Blockbusters are Back: But are Audiences Missing the Point?
*Article from Lexington Line Spring/Summer 2024 issue, pages 26-28
Check out the full issue here
From hot Barbie pink to Jacob Elordi’s bathwater, 2023 marked the revival of big box office films. With them came large audiences and an immense amount of influence. But the magnitude of control films have on our society, if left unchecked, can lead to chaos.
Over the last decade, social media and streaming have us in a chokehold. Social media is growing, and our social abilities are shrinking: more and more, critical thinking and meaningful conversations are replaced by reiterations of the media we absorb.
When we find ourselves dwelling on our problems, we escape through hobbies and adventures, but more frequently, through media.
As Nicole Kidman describes her AMC theater monologue, “Our heroes feel like the best parts of us, and stories feel perfect and powerful.” You feel a connection with the protagonists and even the antagonists when you sit in those theater chairs.
With a crisp Coke and fresh buttery popcorn, you lock in, reclining your seats. And in that moment, you are fully entirely engaged, at peace, and captivated.
Cult followings have grown drastically, and fan video edits are all the rage. Emerald Fennell’s 2023 film, Saltburn, was highlighted on social media platforms, specifically TikTok. A velocity-style edit of Elordi’s character, Flex Catton, featuring Flume’s “Never Be Like You,” garnered more than 75.6 million views. An ensuing Jacob Elordi wave lasted from November to at least February.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes had a similar edit blow-up in November—Rihanna’s “Breakin’ Dishes” with another velocity edit of Tom Blyth’s character, Coriolanus Snow. Making him “White Boy of The Month.”
Two films from November of 2023 have influenced millions of young viewers. Yes, video edits can be harmless fun. Still, when our generation refers to things with a certain “aesthetic,” it spirals into a concerning cycle: the influence of the media is relentless, and some romanticized aesthetics can overwhelm us with their influence.
Addiction, for example, is depicted more and more in film, and there are undoubtedly younger audiences that consume that media. And those younger audiences are influenced by those behaviors.
Priscilla, Sofia Coppola’s 2023 biopic of Priscilla Presley, depicts substance abuse and addiction. Coppola’s work is notorious for exploring the complexities of girlhood and replicating that into set designs and characters. Instead of learning from the problematic aspects of Pricilla’s story, our generation will call it “so coquette” or even “Americana.”
Of course, they are pretty to look at, but we can only sometimes want to live in that world. At what point do we delineate the boundary between reality and fantasy?
However, when you sit in those theater chairs to watch a highly anticipated film, you don’t always see that line between our reality and the film’s fantasy.
The films of 2023 engender that same feeling: the feeling of being in the theaters as a kid with your parents or heading to the Blockbuster to pick up the newest releases. It has been the best array of cinema we have seen in a while, but our media saturation makes it hard to properly contextualize these films.
Because of that, there are many aspects of this media we attach to ourselves. And, unquestionably, the trends that come with them.
Films in recent years have had an enormous significance on fashion, beauty, and lifestyle trends. In July, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie swung in. You saw Margot Robbie’s imitations of vintage Barbie dolls. We all saw the behind-the-scenes photos of the sets and outfits. It was a real-life fantasy.
Barbie targeted both children as well as adults who are trying to heal their inner child. It was a phenomenon that had some positive effects: serious exploration of the unreasonable expectation society places on women.
But for months leading up to the film and after, the concept of the live-action Barbie movie was incorporated into creative trends and aesthetics. A new term, “Barbiecore,” was created after the trends rose. There were millions of videos surfacing throughout all social platforms of different trends for fans.
Clothing looks varied from monochromatic Barbie hot pink to stylish silhouettes that give you the Barbie doll feel.
Full of influential trends of femininity and womanhood, the Barbie film struck an entirely new fanbase. If you look up “Barbie aesthetic” on Pinterest, you will see blonde bombshells at the beach or very dainty aesthetics of the 200s Barbie movies, embracing the magic that was infused throughout each of the films.
If you look up “Saltburn aesthetic” on Pinterest, you will see dark academia visuals intertwined with the drug use in the film, the power, the money, and most of all status. While also finding images that highlight the UK party scene.
Barbie is a little more harmless than the themes shown in Saltburn. The film reached many new audiences, including an undoubtedly younger audience. Because of these themes, more impressionable audiences will want that lifestyle or to be more like the character.
In our society, we give the media so much power. As it progresses, younger and younger individuals will be surrounded by it. With that, the romanticization of films now will and can affect all kinds of audiences’ mental and physical health.
Moving back to The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. We all know the infamous Katniss Everdeen, the Mockingjay. The first four films of this franchise affected an entirely new generation. An even larger fanbase, fans sharing love for dystopian style media.
The new prequel is filled with many beautiful songs, cinematography, and characters. But as said before, the romanticization of villains in film has exceeded drastically to the point where you can’t see the line between reality and fantasy.
Altering our appearances, personalities, likes, and dislikes based on a film, or a specific character will never benefit you in the way you want.
Films are often lessons to be had or different experiences, but never to be taken literally. There is no issue in relating in character, but there can be a long-lasting effect if you try to turn yourself into someone you are not.
Media is captivating; it is not all bad. But with everything there are always negatives. We use it now as an escape from our lives instead of entertainment. But it has also made us feel an immense amount of joy.
Living life hiding between aesthetics and glamorizing your life to where you believe it is a movie or a song is the lesson to be taught. These narratives reflect aspects of our society that are often glorified.
Having young audiences exposed to content that is not directed at them can shape their perceptions and experiences. It is what we need to stray away from, live your life from your perspective.
Grasping the ability to identify what fantasy is and what reality is, and to really see the film as art or inspiration, is really the whole point.
Rather than romanticizing what we see on screen, it’s important to attempt to absorb the valuable lessons you learn from films and integrate those into your own life. At the end of the day, it is your life, and the lessons learned from films should aid you through your own personal journey—not make you escape from it.