Boredom II: The Sequel

Earlier today, a friend and I were having a discussion about movies. We soon got on the topic of great movies from our childhood. I explained that a few days ago I had re-watched Teen Wolf for the first time in many years (I work at a video store – this is what we do when there are no customers). We both agreed that even though it was not a “great” movie in the sense of, say, classic films such as Citizen Kane, Dr. Strangelove, or Brazil, Michael J. Fox had captured our hearts with his hairy, basketball-playing werewolf antics.

We came to the conclusion that they just don’t make films like they used to. The movies that kids watch nowadays are flavours of the month – nothing is long lasting. Do you think kids will still be raving about Cars, Eight Below, or The Pacifier in ten years? Doubtful. But think back to Adventures in Babysitting, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, Gremlins, and The Karate Kid – none of these movies are particularly outstanding in their acting, cinematography, writing, or special effects, and none of these movies made any revolutionary changes to the way we view cinema. So why is it that so many of us look at these titles and say: “Wow, I haven’t seen that movie for a long time! What a great film!”?

Aside from the nostalgia factor, my friend and I came to the conclusion that the mainstream blockbuster movies of yesteryear (face it, our nostalgia is mainstream) didn’t rely on gimmicks to pull as many audience members as possible into the movie theatres. The problem with today’s movie-going youth is that they are so over-stimulated by all the merchandise, advertising and computer animation that they have come to expect a great deal more out of their movies. In effect, they are bored with the standard PG movie, and they want more, more, more in order to keep them interested. (What, per say, are these gimmicks? Within the film itself: musical numbers, big name actors, special effects, and fast-paced, music video style cuts (in order to hold the audience’s shortening attention span). Outside of the film: merchandise, ice-shows, advertisements out the whazzoo, and the promise of sequel after sequel after sequel.)

The problem, as I stated before, is that all these gimmicks fail to hold any permanent interest. Audiences are attracted to the gimmicks rather than the films themselves, and, as we all know, Pocahontas shaped toothbrushes eventually wear out. Temporary stimulation is hardly a solution to boredom, but rather a cruel promise that there will be more boredom to come. But then again, maybe this is what the CEOs at Disney and Nickelodeon want – if none of the kids are bored then they will be content with continuing to watch the old movies, which is bad for business. Worse yet, the kids might even refuse to watch the new Family Channel movie of the week; because if they aren’t bored, then they don’t have any reason to even turn on the TV in search of new stimulation.

And just for the record, I’d choose All Dogs go to Heaven any day over another damn 3D animated movie about animals.