My Love-Hate Relationship with Movie Franchises
Look, I’m gonna be honest. I have a problem. A big one. I can’t stop watching bad movie franchises. And I’m not alone. Last Tuesday, I was at this little place in Austin called The Alamo Drafthouse, and I was talking to a colleague named Dave. He said, “Marcus, why do we keep watching these terrible movies?” I mean, I don’t know, Dave. Why do we?
I think it’s because we’re all hopeless romantics. We keep hoping that the next installment is gonna be the one that brings back the magic. But it never does. It’s like that time I dated Lisa from Seattle. Remember her? Yeah, she was a disaster. But I kept going back because I thought maybe, just maybe, she’d change. Spoiler: she didn’t.
And it’s not just me. It’s all of us. We’re all sitting here, watching these movies, hoping for the best. But it’s never gonna happen. It’s like that time I went to see Transformers: The Last Knight. I mean, come on. It was a disaster. But did I learn my lesson? No. I went and saw Bumblebee anyway. And you know what? It was better than expected. But that’s the thing, isn’t it? We keep getting our hopes up, and sometimes, just sometimes, we’re not let down.
But here’s the thing. We can’t just keep doing this. We can’t keep watching these movies and hoping for the best. We need to demand better. We need to hold Hollywood accountable. We need to say, “Enough is enough.” We need to stop watching these terrible movies and start supporting the good ones.
But What About the Good Ones?
Now, don’t get me wrong. There are some franchises out there that are doing it right. Like the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I mean, sure, Eternals was a bit of a snoozefest, but overall, they’re doing a pretty good job. And then there’s the Fast & Furious franchise. I know, I know. It’s ridiculous. But it’s also kinda fun. And isn’t that what movies are supposed to be? Fun?
But even the good franchises have their problems. Like, why do we need another Spider-Man movie? I mean, I love Tom Holland as much as the next guy, but come on. When is enough, enough? And don’t even get me started on the Star Wars franchise. I mean, The Rise of Skywalker? Really? That was the best they could do? I mean, I guess it was better than the Star Wars Holiday Special, but that’s not saying much.
What Can We Do About It?
So, what can we do? Well, first of all, we need to stop watching these terrible movies. I know, I know. It’s hard. But we need to be strong. We need to say no to the Transformers of the world and yes to the Parasites. We need to support the good movies and leave the bad ones to rot.
And we need to be smart about it. We need to read reviews before we go see a movie. We need to do our research. We need to make sure that we’re not wasting our time and money on something that’s gonna disappoint us. And if we’re not sure, we can always check out latest news updates today summary to see what other people are saying. Because honestly, who has time for a bad movie?
But here’s the thing. It’s not just about the movies we watch. It’s about the culture we create. We need to start talking about these issues. We need to have conversations about what makes a good movie and what makes a bad one. We need to hold Hollywood accountable for the movies they make. And we need to demand better.
A Tangent: The Music Industry
You know, this whole thing reminds me of the music industry. I mean, have you listened to the radio lately? It’s a disaster. It’s all about the algorithyms and the streaming numbers. It’s not about the music anymore. It’s about the committment to the bottom line. And it’s the same with movies. It’s all about the box office numbers and the merchandising opportunities. It’s not about the story anymore. It’s not about the art.
But we can change that. We can demand better. We can support the artists who are doing it right. We can create a culture that values art over algorithyms. And we can start by being more selective about the movies we watch.
So, What’s the Verdict?
Look, I’m not saying we should never watch a bad movie again. I mean, come on. We all need a little guilty pleasure every now and then. But we need to be smart about it. We need to be selective. We need to demand better. And we need to hold Hollywood accountable.
So, the next time you’re about to buy a ticket to the latest Transformers movie, ask yourself: is this really what I want to support? Is this really the kind of movie I want to see? And if the answer is no, then don’t watch it. Watch something else instead. Watch something good. Watch something that deserves your time and money.
Because honestly, we deserve better than this. We deserve better movies. We deserve better art. And we deserve a better culture. So, let’s demand it. Let’s create it. Let’s make it happen.
About the Author: Hi, I’m Marcus. I’ve been writing about entertainment for over 20 years. I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. And I’m here to tell you, we can do better. We deserve better. And I’m not gonna stop until we get it.
