Looking For Feedback...

yes. it means its a cookie-cutter. one of many. banal. run-of-the-mill.

you crank out potions, like coca-cola, with a formula.

all these marvel movies, for example, are examples of that.

not really, though it's probably not going to be something i personally dig if it's in the rom-com style.

there are lots of movies that are completely formulaic and perfectly good, even great to me. i watched one of the mission impossible films this weekend - ghost protocol - and i thought it was a complete blast. that's a cookie cutter film in a lot of ways, i suppose - a bunch of guys running around to stop a bomb from going off is about as action movie generic as you can get. but i had an absolutely great time with it.

or all those mcu films. as many have said, they certainly have a formula, but they execute it very successfully. it's not a trivial thing to make 23 movies in a decade or so and have them be satisfying and not only maintain their popularity but actually grow and deepen their audience. witness the difficulties most other franchises have had trying to emulate that success.

The "formula" description goes beyond movies. TV series and pop music also fall into this category.

It's all about money, not creativity or quality. Studios stumble onto a formula that proves successful and then rehash it ad nauseum because they want a sure-fire money-maker. This is why there are so many re-makes, re-boots and sequels. The studios fail to realize that when they do this they are churning out the same old monotonous stuff year after year. Yet audiences still flock to the theaters, which I can't understand.

I no longer watch network TV for this reason. The sitcoms aren't funny, the crime dramas are predictable and competition programs like The Voice are excruciatingly boring.

Yes. I would to see an opposite channel called Life Can Be Strange where every outcome is unpredictable. The stepdaughter marries her stepdad after the divorce. The feverishly happy recently married young lesbian dumps the wife after 2 weeks and goes back on the prowl for men. The 3 drink a day housewife realizes she doesn't have a problem and enjoys her life.....

Depends. I don't think Lifetime really thinks they're making high art. They follow the same formula because it works for them and people expect it.

I like formula movies. Especially romcoms. Typically I'm not watching for the story but because I enjoy the actors in it.