Frankly there is a lot truth in this article. I think the Star Wars movies along with others probably helped dumb down the film industry.
Where once you had a plethora of diverse films of all types we see too many special effect laden movies deigned for mass appeal and little else.
This is not say that good drama’s, thriller’s, and comedies are not there but they certainly get overshadowed in the film market today and as such do not get the kind of audience they once did. I will backtrack and say that a really good comedy can score big if it’s done right.
It’s hard to make a “smash” hit out of a Taxi Driver or Easy Rider (which soured the film industry in their own ways), let alone an INTERNATIONAL hit film.
Today’s comic book franchise films from Marvel-Disney and others play down their American origins. Captain America became “The First Avenger” abroad. Superman mocked “Truth, Justice, and that other stuff (the American Way)”. GI Joe is no longer “A Real American Hero”.