Eh… I think most viewers like compelling characters when they find them, even in comfort entertainment. And putting them in interesting situations is part of what makes them compelling.
I guess this is why influencers (using that term very broadly) are so popular. That format cuts out all the plot and fluff and goes straight to characters.
Bingo.
Ugh, that’s exactly what’s going to happen, isn’t?
Also, I hate how people ponder why stuff like this is happening and miss the elephant in the room. Guess engagement optimization isn’t a trending topic…
Yeah. I mean, there was stuff before Taken (Bond, Die Hard, many more I’m sure), but in terms of movie plots, Taken has to be one of the most influential movies of the millennium, lol. It’s even leaking into TV (Reacher, and many others).
Things are kinda invisible if they don’t trend on social media. Hence, meaning no offense to OP, they have not show up in OP’s feeds.
A large part of the population are stressed and exhausted, and that’s not a “let’s go see something fun” mindset for many, it’s “let’s get through the day and watch comfort content.”
I’ve witnessed this, too! I even know family that relaxed their long-form TV watching due to work stress, and generally hit the YouTube algorithim and other quick comfort food in its place.
Sure, a lot of American film makes war movies all “RAH RAH RAH USA USA USA,”
Here are the 3 “original” movies in my local theatre, to get more of what I mean:
Levon Cade left behind a decorated military career in the black ops to live a simple life working construction. But when his boss’s daughter, who is like family to him, is taken by human traffickers, his search to bring her home uncovers a world of corruption far greater than he ever could have imagined.
harlie Heller (Malek) is a brilliant, but deeply introverted decoder for the CIA working out of a basement office at headquarters in Langley whose life is turned upside down when his wife is killed in a London terrorist attack. When his supervisors refuse to take action, he takes matters into his own hands, embarking on a dangerous trek across the globe to track down those responsible, his intelligence serving as the ultimate weapon for eluding his pursuers and achieving his revenge…
Written and directed by Iraq War veteran Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland (Civil War, 28 Days Later), Warfare embeds audiences with a platoon of American Navy SEALs in the home of an Iraqi family, overwatching the movement of US forces through insurgent territory. A visceral, boots-on-the-ground story of modern warfare, told like never before: in real time and based on the memory of the people who lived it.
The last one (Warfare) kinda stands out, but see the pattern? “Ex black ops protag” is super popular, and I posit that, on average, it’s a turn-off for leftists.
Heh, looking at the article and the cesspool of WSJ comments:
The elephant in the room (that the website dances around) is algorithmic attention. If people are glued to feeds on phones/at home, that’s less time to chat about (and go to) movies that don’t have the critical mass to pop into your feed. That sucks, as there’s nothing movie studios can do about our toxic information environment.
Going by the comments… Seems modern movie goers have a thin skin. Even the slightest hint of something woke is apparently unwatchable? But themes and conflicts that make you uncomfortable are what makes fiction interesting. This may cut both ways too (with, for instance, military-themed movies turning off more leftist moviegoers? I feel that way to some extent).
Wanting to watch at home is a major contributing factor, but I think its overstated compared to the above two. Like, our local Movie Tavern isn’t super luxurious, I have crazy technical family with OLED/surround setups, but going out is still a fun social excursion. Most peoples’ home setups… aren’t great.
Maybe this is more personal to me, but I am way more into TV series than movies these days. There’s just so much more time to worldbuild and assemble characters, and more room to run and play once established. But I would totally pay for a restaurant booth to, say, watch some TV episode I can pick with buds.
I find that tragic :(
I understand though, unfortunately kinda sympathize, and don’t have any advice to counter it…