Amen. Really, within the context of this article, the same folks destroying the movies are the ones that drove the removal of The Chief as the symbol of U of I. The ineptitude of the politically correct knows no bounds, and have left a couple of generations of men way behind…
Fascinating and original take. I guess at 24 I was already too old for the original Star Wars when it came out. My wife was the one who explained the success of "that stupid movie" to me, saying Walt Disney had died a decade before that and his studio used to put out a couple of movies you could take your kids to every summer. The years preceding the release of Star Wars, the movies were full of Carrie, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, Taxi Driver, etc. Hardly kid's fare. People were ready for a movie that was just fun with likable good guys and hissable bad guys.
Yes, it must be frustrating that we boomers won't step aside. We're living and working longer than ever, and it may well be to the detriment of following generations.
I had the "I'm not the target audience anymore" moment sitting in stunned silence at the end of, perhaps ironically, Star Wars episode 8. In fairness, that's not because it was made for kids, but for reasons you've explained pretty well with your coffin corner thesis.
It's funny, I was thinking about how the age gap actually intensifies the Coffin Corner problem. The older and more out of touch Kennedy, Iger, Zaslav, Rothman and others get, the more dependent they are on younger creatives to tell them what kids want and the less capable they are of saying "no that's not right."
Perhaps you have stumbled upon why SW 1-3 didn’t work, despite being made by the Jedi-master himself, he had grown too far removed from the reality of which you speak.
They didn't work for the generation that grew up with 3-6, but 1-3 seem to have a lasting appeal for millennials. Earlier this year the Revenge of the Sith re-release pulled in $25 million in its opening weekend.
GW's anecdote about his kids' Jurassic Park reactions actually reminded me of hearing Jar Jar-friendly comments from kids while walking out of the theater of a Phantom Menace matinee 26 years ago. (I was in the UK so the English accent may have helped embed it in my mind a little more firmly) Made me realize that this movie probably wasn't created for me ... although who knows what audience the trade federation nonsense was supposed to appeal to.
Isn't this the same story that we saw after the success of "Easy Rider" vs. mega-flops like "Dr. Doolittle" (the Rex Harrison one) or "Paint Your Wagon", where Hollywood's old guard realized that they did not "get" the younger generation, and thus started throwing deals at Spielberg, Lucas, Scorcese, and the like?
If so, hopefully there are some talented but currently unknown Gen Z writers/directors out there who can pick up the torch.
Definitely... every new era of filmmaking is in some sense a reaction to, or a rejection of, a previous era. What's interesting about this current era is that the biggest most popular franchises now span 40 or 50 years and multiple generations. That's never happened before. And we are seeing how tough it is to make content that appeals to people in their 50's and 60's that also appeals to kids and teens.
I didn’t like Star Wars in the seventies. I never understood what all the hype was about. It was Star Wars 24/7 for a decade. I’ve only watched bits and pieces. Total friggin fantasy for the dumbed down masses.
Also what's funny is that 3 years ago, I also proposed a way Disney could have set up a story loop where Star Wars could have appealed to kids and they could recycle it every 25 years to get the next generation.
Am I the only one that enjoyed Skeleton Crew? Have I somehow managed to keep in touch with my inner 15 year old? (what film did I see where I said, "it was everything I ever wanted when I was 12..." Godzilla x Kong maybe)
Now I do have to repeat a comment I made elsewhere: What a lot of people seem to miss is how necessary stories are for people and societies to function.
Yes for those of us with deep roots in old faiths and are mindful of the history of our peoples, it is easier to set things aside because you still have the alternative. The up and coming generations have had all that denied them (or convinced such things are evil). And yes the question usually goes, "then get that other stuff" but that's like telling people they should just go to one of the alternate social media platforms. The power and use in culture and language is by how many people use it. Again think of it like language. Would you want to adopt a whole new language that nobody else around you speaks? Diversity becomes exhausting when every interaction has a "warm up" period where you and the other person have to ascertain what touchstones you have in common just so you can communicate and bond. Star Wars was one of the few things which was big enough you could skip all that. You could say "the least of these" (what used to be a commonly understood Christian phrase) and have people confused as to what you mean (as one Obama speechwriter learned when he tried to include it in a speech and another staffer thought it was a typo) or you could say "use the Force" and have good odds 90% of people get your meaning.
And the thing about it is, we need this communication not just across (talking with strangers) but up and down too - talking with generations. We may make jokes and light of "kids these days" and "old men yelling at clouds" but the simple fact is that the old and young do need to communicate and provide feedback to each other. That is at least one use of franchises being evergreen.
(I should probably write a book on this but it would probably be too rambly.)
Thanks, yeah I’ve written a lot about how movies are our version of the stories our ancient ancestors told around the fire… that they entertain but also pass down the knowledge, wisdom and cultural understanding we all need to function as a society.
Wait ‘til your past 70. NOTHING is made for you that isn’t a pill or a shot…
🤣🤣🤣yikes!
Bring back the Chief!
Amen. Really, within the context of this article, the same folks destroying the movies are the ones that drove the removal of The Chief as the symbol of U of I. The ineptitude of the politically correct knows no bounds, and have left a couple of generations of men way behind…
I-L-L…
I-N-I
Fascinating and original take. I guess at 24 I was already too old for the original Star Wars when it came out. My wife was the one who explained the success of "that stupid movie" to me, saying Walt Disney had died a decade before that and his studio used to put out a couple of movies you could take your kids to every summer. The years preceding the release of Star Wars, the movies were full of Carrie, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, Taxi Driver, etc. Hardly kid's fare. People were ready for a movie that was just fun with likable good guys and hissable bad guys.
Yes, it must be frustrating that we boomers won't step aside. We're living and working longer than ever, and it may well be to the detriment of following generations.
I had the "I'm not the target audience anymore" moment sitting in stunned silence at the end of, perhaps ironically, Star Wars episode 8. In fairness, that's not because it was made for kids, but for reasons you've explained pretty well with your coffin corner thesis.
It's funny, I was thinking about how the age gap actually intensifies the Coffin Corner problem. The older and more out of touch Kennedy, Iger, Zaslav, Rothman and others get, the more dependent they are on younger creatives to tell them what kids want and the less capable they are of saying "no that's not right."
Perhaps you have stumbled upon why SW 1-3 didn’t work, despite being made by the Jedi-master himself, he had grown too far removed from the reality of which you speak.
They didn't work for the generation that grew up with 3-6, but 1-3 seem to have a lasting appeal for millennials. Earlier this year the Revenge of the Sith re-release pulled in $25 million in its opening weekend.
GW's anecdote about his kids' Jurassic Park reactions actually reminded me of hearing Jar Jar-friendly comments from kids while walking out of the theater of a Phantom Menace matinee 26 years ago. (I was in the UK so the English accent may have helped embed it in my mind a little more firmly) Made me realize that this movie probably wasn't created for me ... although who knows what audience the trade federation nonsense was supposed to appeal to.
Yesh in retrospect it’s pretty clear Lucas had a slightly better handle on what kids want, but the movies weren’t nearly as seminal at 4-6
Oh I definitely believe that’s the case. It’s too plot heavy… not enough character or theme
Eye opening, thought-provoking and sobering. Thankyou for expanding my perspective.
Eye opening, thought-provoking and sobering. Thankyou for expanding my perspective.
Thanks Russ!
Isn't this the same story that we saw after the success of "Easy Rider" vs. mega-flops like "Dr. Doolittle" (the Rex Harrison one) or "Paint Your Wagon", where Hollywood's old guard realized that they did not "get" the younger generation, and thus started throwing deals at Spielberg, Lucas, Scorcese, and the like?
If so, hopefully there are some talented but currently unknown Gen Z writers/directors out there who can pick up the torch.
Definitely... every new era of filmmaking is in some sense a reaction to, or a rejection of, a previous era. What's interesting about this current era is that the biggest most popular franchises now span 40 or 50 years and multiple generations. That's never happened before. And we are seeing how tough it is to make content that appeals to people in their 50's and 60's that also appeals to kids and teens.
I didn’t like Star Wars in the seventies. I never understood what all the hype was about. It was Star Wars 24/7 for a decade. I’ve only watched bits and pieces. Total friggin fantasy for the dumbed down masses.
Also what's funny is that 3 years ago, I also proposed a way Disney could have set up a story loop where Star Wars could have appealed to kids and they could recycle it every 25 years to get the next generation.
https://natewinchester.wordpress.com/2022/02/07/my-jedi-academia/
Am I the only one that enjoyed Skeleton Crew? Have I somehow managed to keep in touch with my inner 15 year old? (what film did I see where I said, "it was everything I ever wanted when I was 12..." Godzilla x Kong maybe)
Now I do have to repeat a comment I made elsewhere: What a lot of people seem to miss is how necessary stories are for people and societies to function.
RPG Pundit put it brilliantly once when he talked about people "speaking Western." (https://therpgpundit.blogspot.com/2017/02/harry-potter-and-way-millennial.html) It's what led me to realize and talk about the practical use of stories. (https://natewinchester.wordpress.com/2024/01/18/the-practical-need-of-stories/) People need stories and cultures to help communicate and connect with each other. Asking why people hang on to star wars or other nostalgia bits is like asking "why do people hold on to English? Just give it up and start speaking another language."
Yes for those of us with deep roots in old faiths and are mindful of the history of our peoples, it is easier to set things aside because you still have the alternative. The up and coming generations have had all that denied them (or convinced such things are evil). And yes the question usually goes, "then get that other stuff" but that's like telling people they should just go to one of the alternate social media platforms. The power and use in culture and language is by how many people use it. Again think of it like language. Would you want to adopt a whole new language that nobody else around you speaks? Diversity becomes exhausting when every interaction has a "warm up" period where you and the other person have to ascertain what touchstones you have in common just so you can communicate and bond. Star Wars was one of the few things which was big enough you could skip all that. You could say "the least of these" (what used to be a commonly understood Christian phrase) and have people confused as to what you mean (as one Obama speechwriter learned when he tried to include it in a speech and another staffer thought it was a typo) or you could say "use the Force" and have good odds 90% of people get your meaning.
And the thing about it is, we need this communication not just across (talking with strangers) but up and down too - talking with generations. We may make jokes and light of "kids these days" and "old men yelling at clouds" but the simple fact is that the old and young do need to communicate and provide feedback to each other. That is at least one use of franchises being evergreen.
(I should probably write a book on this but it would probably be too rambly.)
Thanks, yeah I’ve written a lot about how movies are our version of the stories our ancient ancestors told around the fire… that they entertain but also pass down the knowledge, wisdom and cultural understanding we all need to function as a society.
CD tore JP:R a new one in his own, unique way: https://youtu.be/wMzd9KLbeNI?si=SMKy1jIZ5k8AIBKF
yeah I watched that while I was writing this essay