I’ve had this post in the back of my mind for about a year now and it’s something that I feel I want to address because it’s becoming ever more prevalent to me. Massive multimillion dollar franchises are great, and they make likeable movies which (usually) most people can enjoy but I’m starting to feel a tang of fatigue when it comes to watching a franchise-based film, because the experience is so staunchly different from that of a regular movie.
I’m going to use the Avengers: Infinity War as my example simply because it’s the most recent in my memory. When Infinity War came out, I was hyped, we all were. I’d gotten my midnight release tickets with my buddy and we sat with around 100 other people all eagerly awaiting the film’s start, but as it got going I noticed I was doing something annoying. I wasn’t actually paying all that much attention to the main focus of the movie. My eyes were scanning the peripherals of every scene, scrutinising every minute detail for fear of missing something which would become of paramount importance to the franchise. So much so that I was barely paying attention to the parts I was supposed to be watching! And while I enjoyed Infinity War and the events which transpired, I left the cinema feeling exhausted because I’d overconcentrated so hard on everything else that was happening in a scene. Just because I didn’t want to miss anything!
Now I understand that not everybody is like me and that 90% of the people in the cinema just watched the film and cheered and cried and hollered at Thanos like normal people, but it took a second viewing of the film for me to actually relax and enjoy the experience the movie intended because I knew in my mind that there wasn’t anything going on in the background that I had missed. Which leads me to question: if you have to see a movie more than once just so that you can enjoy it, is it a good film? I’m not saying Infinity War wasn’t a good film, I loved it (mostly) but I know when I sit down to watch a Marvel movie, I’m not just focussing on what’s in front of my face. As sad as it may seem, I actually pride myself on my ability to notice things in films before most people (the current craze around the sash attached to Black Dwarf’s belt? Please, you’re 4 months late) but at the same time I’m becoming grateful that companies like Marvel can only make so many films in one year.
In contrast to the content intensive experience provided by franchise films, I keep turning to people like Dwayne Johnson for movies which provide exactly what my tired and overworked brain needs. Relaxation. Don’t mistake that for an insult, the Rock is onto something when it comes to moviemaking and he is working that vein like an absolute pro. I’ll admit it wasn’t until around 2015 when he shouldered the lead in San Andreas and Jumanji that I began to notice the pattern, but whenever I watched something featuring Dwayne Johnson it was simply entertaining. That’s it. Pure unadulterated fun from start until finish. In a world where you need to know everything about anything, films like that come as a breath of fresh air! You don’t need any form of background knowledge, you don’t have to scrutinise every single scene or directorial decision, you can just sit and watch and laugh and cry and experience the movie as it was meant to be experienced. It’s simple cinema and I am all about that right now!
Take Skyscraper for example. It had a very simple, very believable base and then built on it with a little drama and tension, chucked in a couple of side-stories to show off a bit and then drew it all back to the core motives for a good old-fashioned showdown between the good guy and the bad guy. As far as storytelling goes it doesn’t break the mould but it doesn’t have to for it to still be an enjoyable experience. I left the cinema having watched the movie and I didn’t feel like I’d missed anything, but I also felt like I’d actually fully appreciated everything that the film had intended. But it’s not just Skyscraper, if you look at his portfolio over the past couple of years Rampage, Baywatch, Moana, Central Intelligence they are all exceptionally fun movies to watch and generally all for differing reasons except that they are kept relatively simple and entertaining.
Yes, a whacking great big production budget is going to make any B-list horror movie look like the next Conjuring but it’s no mistake that the Rock wields his star power to get the best out of the people that are around him and it always shows. Don’t worry, this isn’t a post dedicated to engorging the ego of the world’s most famous movie star but to make the point that we as consumers need good independent films just as much as we devour the latest franchise instalment. If the franchises are the main course, then think of big budget independent movies as the little aperitifs you get at the end of a meal. They cleanse your pallet and leave you feeling refreshed and ready for whatever comes next (usually a nap).
That’s not to say that I’m going to start avoiding big franchise films because they’re draining to watch, I love spotting references and nods to the originals in reboots and in fact the next film I intend on seeing is the new Christopher Robin because who doesn’t want to watch a philosophical bear and his friends gallivant around London? What I’m saying is that I am grateful to people like Dwayne Johnson and his ilk who make enjoyable films simply for the purpose of entertainment, movies designed to be watched rather than dissected.
NerdInc 