THE AGE OF THE CONVOLUTED BLOCKBUSTER

Film Crit Hulk writes some good stuff, I just wish he wouldn't do it in all caps (and no I'm not going to fix it here). Here's two good recent articles. I really agree with the first one.

THE AGE OF THE CONVOLUTED BLOCKBUSTER

"TO BEST EXPLAIN WHY THIS MATTERS, LET’S GET HYPOTHETICAL: IF YOU (THE REAL YOU READING THIS NOW) WERE WALKING DOWN THE STREET AND SOMEONE CAME UP TO YOU AND YELLED, ‘Quick! I'm your long-lost brother you never knew you had! Someone's after me! We have to run!!!!'  YOU WOULD BE COMPLETELY TAKEN OFF-GUARD, WOULDN'T YOU? NOW, WOULD YOU BE CURIOUS? WOULD IT BE CRAZY? WOULD IT BE EXCITING? SURE! BUT YOU WOULDN’T EXACTLY BE INVESTED. YOU WOULD BE SUSPICIOUS. YOU WOULD DISTANCE YOURSELF. MEANWHILE, IF YOUR ACTUAL BROTHER THAT YOU'VE KNOWN AND LOVED YOUR WHOLE LIFE SHOWED UP AND SAID ‘Quick! Someone's after me! We have to run!'  YOU WOULD BE MUCH MORE INVESTED! IT’S YOUR BROTHER, AFTER ALL. BOTH ARE YOUR 'BROTHERS' BUT ONE IS A PERSON WITH WHOM YOU HAVE A SHARED HISTORY AND LOVE. YOU HAVE ALL THE RELEVANT INFORMATION TO YOUR BOND THUS THERE WOULD BE A SUBSTANTIAL ROOTING INTEREST. AND BETWEEN THESE TWO SCENARIOS, THE MORE DRAMATIC AND COMPELLING SITUATION SHOULD BE OBVIOUS, RIGHT?

SO WHY DO SO MANY MODERN BLOCKBUSTERS OPT FOR THE FIRST OPTION?

IT IS THE FAILURE TO UNDERSTAND THAT STORYTELLING WORKS THE SAME WAY AS ANY HUMAN RELATIONSHIP: IT REQUIRES TIME AND UNDERSTANDING AND A PREHISTORY OF REASONS TO DO THINGS. THE AUDIENCE NEEDS TO NOT JUST SEE THAT THE TWO ARE BROTHERS, BUT ESSENTIALLY 'HAVE' THE SAME EXPERIENCES AND AFFECTION THAT LEAD THEM UP TO THAT POINT IN ORDER FOR IT TO PROPERLY RESONATE WITH THEM. WHICH MEANS THE AUDIENCE UNDERSTANDING THIS INFORMATION IS FAR MORE IMPORTANT THAN TWO PEOPLE SECRETLY KNOWING IT ON SCREEN. BUT FILMMAKERS KEEP MISSING THAT. THEY ASSUME EMPATHY IS JUST THERE. THEY STRIVE TO REVEAL. AND THEN THEY TRY TO OVERCOME THIS LACK OF RESONANCE BY SOAKING EMOTIONAL MOMENTS WITH ALL THE CINEMATIC BOMBAST AND GUSTO THEY CAN, BUT WITHOUT PRE-EXISTING CLARITY IT’S UTTERLY WITHOUT IMPORT. WE SIMPLY NEED THE NECESSARY CONTEXT.  AND WITHOUT IT, ALL OF TODAY’S BLOCKBUSTERS ARE NOTHING BUT THE CRAZY, RANDOM STRANGER RUNNING UP TO YOU ON THE STREET AND DEMANDING THAT YOU COME ALONG ON A WILD ADVENTURE."

I liked HULK VS. SPOILERS AND THE 4 LEVELS OF HOW WE CONSUME ART too. For me spoiler warnings are simple matter of politeness and there isn't a expiration. Everyone should be able to experience Citizen Kane the first time and not that doesn't mean you can't ever write about it. I do know a few people that I think take spoilers too far, but that's there choice and I try to accommodate.