Mission impenetrable: are Hollywood blockbusters losing the plot?

The Guardian ^ | 30 July 2015 | Phil Hoad

[MinorityRepublican]

Forty-five minutes into the seventh Fast & Furious movie, Vin Diesel drives towards a huge precipice. The audience have only the faintest idea why he’s there. Ditto why they have paraglided their cars into Azerbaijan. Is it Azerbaijan?

It’s probably to rescue someone … who was it again? Something to do with a surveillance gizmo means they need to find their nemesis Jason Statham, except Statham seems to find them whenever he wants, being the one about to push Diesel off the cliff, not the random mercenaries they’re nicking the device from.

Only Kurt Russell – who’s watching everything from his covert-ops unit and chatting about craft ale – seems to understand what the hell is going on.

[kelly4c]

I go to the theater maybe 5-6 times a year and almost always end up disappointed in some way. Recently re-watched Frequency and Panic room on cable and though unrealistic (I don’t need total realism in my entertainment I live it)I like those movies because they have a unique premise. Last flick I saw in theater was Mall cop 2 because of grandson and I only chuckled once, at the guy who kept falling asleep. I did laugh out loud along with my GS at the very end when the horse kicks Blart ( only cause Grandson got a kick out of that (no pun intended.)

[Gene Eric]

The Guardian finally feels safe in giving critical analysis of...

... a fantasy flick...

[RginTN]

I find more coherent plots on the cartoons on the Cartoon network.

Also, big hollywood movies are sooo predictable. Syfy had the most interesting movie on recently called Predestination. It had a plot twist I didn’t see coming.

[wally_bert]

There are tons on TWC but TCM, ME-TV, and some BBCA. The rest could go and I probably wouldn’t miss them.

[jocon307]

That is cool that you know someone like that. Tell him or her that I loved that movies. We just finished watching “Wayward Pines” last night, that was good too.

[LS]

He is somewhat correct, especially about the CGI driving plots, but he lost me on “Dark Knight Rising”-—which was brilliant in every aspect. Moreover, the Marvel stories, while a little too heavy in special effects, are incredibly well integrated. But yeah, the days of “a bus blows up if it drops below 50.”

[GreenLanternCorps]

All the people complaining about remakes should remember that A Star is Born, Ben-Hur, The Ten Commandments and The Wizard of Oz were all remakes.

[SoCal Pubbie]

Yes, but those were silent films remade as talkies. Those made sense. Most remakes today are made simply because its easier to pre-sell a known title than create something new. Now The Maltese Falcon I believe was a remake of a remake.