Why Modern Movies Suck: No Themes

2023 was a dismal year for movies and movie fans and 24 is not shaping up to be much better we've got the odd spot of color here and there but the movie landscape is mostly dull lifeless gray there are many movies that are easy to complain about but the question is why why are these movies not motivating you to the theater why are they not giving you that feeling why is it so often that the best praise we can offer is wow that wasn't terrible is making these Productions so bad there are many reasons but today I want to focus on a word I use quite a bit in my videos and that is theme it occurred to me that we might not all have a common definition or Worse sometimes it's one of those words where we seem to be using it correctly in context but we can't quite put a finger on the meaning or give examples what you can put a finger on is that like button to help this video cut that's a wrap In the Heat of battle he don't miss no come back and people sometimes want to know what's in my cup so I ordered a sampler from Amazon from the Brooklyn Bean Roastery and this week I am going with the vanilla Skyline it's not too vanilla e and it's very good and I'm also drinking it in this wonderful cup that I got from the Kansas City Science Museum that has molecules that you find in coffee so let's look at what a movie theme is and explain how most movies these days don't have one and maybe even Pepper and a few positive examples just for contrast for the fun of it so what is a theme in short it's a set of ideas or or messages or concepts that the movie is trying to explore when done well this central idea permeates the entire movie without being overly obvious and that is the key sometimes a movie's theme may as well be its title because it's beating you over the head with it other times the theme turns into a message or we sometimes call it the message and it's not an exploration of a theme from different angles it's a straight up Ed yelling its Viewpoint at you and demanding that you accept it often this is so much the main focus of the creator that they forget to weave in you know story or character or anything honestly it's just that bludgeon bang bang bang bang well there wasn't a sickle but there was a hammer don't worry darling is a prime example of this it was determined to be this feminist rallying cry but it forgot to make the movie make sense and the theme doesn't have to be one you agree with it's all about the execution lots of conservative guys enjoy the boys even though it is exploring the negative sides of nationalism religion and masculinity what's important is that it's a welldone show equality theme is usually but not necessarily always some kind of universal Human Experience or ideal an excellent example of this is Shrek now look I know DreamWorks has had some Duds but when they hit they hit [Music] hard Shrek explores a few themes mostly around appearances and judgments both internal and external sometimes they came right out and said it onions have layers ogres have layers onions have layers you get it other times they showed it to you with characters not being what they seem or having to learn to accept themselves despite what others thought of them the movie was a fun comedy first and the exploration of the themes added depth that's why this movie is a freaking classic even its villain was a part of its exploration Lord farquad is small literally and figuratively just like Swift's liliputians farquad symbolizes the darker sides of the theme he is shallow he has no depth he's selfish and judgmental he thinks stuff and a beautiful princess will add to himself he is a huge loser who places Val you in all the wrong areas do you think maybe he's compensating for something go back and watch Shrek sometime and see how these ideas of prejudice self-worth and not judging a book by its cover are all through this movie and not in a neon sign distracting kind of way those themes are as much a part of that movie as Shrek donkey or Fiona and everyone can find ideas to connect with in that movie maybe we have been judged unfairly or been the one judging maybe we don't feel seen maybe we've built up a swamp sorry emotional walls to keep people out Shrek is built around ideas that everyone over the age of two can relate to and that's why this kids movie is still relevant and enjoyable for every one of all ages it's an excellent movie but modern movies have nothing to connect to that's why you so often feel nothing when you're watching them you watch a movie and you're just like yep I watched a movie it was better than decent it just wasn't great you know it was fine if it were a meal it would be like oh that's done you know sometimes the people making them are self-aware enough to see their own cinematic ineptitude so they attempt to force some emotion in right here is best's boy Hopper from Wheel of Time they made sure to tell you he's the best then killed him you feel sad because a pet died but there is no character to connect with that you feel this through so it's empty and simply makes you hate the show for trying to manipulate you so obviously this is why pacing is a big complaint in modern movies it's a symptom of no theme there is no connection between you and what is happening on screen so you feel bored or everything is happening all at once because the characters themselves have no theme so they don't act in a consistent way from scene to scene they merely say and do whatever the script requires to get to the next scene and string some semblance of a plot together that's why we get Exposition dumps and sudden action and plot surges because the lack of a cohesive idea for the movie prevents the writers from putting together natural sequences and dialogue a recent example of poor Pace due to lack of theme is Netflix's damsel this one has been torn to Ribbons online and deservedly so to shreds you say this is a great negative example of a movie that is pure plot and nothing else its number one goal was to be edgy and subvert tropes oh what's that damsels usually get rescued H not in this one there are many stories of chivalry where the heroic Knight saves the Damsel in Distress this is not one of them that is actually how the movie opens I feel like you wouldn't believe me if I did play it for you I mean I wouldn't have believed it damsel attempts to be so clever and we're left with an empty husk of a movie with nothing for us the audience to connect with little in the movie makes much sense and at one point the main character needs to know something to move the plot so she just has a vision and gets the information they tried to play it like she was putting together some pieces but it was an info dump Vision okay which seems to be a trend right now if I had a nickel for every plot device info dump Vision I'd seen in a movie this year I'd have two nickels which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice right the biggest issue with that movie was the need for subverting tropes that have already been subverted so much that at this point a remake of Princess Bride would feel like a fresh original Masterpiece see the earlier example of Shrek if you want clever subversion but the second biggest issue is that there is no theme that is why the pace is terrible and half of the movie is elody trying to escape the cave because the movie has zero ideas to look at so they just had to stuff it with empty action and long survival scenes from the title and the descriptions you might think that this is a feminist film but honestly I don't even think it qualifies as that I mean sure the ryer clearly thought he was going to get some high fives from the identity junkies and Hollywood for having the women save themselves and the guys all die because they're all evil but his heart didn't seem to be in it to me damsel doesn't feel like a feminist movie so much as a movie made by a guy calling himself feminist because he wants to get laid so do you come to these kind of things often or are you hitting on me at an abortion rally the movie also contradicts itself on that point the queen of the land is evil main character El turns into a freaking war criminal the second she gets control of a superior weapon in the form of a dragon the female dragon sadistically stalks and murders what it believes are daughter ERS of the kingdom and has been doing this for centuries so at first you would understandably believe this to be yet another Hollywood strong female girl boss all that movie but that is honestly giving it too much credit because it doesn't even have enough substance or grit to stick with and explore that theme it has no theme at all there is nothing to connect you to this movie emotionally nothing interesting that is it's trying to explore and that's why it sucks and so for those reasons amount another recent themeless movie is the extremely disappointing Kung Fu Panda 4 I cannot adequately Express how let down I was by this theatrical turd you ever think you're reaching for the last delicious piece of beef jerky only discover that it's actually this desicant pack that experience would get you about halfway to how Po's latest misadventure made me feel Whitney what is this movie trying to explore nothing nothing nothing 100% correct you know part of the reason this one was such a huge disappointment was that the first two Kung Fu Panda movies nailed it on theme they dealt with contentment inner and external validation self-identity and acceptance hard work to chase your dreams they crushed these ideas and delivered nuanced looks at them through the various characters and especially the villains I lik the third it rounded out the series and you know continued those ideas but it was clear clearly the weakest entry or it was the weakest entry enter Kung Fu cash grab which it saddens me to say did indeed grab quite a bit of cash this movie has no soul and no ideas worth talking about it's filled with plot contrivances amateur jokes and a distinct lack of cohesive theme oh oh you can clearly tell they were trying to try to explore the idea of change but it's like they read a basic description of what made the first two movies incredible and then treated it like a formula they could plug values into H the data was so clear our theme is change so the villain should be um chameleon because they change get it uh and we we have to talk about life changes so we need po to be doing something other than being the Dragon Warrior like I it doesn't need to be important just have Shifu tell him that he has to or whatever just as long as stuff is changing I think that gets our point across they did achieve something with this one the theme such as it is simultaneously feels barely there and tacked on as an afterthought and also like a neon sign flashing in every other scene if you've ever forgotten to add salt and spices to a dish during the cook allowing them to bloom and then you thought you could simply toss them all in at the end you will have tasted what this movie felt like to watch papa no like no kiss from Papa this movie is saying nothing like the others on this list it is simply a series series of plot devices and info dumps to pass the time there is zero depth here no forethought whatsoever this is one of the laest sequels I have ever seen and I saw Frozen 2 let's backpedal to those villains for a second tyong and Lord Shen these guys are chef's kiss villains because they perfectly mirror each movie's main theme in a negative way when a movie really Nails the whole theme Mission they pull the villain into it Puss and Boots 2 modern day classic go see it if you haven't it's almost a perfect movie if that can be said to exist it uses three antagonists to defitely deliver its thematic exploration of gratitude and self-image do not make the mistake of thinking that this is merely a kids movie I am not joking or exaggerating when I tell you it will make you laugh cry and question your life choices in the light of your own mortality it is a masterpiece that is not hyperbole the villain is such an oft underutilized tool in delivering themes but it can be done so well especially to give subtle contrast to how a good character trait is really only a couple steps away from a bad one depending on usage this is why the we are not so different line is used so often we call it a Trope but when done right it's a great way to see how a few choices can make a hero into a villain Dark Knight did this very well especially with Heath Ledger Joker there is a tremendous amount of overlap in the two characters methods mindset and public perception you can find a plethora of essays and discussions about Batman's vigilante morality and whether he's actually a good guy or not it's what makes him such a compelling character and his battle with the joker especially so complex you complete me you're garbage you kills for money don't talk like one of them you're not speaking of villains and themes the Marvels had neither this movie is a dead horse that deserves to be beaten so that hopefully future writers glue their stories together more cohesively I don't want to dally on this one too long but the lack of themes or characterization here is stunning this poultry picture is pure plot plowing past poignant principles punting premises plunging personality and plundering previously prized properties to produce paperized profits then its proponents purported to paint the public as the provocators pitiful the sad part is when you can see the potential and this one had two big points one your Idols are never what you want in one scene it looks like Ms Marvel is going to be disappointed because Captain Marvel looks like she's giving up on some of the Scrolls nope nope it's all good no problem we could have also dealt with the idea of guilt and what Captain Marvel did while under mind control and then to escape the Supreme intelligence how does she reconcile her mistakes and unended consequence she simply reignited the son no problem there is no strug strle there is no theme this movie is Barren what makes this one especially bad is that it represents the writing downfall of a franchise that was killing it in terms of themes storytelling and characterization look back at some of the major icons of the mcu's foundation Iron Man is a fan favorite partly because he's swave and cool and snarky but also because his character is a well-written look into a common human question what if I'm not good enough what if I'm not good enough to run my dad's company what if selling weapons makes me not good enough what if I'm not good enough to save every single person ever will signing this multinational Accord make me good enough Iron Man is a fascinating character because the MCU was able to keep exploring the same question for years in multiple ways as the character kept evolving and it's a question many of us wrestle with as well Captain America is another yearslong attempt to answer one question what does it mean to be a hero will being a soldier make me a hero does having muscles make me a hero does raising money for the war make me a hero is it heroic to sign those aforementioned Accords or to fight against them are good intentions heroic do you even have to fight to be a hero perhaps being a hero just means being a good spouse Steve's Journey revolves around wanting to be good but we discover through his eyes that defining that attribute is extremely difficult the Hulk it's a pretty obvious metaphor for man's Duality and struggle against self but that doesn't make it any less poignant these characters mean something they stand for something they are seeking answers they are exploring themes that is why they are excellent and that is what's missing from the modern characters I was going to say that modern ones represent the politics of the moment but they even fail at that what the new MCU represents is the desire of their production team to look like they are attempting to represent the politics of the moment but that's exactly the problem modern writers are cynical and have grown up in the postmodern way where truth does not exist and themes are only important when you can subvert them so you can appear clever the modern writing set indeed most of Hollywood does not believe in truth as an objective fact everything is relative they have no moral framework with which to approach life and it results in a sad blend of nihilism and postmodernism that is anathema to real writing how can you explore a concept like heroism if in your heart you don't believe that any one ethic can be superior to another in order to write compelling stories about life you have to have lived and you have to believe in something and most of the folks in Hollywood today have neither their reality is a hyper reality and it doesn't resonate with most of the audience thus the general apathy that we are seeing so what's a in this Darkness for you what's a movie in the last 10 years that you think displays excellent writing and themes spread the love in the comments and if you'd like to know more about how postmodernism and Hyper reality are screwing up the movie industry well you can check out this essay right here if you want to support the channel there are affiliate links down below I appreciate you watching as always and I'll see you next time

Channel: Greg Owen

Views: 99,265

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Id: KCzX5N14cWk

Length: 18min 19sec (1099 seconds)

Published: Fri May 03 2024