Why do blockbusters get a free ride now?

[Graham Kennedy]

I saw Transformers the other day. I found it... aggressively unenjoyable. When I mentioned this to somebody, he said "what do you expect, it's a popcorn movie!"

This made me think. The first big summer blockbuster was Jaws. Jaws had a superb plot, diverse and interesting characters, those characters are superbly played. There's some moral ambivalence in there; Brody didn't close the beaches, he bowed to political pressure instead... and a boy died because of it.

I could name half a dozen blockbuster summer movies with good plots, good characters and good acting. The Terminator. Star Wars. Die Hard. And so on.

But at some point... most of that became unimportant. At some point we the people stopped expecting these types of movies to be any GOOD. We decided it was okay for them to suck so long as they had good special effects and things blowing up in ways we had not seen before.

When did that happen? And why?

[Sionnach Glic]

Because the average IQ of the population has goten lower?

Seriously, I do think thats the problem. The average guy isn't going to go into a cinema with his brain turned on. They don't want a complicated plot or something you need to think about. They just want something shiny blowing up something else.

To be honest I cant off the top of my head think of a modern film with a good plot compared to an older film. (yes, I know people are probably going to prove me wrong with hundreds of examples now)

[Graham Kennedy]

I struggle to accept that. I look at various things as evidence that people are getting stupider - reality TV, celebrities famous for no reason I can discern, creationism - but I am always left feeling a little uneasy about it, like I am just being snobby in a "in my day, we were all clever..."

Are people REALLY stupider now than they were twenty years ago?

[Sionnach Glic]

I have noticed a severe drop in the average inteligence of the classes I teach over the last few years. I have only been teaching a few years but it is noticeable.

[DBS]

Because the average IQ of the population has goten lower?

They just want something shiny blowing up something else.

(*oooh....shiny.....explosions............drooooool.*)


I think it is a vicious cycle. Summer movies start out being good/cool. There are some bad ones, but not too bad. People like exciting movies better, or so it seems to producers. (not to mention that there is more competition for the "best" summer movie) So there are bigger explosions to pander to popcorn stuffers. And that leaves room for less plot.

Which slowly rubs off on the audience, who at some point decide that explosions are cooler than plot. So the more action-y and less plotty movies get more and more popular. Etc, etc. and so on.

Notice that "classic" movies are the ones people will watch over and over, always discovering new nuances in the story/characters. I will probably only watch Transformers once. But I contributed all the producers needed: one ticket, because if something is hyped enough, everyone will want to see it at least once. So what if it isn't worth repeat watching? Once I'm in the seat their job is really over.

I don't think people are much less intelligent per se than before (I haven't had years of students to watch, so I'm holding judgment for a decade or so), they just don't want to think at the cinema. It has become less intellectual in pursuit of pure entertainment. The real danger is when ALL media gets like that (which it has, in my opinion). There are fewer and fewer places that REQUIRE an active brain anymore.

[DBS]

I have noticed a severe drop in the average inteligence of the classes I teach over the last few years. I have only been teaching a few years but it is noticeable.

Have you noticed whether it has something to do with culture saying it is "not cool" to be intellectual at all? That is the distinct impression I have gotten from young people on this side of the pond, and have seen it from personal experience.

I guess I'm lucky I teach a subject that attracts the students who want to think about what they're doing, rather than a class everyone has to take.

[Graham Kennedy]

I've been a teacehr ten years, and I have to say there is a strongly anti-intellectual streak amongst the young. In school the word "boffin" - often shortened to "boff" is used as an insult. Being too clever. working too hard, trying too much, is an easy way to make others look down on you.

But this is something that in my experience has been fairly consistent over the last ten years.

I see the change more amongst those in their 20s. The generation who admire the likes of Paris Hilton, who buy Heat magazine and watch Big Brother. These people seem to revel in the lowest common denominator.

[Sionnach Glic]

I've noticed the classes where I teach always split into three groups.

The "Nerds". Smart people who are actually interested in learning.

The morons. People who make fun of the "nerds" and generally make asses out of themselves. These are the people who, in the future, will be seeing me again only to ask "do you want fries with that?"

Other people. Neither fitting into one group or another. Not really interested in learning, but don't make nuisances of themselves.

Thats how it is over here anyway.

[Foxbat]

You make movies to hit demographic targets and turn a profit nowadays, not to just make a good movie.

Some days, I want a good movie with plot and character developement that makes me think. Somedays, I just want that vicarious release of aggression and watch stuff blow up.

Also, since I'm shelling out $8+ a ticket to see a movie in a theater, I want it to be visually stunning. (Star Wars, Saving Private Ryan) Otherwise, I'll wait for DVD or pay per view and watch it on my less that wonderful TV at home. (The Usual Suspects, Office Space...)

But that's me...

[Dean Martlou]

i believe that all media is corrupt and creatively bankrupt because i'm not the one writing it.
okay, so not really me specifically, but my generation.
i think it's a cyclical thing, and a pattern that has a long swing back and forth.
because it's either that, or i get used to watching reruns of Everybody Loves Hypnotoad.

[Teaos]

People do what is easy and enjoyable. I disliked Transformers and when I said this to some of my friends my age they couldn't believe I didn't like it.

There will always be those like us who like intellectual things and seem smarter than the norm. We are not a tiny minority but we are a quite one.

Morons and the people who like Paris hilton are just louder than us thus there seems to be more of them.

[DBS]

Here's to the Underground Minority of Nerds!

[Teaos]

May we one day and take our rightful place as rulers of this world.

[Sionnach Glic]

Oh yes, one day...

You can just tell all the best Bond villains were nerds. And look how close they came! Its just a matter of time...

[00111010 01000100]

Graham (and others).
I realize that this is reviving an old thread so apologies but I read it and find myself extremely curious as to yours and others views point today, in the present. You Mentioned that you had been teaching for 10-years at the time of this post (2007), it’s now 13 years later. How has your impression of society and your students evolved since then? Are we still doomed to a world that mimics the intellectual levels shown in “Idiocracy”?

As you know, while I attempt to speak and communicate intelligently, my basic math skills and interpretation are less than spectacular. I view myself and my generation (people born in the mid-late 1970’s) as kinsmen of equal abilities. While the technological intelligence of the later generations has continued to improve, they seem to lack something which my generation had. I’m sure if we asked persons born in the 50’s and 60’s about kids in the 70’s, they might have a similarly dim view of them in some way.

So I am hoping that you (and others) would add to this as it is technically a historical point-of-view that may have changed for better or worse now.