Mom Says Even The Worst ‘90s Movies Are Better Than Anything Released Today — ‘It’s Not Our Attention Span’
More and more people are noticing the quality of movies has seriously declined recently.
Drazen Zigic | Shutterstock While there is a case to be made about the fact that social media has severely impacted many people's attention spans, a mom named Amber explained that another reason for the fact that people tend to struggle with sitting through new movies nowadays is just because they're terrible.
In a TikTok video, Amber insisted that Hollywood seems to be struggling to appeal to the masses, pointing out that too many movies that have been released recently just aren't good. From the acting to the scripts, she argued that if we want to see more people engaged with movies, then they need to start being made well.
A mom said even the worst '90s movies are better than anything released today.
"You know how we think social media is ruining our ability to watch movies ... you know what it actually is? The horrible acting and even worse script, and I know this because my husband and I just started watching a bunch of '90s movies and like early 2000, maybe even some '80s movies with my kids," Amber began in her video.
She explained that now that her kids are a little older, they can better understand and enjoy the movies from back in the day. But Amber insisted that when she watches them now, she noticed that a lot of those '90s movies that might've been "cringe" when they were made actually hold up a lot better now than some of the most current movies that have been released.
She said that when she watches them now, she can see why some of those '90s movies won Oscars because not only is the acting phenomenal, but the casting is amazing, the costumes are on point, and the scripts are full of rich story and plot. Some of the movies that Amber has started watching with her kids include the "Lord of the Rings" series and "The Hobbit."
"Even the really good actors and actresses that have won Oscars are horrible in the movies today," Amber argued. "That's how I feel about the Marvel movies. I can't focus on them."
A lack of originality and an unwillingness to take risks are what many people argue are the reasons movies are worse nowadays.
As The Guardian noted, instead of coming up with new ideas, movie makers aren't willing to take any risks when it comes to their budgets, so they are simply doing '90s remakes and leaning into superhero scripts to make an easy buck.
As Reddit users noted, movie studios were willing to take the risks because people actually went to the movies, which meant there was potential to make money. Before streaming, the rental market could give movies a second life after they closed at the box office. Now, however, people are barely willing to look away from their phones long enough to give a movie on Netflix their undivided attention.
Netflix is actually only making movies designed to be watched while viewers are basically, not watching. Journalist Will Tavlin wrote, “Several screenwriters who’ve worked for the streamer told me a common note from company executives is ‘have this character announce what they’re doing so that viewers who have this program on in the background can follow along.’” That certainly makes distracted watching easier, but it doesn't make for good films.
Most people aren't even going to see films in the movie theaters anymore.
Pavel Danilyuk
According to a survey from CivicScience, U.S. adults prefer to watch newly released movies for the first time at home (65%, compared with 35% who prefer to see them in theaters). Most movies are going straight to streaming platforms or are only being released in theaters for a couple of weeks before ending up on Netflix or Apple TV. That's part of the reason why so many people just aren't sitting in theaters.
And that may also be a reason why the quality of movies has diminished. CivicScience's poll found that these new movie viewing preferences are less about the convenience of watching from home and more about content and cost. Respondents admitted to a "lack of interest in most movies shown" (30%) and "ticket prices" (27%) as the primary reasons they don’t go to the movie theater more often.
While there have been some wins in terms of original films that have been released this year that have blown it out of the water at the box office, including Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" and Zach Cregger's "Weapons," the majority of movies these days just aren't captivating enough for audience consumption.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
