“I feel that movies are not what they once seemed. There aren’t those timeless classics I remember seeing as a kid back in the 70s and 80s.”
At first, I felt my dad was just being cynical as usual. But when I got back home, I sat down at my desk and was thinking to myself. Are the movies nowadays worthy of remembering or are they just movies to enjoy and pass the time?Over winter break, besides catching up on my reading and studying for my SAT, I decided to watch a whole list of movies that I have always wanted to watch. These movies ranged from disaster movies like “2012” to comedies like “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” to action movies like “Avatar” and “Inception”. I didn’t limit myself to these movies though. I decided to also rewatch some of America’s most timeless classics like the Die Hard series, “Back to the Future” and “Star Wars”.
If I had to look back at all the movies I had seen over break, it would be impossible for me to choose my favorite movie. I noticed, however, that there were a number of significant qualities that these timeless classics had that the more recent movies I saw didn’t. First off, the characters and plots were much more memorable. When I was watching the first “Back to the Future”, I remember the awkwardness of Marty’s father as a high school student, the crazy antics of Doc Brown, and the suspense I felt when Marty was hurrying back to his own time to save Doc Brown from terrorists that planned to kill him. In some of the other movies I saw like “Die Hard” and “Star Wars”, one of the great things about them were the famous quotes that the characters said. Things like “Yippie ka-yay motherfucker” and “Luke I am your father” are some of the quotes that will always be with me forever.
Some of the elements I have just mentioned are things that I could not see in the modern movies I saw this past break. In "Avatar" for example, although the CGI effects were amazing, the story about the war between the Na'vi and the humans was much too simplistic. Other movies like "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" (a movie about a boy named Scott Pilgrim who tries to win over a girl named Ramona Flowers by defeating her seven evil-exes) and "Inception" (Don Cobb is hired for a mission to search into the dreams of a corporate businessman, only to discover secrets about himself) also had something fresh about their plots and special effects, but things like dialogue were lacking, and, to me, are not yet ready to become timeless classics.
Obviously, I am comparing only a very limited number of movies. And I understand that there are people that will probably agree with what my dad says when he said that the movies nowadays could never surpass the movies in the 70’s and 80s. To me though, I feel that these timeless classics were not just spontaneous. While “Back to the Future” takes in elements of comedy, high school drama, and time travel movies, other movies like "Star Wars" take in elements of science fiction, romance, and even western movies.
Everything in this world goes through phases and what we are currently undergoing in terms of movies is just a phase. Sure, movies like “Avatar” and “Inception” have yet to be hailed as timeless classics. In the future though, I am sure that there will be a whole new generation of directors that will take elements from these kinds of movies in order to create a brand new set of timeless classics that we will never forget.
I defiantly agree with the comment on how Avatar's plot is too simplistic. It's exactly the same as Pocahontas.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.black-and-right.com/wp-content/uploads/Pocahontas-to-Avatar.jpg
I love your line "Everything in this world goes through phases and what we are currently undergoing in terms of movies is just a phase." because it conveys hope that the industry will at some point, have value for things like quotes and characterization that are important for making movies memorable and personal. Movies nowadays are all sequels, remakes, or are only interesting for a season. Cool post.
ReplyDeleteYes, good post! It does seem that Hollywood is doing a lot of recycling and going through the motions these days. Still, a film like "Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World" has a lot that's fresh and captivating (I loved the way it incorporated bits of animation and allusions to video game worlds). And you may find that as you rewatch movies, those classic lines start to emerge (at least in the ones with good scripts, which I thought "Scott Pilgrim" had). Did Yoda's timeless admonition "Do or do not. There is no Try" leap out at me the first time I saw Star Wars? I can't say, since I've seen it at least five times. Rewatching that original Star Wars trilogy with my son a couple years back, I was struck by how well they stand the test of time. They're great films. But there are still amazing movies being made by directors like the Coen Brothers, whose films always have plenty to think about afterward, and whose scripts offer a wealth of memorable lines.
ReplyDeleteI liked your post as well. "Classic," is almost a blanket term nowadays with films becoming evermore diverse. You have an interesting and analytical point of view.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your post. It seems nowadays there are just so many recycled ideas and many movies are made just for money that there aren't really that many memorable movies in our generation.
ReplyDeleteIt's SO true!
ReplyDeleteI find myself watching movies... in any "theme" or "category" and having the strangest sensation, like a Deja-vu moment. You can give or take a little with american movies. Most romantic movies have a similar type of girl who falls in love with the same sensitive, yet passionately masculine man... etc.
Action movies, except Inception (I loved how mind twisting it was), are normally similar... they consist of one breath taking explosion after another. There tends to be very little time for the development of characters because the film is so overtaken by ACTION ACTION ACTION.
That's one of the reasons why I tend to like foreign movies, especially french, I find that they tend to have a broader range of characters with their own imperfections. Rather than being GOOD vs. EVIL: The Epic Battle, it's more about all the very different shades of gray that are present within people. We may have great leaders who struggle with their own problems... It's unrealistic to think that a great person must be great in all regards.
After all... We're only human...
Thank you for talking about something so realistic!