By Jordan Hum | Copy Editor
Last month, Universal Pictures released “Cocaine Bear,” a movie where a bear consumes cocaine and proceeds to go on a rampage. While the film will not be nominated for any Oscars, it gives audiences a break from both the cookie-cutter superhero movies and the three-hour philosophical marathons that have overtaken movie theaters. Entertainment needs more frivolous movies like “Cocaine Bear” to provide a breath of fresh air in what has become a static industry.
Nowadays, it seems every title ends with a “2” or has a colon indicating a sequel. “Creed III,” “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “Fast & Furious 10”- if the only movies being released are sequels, then opportunities for original films are lessened.
The main catalyst for this movement is undoubtedly Marvel Studios. With the release of “Antman and the Wasp: Quantumania” on Feb. 17, there are a total of 30 different movies in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). Of these 30 movies, 17 are sequels. Due to sheer quantity, it was inevitable for the MCU films to fall into a formulaic pattern.
Denis Villeneuve, director of “Dune,” is acutely aware of this. “Perhaps the problem is that we are in front of too many Marvel movies that are nothing more than a ‘cut and paste’ of others,” Villeneuve stated.
Additionally, the inclusion of Disney+ series into the MCU can make comprehension of the films more difficult because characters and plot points are carried over. This can create confusion when a viewer has not seen a previous movie or show. Nobody should have to study to watch a movie.
Despite Marvel’s chokehold on the film industry, original movies are still being pumped out. Films like “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “All Quiet on the Western Front” swept the nation with innovative stories and visuals. However, at times these movies can be grueling to sit through and even harder to digest.
Three hours is a long time for a movie. While some films warrant and utilize a three-hour runtime effectively, in many cases they feel too long.
According to the Los Angeles Times, a poll found that 52 percent of people search for the runtime of a movie beforehand. Of this percentage, 57 percent were agitated with movies running past 150 minutes.
Often these “Best Picture nominee” movies have heavy philosophical messages and ideas, which can be exhausting to comprehend. The countless metaphors and motifs fly over audiences’ heads, leaving them puzzled. Not everyone wants to look up “ending explained” after finishing a movie.
At the root of entertainment is escapism. People watch movies to relieve themselves of real life burdens.
Movies like “Cocaine Bear”, “Velocipastor,” and “Wayne’s World,” which have no depth whatsoever, provide this relief. Movies so ludicrous a ten-year-old could have dreamt the plot allows people to mindlessly escape. The industry needs more stupid movies.
Support movies like these by catching them at smaller and independent theaters where they are regularly shown. Making these movies successful at the box office encourages producers to keep creating them.
While superhero sequels and three-hour life lessons do not make for bad movies, their constant presence in the ticket booth can be overwhelming. Sometimes, audiences just want to watch a drugged-up bear kill a bunch of people.
