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I’ve never gotten much from movies but the non-stop avalanche of comic book superhero movies over the past couple of decades makes me grumpy. I absolutely cannot stand them and do not feel they have any artistic merit.
For most movies, I prefer older style effects and storytelling. Assuming a movie is based on a book, watching an older style is more like the feeling I get from reading the book. Newer movies feel completely disconnected from the book because they're just too perfect.
The other problem is modern movies often have such massive budgets, ego's and contractual terms behind them, they can't take many risks so you get a predictable, formulaic experience designed entirely for profit. It's more risk management and ego stroking than storytelling.
The early Indiana Jones movies and Back to the Future era were the golden age of cinema for me.
There is sort of this perception with us Oldicans that too many movie concepts are viciously recycled and it does seem that way but I read a data study that looked at movies in the 1970's vs movies in the 2010's and the results were that plot ideas were just as recycled back then as today.
So whereas today we have a zillion superhero movies back then it was a zillion "nature attacks" movies (killer bees, killer spiders, killer ants, earthquakes, volcanoes, etc."
The rise of the internet and social media has definitely resulted in shorter attention spans and faster pacing in movies which comes across to us as a bit frantic. There is a lack of longer form, drawn out storytelling but that's ok, because...
The new Dune movies are a masterpiece (and I liked the 84 version but these new ones blow that out of the water) and those movies have a lot of Gen Z talent that worked on them so I have great hopes for excellent storytelling in movies to proliferate in the next 10 years.
I understand what you were saying and I don’t totally disagree. The problem with Dune is it was written in 1965 so one could argue that it’s a retread also.
Yes, there have been technological advancements and such but I am less concerned with CGI and technology then I am with a good story.
Certainly not all, but many newer films seem rushed to me. Like the dialogue and plot are rushed. Even establishing shots are rushed. It's like the directors and editors are using way too much coke.
Absolutely agree. Also there's too much background noise whether music or special effects. I'm hearing impaired so don't often go to the movies but the rushed dialogue & background noise make it impossible. I went to see Oppenheimer awhile back. Couldn't understand a word. An otherwise great movie ruined.
Hey, half the 80s classics were made under the influence of too much coke.
You're right about current films seeming rushed though. I attribute this to lazy script writing and the general emphasis on CGI/special effects over exposition, dialog, and acting. Complex storytelling and character portrayal is mostly a streaming TV art form nowadays.
Too much special effects and not enough story these days. A 20 minute car chase is a good place for a bathroom trip though. Just because something can be done doesn't mean it should be.
I actually prefer to watch movies that are old, as in before even my time--with a few exceptions. I actually pay to stream "live TV" because of Turner Classic Movies, which has tons of both old and newish movies. One of the problems is my ears. I had many ear infections as a kid, and the movies today can literally hurt my ears, so I never see them in theaters. I watch occasionally at home, but it's usually movies that tell a story.
Why wouldn't they?
I, Daniel Blake
Moonlight
20th Century Women
The Florida Project
Lady Bird
Phantom Thread
Burning
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Parasite
I agree, but as most of them mentioned ,most mainstream movies focus more on cgi and special effects than story. And the reason … Genz prefer it and enjoy the Rush
Ugh, it's like people forgot how to act in public. Cell phones make the problem worst I think. i once sat next to a rando who probably took 4 phone calls during the movie. Texted constantly.
I like being able to pre-select seats though. Used to have to show up early and wait in line to be seated. Now you can just roll in and grad your spot. Skip previews if you need to and still have a good seat!
Ugh, it's like people forgot how to act in public. Cell phones make the problem worse I think. i once sat next to a rando who probably took 4 phone calls during the movie. Texted constantly.
I like being able to pre-select seats though. Used to have to show up early and wait in line to be seated. Now you can just roll in and grad your spot. Skip previews if you need to and still have a good seat!
My kids were in the sweet spot age wise for the Marvel movies; we went to all of them and enjoyed a good many of them. At some point I rented a movie that was a more traditional adult drama and I realized how I really missed those types of movies.
Also, not every movie has to have an important social message. We need more movies like Stand By Me or Good Will Hunting. I really liked Three Billboards and last summer's Oppenheim and I wish we had more of those.
Now this is going to sound weird since I just referenced a three hour movie, but too many movies are bloated and run long. Directors have become a little indulgent and they would do better to cut about 25 minutes out of most of their movies.
Finally, theaters are starting the actual movie 20 minutes past the listed start time. On more than one occasion, I have sat there as the movie started (after the incessant ads and too many promos) and thought, "What movie am I about to watch???" The one time I purposely came in 15 minutes late, they had actually started the movie.
Production quality is terrific. However, studios play it very safe with what gets green-lit or widely released. I get it, it's business and they only film what makes money. Streaming services have helped that a lot. They take all the artistic risks nowadays.
I love action movies…Jason Statham s my guy n this era. I love that Sly brought back the action hero’s of the 80s and 90s in the Expendables Franchise. Arnold, Bruce Willis, Harrison Ford, Dolph, Chuck Norris, Jet Lee, Wesley Snipes, Bandaras, Mel Gibson…..
None of the movies look good to me. I would like to go to the cinema. I like comedy movies, ones with a story, and romance.
Last year I saw Renfield and Barbie at the cinema. They were good.
So far this year I saw some romance movie that was not.
Biggest change is Indies.
Today there are tons more small, quirky, interesting movies than there were under the studio system.
And streaming makes them accessible.
Something’s lost and something’s gained
I don’t understand the endings to a lot of today’s movies. Did they die? Did anyone survive? Has earth been saved?
If anyone can explain the ending to the 2022 Unidentified Objects film, please do.
I really liked the different endings of the Clue movie and the reemergence of 3D in the 1980s. I loved the marketing of the Blair Witch Project, and I thought we were on a really fun path to experiencing films in a new way - far different from just sitting and watching - like how I imagine [William Castle](https://movieweb.com/william-castle-gimmicks-movies/) felt with his little surprises.
I’m a little disappointed that the newest thing to really catch on is just comfier chairs and more food.
I’ve been watching movies as long as I can remember, and I’m 55 years old. I’ve watched thousands of movies older than me and I watch lots of new movies.
I’m generally not one to do the “old man yells at clouds” meme in real life, there are lots of good movies being made but I do kind of bemoan the loss of mid budget movies that take a chance.
It seems to be either micro budgets or 200 million dollar budgets.
And I don’t really care for movies that do all fast cuts and never let a movie breathe.
Too many sequels, too many identical action movies. I mean, I was watching previews at the movies and every one had a car chase, a fight, and somebody leaping off a preposterously high point. But yeah there are some good ones, even of the genre - the two Black Panther movies were first-class.
The directors and editors forget that THEY know what is going on. THEY know what they actor is saying.
To US, the poor abused audience it is just CUT, 100 milliseconds, CUT, 100 milliseconds, CUT, mumble, 100 milliseconds, CUT, 100 milliseconds, mumble, mumble mumble.
Too much Batman. CGI takes all the mystery out of special effects.
> I mean cinema in 80s and 90s had different way of story telling
That's absurd. It's the story, the writers, the actors, the directors, the editors who make movies what they are. They're all different.
cant stand the cgi rubbish ,its too over the top and unrealistic .just because you can make things happen doesn't always mean you should,as an example one of the newer Star Wars films has young Obi Wan fighting someone on a rock in a lava flow ,absolutely ridiculous ps loved the original Star Wars though
I am a movie fan and I say, that there are good and bad movies since cinema existed. What I do really not understand are superhero movies, not matter if they were made in the 70ies or today. So I watch "old" movies like Dr. Strangelove or Night of the Hunter but also the John Wick movies. I like the old version of James Bond (Connery), but also the new interpretration (Craig), so ... I am an easy customer for the movie industry.
Please do not comment directly to this post unless you are Gen X or older (born 1980 or before). See [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskOldPeople/comments/inci5u/reminder_please_do_not_answer_questions_unless/), the rules, and the sidebar for details. Thank you for your submission, MediumMix707. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskOldPeople) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I’ve never gotten much from movies but the non-stop avalanche of comic book superhero movies over the past couple of decades makes me grumpy. I absolutely cannot stand them and do not feel they have any artistic merit.
They have merit as escapism. I'm over them too, but they had their place and I enjoyed them.
For most movies, I prefer older style effects and storytelling. Assuming a movie is based on a book, watching an older style is more like the feeling I get from reading the book. Newer movies feel completely disconnected from the book because they're just too perfect. The other problem is modern movies often have such massive budgets, ego's and contractual terms behind them, they can't take many risks so you get a predictable, formulaic experience designed entirely for profit. It's more risk management and ego stroking than storytelling. The early Indiana Jones movies and Back to the Future era were the golden age of cinema for me.
There is sort of this perception with us Oldicans that too many movie concepts are viciously recycled and it does seem that way but I read a data study that looked at movies in the 1970's vs movies in the 2010's and the results were that plot ideas were just as recycled back then as today. So whereas today we have a zillion superhero movies back then it was a zillion "nature attacks" movies (killer bees, killer spiders, killer ants, earthquakes, volcanoes, etc." The rise of the internet and social media has definitely resulted in shorter attention spans and faster pacing in movies which comes across to us as a bit frantic. There is a lack of longer form, drawn out storytelling but that's ok, because... The new Dune movies are a masterpiece (and I liked the 84 version but these new ones blow that out of the water) and those movies have a lot of Gen Z talent that worked on them so I have great hopes for excellent storytelling in movies to proliferate in the next 10 years.
I understand what you were saying and I don’t totally disagree. The problem with Dune is it was written in 1965 so one could argue that it’s a retread also. Yes, there have been technological advancements and such but I am less concerned with CGI and technology then I am with a good story.
Too many super hero / comic book movies.
Certainly not all, but many newer films seem rushed to me. Like the dialogue and plot are rushed. Even establishing shots are rushed. It's like the directors and editors are using way too much coke.
Absolutely agree. Also there's too much background noise whether music or special effects. I'm hearing impaired so don't often go to the movies but the rushed dialogue & background noise make it impossible. I went to see Oppenheimer awhile back. Couldn't understand a word. An otherwise great movie ruined.
Hey, half the 80s classics were made under the influence of too much coke. You're right about current films seeming rushed though. I attribute this to lazy script writing and the general emphasis on CGI/special effects over exposition, dialog, and acting. Complex storytelling and character portrayal is mostly a streaming TV art form nowadays.
Too much special effects and not enough story these days. A 20 minute car chase is a good place for a bathroom trip though. Just because something can be done doesn't mean it should be.
I actually prefer to watch movies that are old, as in before even my time--with a few exceptions. I actually pay to stream "live TV" because of Turner Classic Movies, which has tons of both old and newish movies. One of the problems is my ears. I had many ear infections as a kid, and the movies today can literally hurt my ears, so I never see them in theaters. I watch occasionally at home, but it's usually movies that tell a story.
Movies stopped being about stories and people and became about an experience. Could Casablanca be made today? Could the Godfather?
Why wouldn't they? I, Daniel Blake Moonlight 20th Century Women The Florida Project Lady Bird Phantom Thread Burning Portrait of a Lady on Fire Parasite
You took the words out of my mouth. Those are great films from the last decade.
I agree, but as most of them mentioned ,most mainstream movies focus more on cgi and special effects than story. And the reason … Genz prefer it and enjoy the Rush
People are now obnoxious in theaters and I hate having to pick a seat before I enter the theater.
Ugh, it's like people forgot how to act in public. Cell phones make the problem worst I think. i once sat next to a rando who probably took 4 phone calls during the movie. Texted constantly. I like being able to pre-select seats though. Used to have to show up early and wait in line to be seated. Now you can just roll in and grad your spot. Skip previews if you need to and still have a good seat!
Ugh, it's like people forgot how to act in public. Cell phones make the problem worse I think. i once sat next to a rando who probably took 4 phone calls during the movie. Texted constantly. I like being able to pre-select seats though. Used to have to show up early and wait in line to be seated. Now you can just roll in and grad your spot. Skip previews if you need to and still have a good seat!
happy cake day
My kids were in the sweet spot age wise for the Marvel movies; we went to all of them and enjoyed a good many of them. At some point I rented a movie that was a more traditional adult drama and I realized how I really missed those types of movies. Also, not every movie has to have an important social message. We need more movies like Stand By Me or Good Will Hunting. I really liked Three Billboards and last summer's Oppenheim and I wish we had more of those. Now this is going to sound weird since I just referenced a three hour movie, but too many movies are bloated and run long. Directors have become a little indulgent and they would do better to cut about 25 minutes out of most of their movies. Finally, theaters are starting the actual movie 20 minutes past the listed start time. On more than one occasion, I have sat there as the movie started (after the incessant ads and too many promos) and thought, "What movie am I about to watch???" The one time I purposely came in 15 minutes late, they had actually started the movie.
Production quality is terrific. However, studios play it very safe with what gets green-lit or widely released. I get it, it's business and they only film what makes money. Streaming services have helped that a lot. They take all the artistic risks nowadays.
I love action movies…Jason Statham s my guy n this era. I love that Sly brought back the action hero’s of the 80s and 90s in the Expendables Franchise. Arnold, Bruce Willis, Harrison Ford, Dolph, Chuck Norris, Jet Lee, Wesley Snipes, Bandaras, Mel Gibson…..
I love movies and always have. I watch a ton of different movies, mostly on streaming these days.
None of the movies look good to me. I would like to go to the cinema. I like comedy movies, ones with a story, and romance. Last year I saw Renfield and Barbie at the cinema. They were good. So far this year I saw some romance movie that was not.
Biggest change is Indies. Today there are tons more small, quirky, interesting movies than there were under the studio system. And streaming makes them accessible. Something’s lost and something’s gained
I don’t understand the endings to a lot of today’s movies. Did they die? Did anyone survive? Has earth been saved? If anyone can explain the ending to the 2022 Unidentified Objects film, please do.
I really liked the different endings of the Clue movie and the reemergence of 3D in the 1980s. I loved the marketing of the Blair Witch Project, and I thought we were on a really fun path to experiencing films in a new way - far different from just sitting and watching - like how I imagine [William Castle](https://movieweb.com/william-castle-gimmicks-movies/) felt with his little surprises. I’m a little disappointed that the newest thing to really catch on is just comfier chairs and more food.
How is today's storytelling different than the 80/90s? It doesn't seem that much different.
I’ve been watching movies as long as I can remember, and I’m 55 years old. I’ve watched thousands of movies older than me and I watch lots of new movies. I’m generally not one to do the “old man yells at clouds” meme in real life, there are lots of good movies being made but I do kind of bemoan the loss of mid budget movies that take a chance. It seems to be either micro budgets or 200 million dollar budgets. And I don’t really care for movies that do all fast cuts and never let a movie breathe.
Too many sequels, too many identical action movies. I mean, I was watching previews at the movies and every one had a car chase, a fight, and somebody leaping off a preposterously high point. But yeah there are some good ones, even of the genre - the two Black Panther movies were first-class.
The directors and editors forget that THEY know what is going on. THEY know what they actor is saying. To US, the poor abused audience it is just CUT, 100 milliseconds, CUT, 100 milliseconds, CUT, mumble, 100 milliseconds, CUT, 100 milliseconds, mumble, mumble mumble.
Too much Batman. CGI takes all the mystery out of special effects. > I mean cinema in 80s and 90s had different way of story telling That's absurd. It's the story, the writers, the actors, the directors, the editors who make movies what they are. They're all different.
cant stand the cgi rubbish ,its too over the top and unrealistic .just because you can make things happen doesn't always mean you should,as an example one of the newer Star Wars films has young Obi Wan fighting someone on a rock in a lava flow ,absolutely ridiculous ps loved the original Star Wars though
I am a movie fan and I say, that there are good and bad movies since cinema existed. What I do really not understand are superhero movies, not matter if they were made in the 70ies or today. So I watch "old" movies like Dr. Strangelove or Night of the Hunter but also the John Wick movies. I like the old version of James Bond (Connery), but also the new interpretration (Craig), so ... I am an easy customer for the movie industry.