creates the movie magic.
How do we fix this? It's actually quite simple. I am not saying to get rid of all sequels and reboots because some of them actually have a purpose. But, Hollywood needs to get bold and start creating original material for audiences to enjoy. In my personal opinion, that is the only way to get the magic of movies back. That is why I love watching old movies. Old movies have a certain quality to them that allows you to get lost in their world. Since it's the Christmas season, a film adored by many It's A Wonderful Life would never be made today. It's not because it's offending or had "cancelled" material, it's because the magic of Hollywood is dead. The shame of it all is today's Hollywood would have no idea how to handle a film like that. The marketing would be terrible which would cause the film to lose money. This would then cause Hollywood to abandon the idea of making an original movie for years to come.
With all of these sequels and reboots, I feel like I am watching the same stories over and over again. Movie audiences are craving for more and deserve better. With the prices of tickets for movies nowadays, if I am going to a theater I want to see something I have never seen before. I want to be in my seat with my jaw on the floor at the ending of the film. I want to be taken into a whole different world where I forget everything that is happening around me because I am entranced with what I see on screen. Lately, that hasn't been happening for me, Hopefully, one day that feeling will come back again.
Do you feel like movie magic is dying? Leave your opinion in the comments below.
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