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Why Hollywood stopped making films like 'Total Recall' (article):

posted 8 years ago by gogoschka-1
5 replies | jump to latest

I had been wondering for some time why pretty much all of the big budget studio tentpoles have stopped to provide a thrilling experience for me. For a while I thought: Well, I’m just getting old; I’m becoming more and more cynical and I’m also not as easily excitable anymore as I used to be. In a word, I’m turning into the typical grumpy old geezer who complains how everything used to be so much better in the past and that we don't get gritty, thrilling action/sci-fi films like 'Total Recall' anymore.

But, being a film geek, through reading and watching hundreds of interviews over the years with studio heads, directors, producers and screenwriters as well as watching making-ofs and documentaries and reading countless articles about all things Hollywood, a very clear picture started to emerge, as to why so many of those blockbusters have become so formulaic - and that in fact we DON'T GET films like the original 'Total Recall' anymore: for very specific reasons.

If you're interested in those topics, you can read it here for yourself (but be warned: it's a lengthy read and it could make you angry):

http://www.the-fanboy-perspective.com/a-rant-against-modern-tentpole-film-making.html

"The complication had a little complication."

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] gogoschka-1 8 years ago

Sounds like an excuse to make lazy garbage.

Sadly, people seem to be eager to eat up the "lazy garbage" more often than not...

http://www.the-fanboy-perspective.com/a-rant-against-modern-tentpole-film-making.html

[–] fjk1138-731-161881 7 years ago

Excellent article, thanks for posting. I couldn't agree more, especially on how watered down it's all becoming. Personally, I can't tell one super hero movie from another anymore. Batman and Spiderman are my two favs of all time with Deadpool being a recent love, but I really don't look forward to more movies because they are all getting so damn repetitive. I expected nothing from Suicide Squad, but got even less. And even beyond comic books, everything else is sequels, reboots, and remakes. When does it end? I only hope that the momentum from the article will carry forward and influence more people to think twice before dishing out money that seems to perpetuate the issue.

[–] bozo_500 7 years ago

great article. Ive been half wondering about why we wernt seeing those great original movies of the 70s, 80s, 90s anymore and had a few ideas but that article just put it all into words..

actors and directors etc who lived through all the great movies of yesteryear (and who now have to do the latest superhero or robot movie) must yearn for those long dead creative days

[–] bruno-mailly 7 years ago

Awesome read !

The "SUPERHERO FORMULA" is spot on.

Yes those movies are predictable, generic, comfortable.

Way too often I am left wondering "what was the story again ?", only to realize it doesn't matter.

I want original, memorable, thrilling.

it’s certainly not like they want to make a bad film: it’s just that they mostly have no clue what makes a film good.

I like to think they throw in all the know good ingredients, but never realize cooking is even a thing.

To be fair, even despite their formulaic nature those films still often manage to be quite entertaining - but they are never THRILLING.

Yeah, "entertaining". Like a fancy meal.

A disturbing number of people have disturbingly little interest in what they watch : they turn off their brain and let the pretty images flow.
Or leave the video running in the background like elevator music, while they do "much more important stuff".

I like to think those movies are so formulaic, in the future their production could be entirely automated.

The reason I prefer even mediocre R-rated films from the likes of Neill Blomkamp or Ridley Scott over contemporary PG-13 tentpoles is this: I never feel safe during those films.

Safe ? I would rather say avoid those 2 capital sins :
•I guess what happens next.
•I don't care what happens next.

Please, leave me hanging on my seat asking "What's next ? What's next ?"

what happens when it’s not the artists who end up making the creative decisions.

And this enlightened me as to how multi-100-million productions could have stories that are :
a) kindergarten level.
b) a nonsensical mess of plot holes.
Heloooo design by committee !

That, and what I said about a large audience not caring.