#retroblasting #fandom #franchises Support us on PATREON: / retroblasting Michael looks at franchise filmmaking and wonders... "What happened to allowing stories to end?"
I'm already looking forward to "It's OK for Stories to END 2" The next one needs to be more nihilistic, but also have lots of Marvel style humour and have a suitably open end.
Years ago I would have loved to have sequels to The Goonies, The Monster Squad, The Secret of NIMH (a real one), The Last Starfighter or Buckaroo Banzai......now I realize idiots run the asylum. Leave the classics and cult classics alone.
I’ve made the argument time and again about “Star Trek: Enterprise” that, had it been a unique science fantasy series in the production style of Berman-era Star Trek, it would’ve done a lot better. I wonder if the problem is simply the sheer ease of access to entertainment that’s made it less enjoyable. There’s something about how rare anime was in the 90s that made seeing Dominion Tank Police, the Tenchi movies, or Gundam on SyFy or Cartoon Network fun. Streaming tv and music also takes away from the anticipation of the communal experience. Yes, you can find colleagues at work who watch the same shows you do more easily, but is the anticipation as fun? I wonder if something like KOFY TV 20’s Annual Dance Party tv marathon would work these days, or how many others tune in Saturday nights for Svengoolie to replicate the classic “creature feature” concept. The last vestige of this experience I have held on to is Jim French’s Imagination Theater, which I listened to religiously every Sunday night while working pizza delivery and evenings in the college dorms.
It's cause back than (mid 70's through like 1995) Movies had to only check 3 boxes. Good script ✔ interesting characters ✔ & _is it Fun_ ✔... > Today these same Producers think they need to check 500 boxes. Most of which are based on ridiculous identity politics sensibilities. Which Most of the time- also use messaging and "what not" an end up destroying whatever the production is.
@@chrisbullard5901 I have had a similar thought quite a bit recently. I think we have TOO much. I agree with our comment about the communal experience. When there were less channels, less releases it just seemed that we all could enjoy these wonderful works with many of our peers. But now there are so many options from new shows/films to the countless reboots, spin-offs and continuations that it is easy to get overhelmed by the number of choices.
“There’s a fine line between being truly timeless and running yourself ragged trying to become timeless, old friend.”- a paraphrase of Optimus Prime, 1984
I remember finishing the Back to the Future trilogy for the first time as kid. The train smashed through the screen and up it came, "THE END". I cried because I knew it was finished and my journey with Marty and Doc was done. I loved it and went about watching those three stories over and over again to relive the adventure. There have been supplemental materials over they years, the animated show, the ride, comics, but a part four would only ever cheapen the experience of that trilogy and how wonderful it is. Here's hoping BTTF never joins the ranks of Star Wars, Star Trek, Ghostbusters. For a movie that was only ever meant to be a one and done, I'm so glad we have the sequels and they knew when to quit.
Oh, god yes. Hollywood's obsession with never letting stuff go is at its worst in the late 2010s-early 2020s. If you don't have anything else to say, don't bother.
@@LUCKO2022 TV (especially basic cable) went to crap in 2000 with the invention of fake reality trash TV shows starting with that fake as hell survivor bullcrap. Oddly enough survivor failed in the ratings at first as nobody was interested in it at all....it was only after the cast began fighting with each other to the point of wanting to kick each other off the set that the idea of voting cast members "off the island" was created by the writers and producers and is what proved to be the catalyst that saved the series and genre. The audience didn't give a crap about watching the cast trying to "survive" on a so called desert island(in reality it was filmed on a studio soundstage in hollywood) the audience was fixated on the drama of who was gonna get "voted off" the island this week.
Brilliant as ever, Michael. I couldn't agree more with "The End" being more satisfying. There is a direct connection between Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and Avengers: Endgame. The signatures of the actors on screen at the end of both films were a clear message to the audience that this was the end.
The producers and directors of Endgame have even come out and said this. It's not a coincidence, it's a tip of the hat and nod to how graceful Star Trek 6 did it. Which is why I am personally done with the MCU. I got my ending. And I think a lot of other people feel the same way.
@Joseph Dickerson Indeed. I saw an interview where they said the same thing and I agree that Endgame was a very satisfying ending for me and the MCU. Star Trek VI was a perfect 25 year ending for the original crew. I am interested in the upcoming Doctor Stange film, mainly because the first one was well done and it's an extremely bizarre character's world to portray. The fact that they accomplished it and Cumberbatch's performance makes me want to see it.
But then Star Trek Generations has Malcolm McDowell say, "time is the fire in which we burn" which makes it necessary. It would have been great to see Ricardo Mantalbàn's Khan survive Star Trek II and quote more books: "“I am what you designed me to be. I am your blade. You cannot now complain if you also feel the hurt.”
Excellent video. Sometimes the truth can be harsh and difficult to swallow. And now the question remains: Will our generation (kids from the 80's) have the courage to stop recreating and watching "old stuff" and finally understand there is a big world of new ideas (movies, books, comic books) waiting to be presented for our kids?
I'm an adult, a part of Gen X and I don't like all the remakes/reboots/spin-offs, what have you. I feel no embarrassment in my love of the original products, childish they may be nowadays.
This is very smart and something adults really need to come to terms with. It's something I've been expressing for years, usually to the anger many of my friends and fan groups who continue to demand more sequels and then scratch their heads in confusion as to why they're disappointed when they get them. We've infantilized ourselves for cheap entertainment and the results have bled into every aspect of our lives wherein we can no longer engage reality in an effective manner.
I was thinking as soon as I started the video, “ I think it’s because we fear death” and yep you mentioned it. Couldn’t agree more. Even these movie stars are wanting to quit and move on with their lives and we won’t let them. So studios need to recast parts and we complain about it.
I grew up with Harry Potter, now I know that it was far past your generation but it was my childhood. Every kid was excited to see the end of the seven book eight movie series. And when our beloved characters stood together at a train station waving their children goodbye, that was it, and we were happy. Now however things are far different with a 5 movie prequel series answering questions that were good because they never had answers. I never needed to know how Harry Potter's kid was doing at school. So I have to agree with you, all stories need to end.
Not a day goes by where I don't miss a time when there were only 3 star wars films. The franchise has become so stretched out and fatigued that it's truly heart breaking. I only continue to watch out of morbid curiosity to see how an ip can be so badly and unnecessarily mistreated by so many people, so many times.
I agree, though I only have enough morbid curiosity to check out synopses on youtube by people who are critical of them. I had enough curiosity for episode seven because it was well received at first, but I waited until it was on TV and am glad I did as I would have hated paying for a movie ticket for it. I had a bad feeling they were going to mess up Star Wars when they announced the new movies. I know some people like things such as the Mandalorian, and I'm happy for them, but for me, I just ignore anything but the originals and that works for me.
I tolerate the prequel trilogy because for better or worse they are 100% George Lucas’ vision. The only thing from the Disney era worthy to fit in with Episodes I-VI is Rogue One, I ignore everything else
@@Bingo_the_Pug Yeah Disney is simply gonna milk that franchise to the last drop and then engage in another power grab of another unsuspecting franchise to exploit until the cash stops flowing into their bank account. For Disney right now it's about marketing and tying the franchise into their park attractions in much the same way as six flags continually exploits the DC comics franchise in their parks as a simple cash grab.
Well said Michael. I realized almost a year ago that “these aren’t for you”, was becoming fact as things were changed to bring in new people or our children as you succinctly put it, “to enjoy our thing”. I also think this attempt to hold onto them makes us like them less. So, I walked away. I continue to enjoy what I liked but have let go and have walked completely away from what there is today. It has made my entertainment more enjoyable and I cherish it more because it is limited again. Another brilliant video.
I always loved the idea of The Terminator franchise ending with Kyle Reese stepping into the time machine so that the story would become the eternal snake eating its own tale....and unending circle, you can watch forever. But the kept doing time travel stories....even in the tv show.
About 20 years ago I remember an online debate about whether or not there should be a sequel to "Ferris Beuller's Day Off." My opinion then stands now: It works perfectly as a stand-alone film.
Terminator movies are truly the most egregious examples of unneeded sequels. I TRULY believe Shaq is to blame for telling media he would love to be in a Terminator movie in the 90's and then a bunch of people kept asking for it.
Great video Michael. I have two young boys and I always planned on handing down my MOTU and GI Joe's from my youth. More so they had more to play with. Instead it sometimes feels like they are retreading my childhood with the same franchises being the focus in the media. As much as they like MOTU Origins, Transformers, GI Joe Classified I often take a step back to ensure they are choosing something they want.
BRAVO 👍🏾 👍🏾👍🏾 I really wish you would do more videos like this. Your insight to these topics are much needed. These video essays are why I watch your channel. Keep them coming…. Er oh wait that’s the topic of the video 😂
Wow so on point. This is pretty funny as I was actually just debating with somone this week if The Thing (1982) should have a sequel. It was insane to me that somone would need more then the conclusion we got for that story. I also see what your saying about our generation having a real aversion to growing old and dying when in reality it's what happens to everyone. I actually kinda fear the day they say we've conqured death but that's just me.
Stories,like all things; must all end eventually. It's only natural. I feel like Return of The Jedi was the perfect end to "The Skywalker Saga" and don't get me wrong,I don't mind and even enjoy some of the extended universe stuff like books,comics and video games but I feel like the story of the Skywalker family should've ended there.
Come 2005, and the final prequel, Revenge of the Sith, also worked as a perfect ending to the "Skywalker Saga". We knew things would get better, and the movie left us off with all the questions we had from prior entries answered, the characters at where they are when we first met them in the original Star Wars, and a hopeful image to round things out. It might not be a finale in the traditional sense, but dammit, they should've stopped there rather than getting sold to Disney to make the Sequels.
@@michaezell4607 Ayup. It could've worked, but Disney (and to an extent, Lucas himself who appointed Kathleen Kennedy) approached this in the worst way possible.
This is a complex issue, and you did about the best job that anyone could with distilling its many dimensions into a 28-minute video. I only differ in the amount of sympathy I have for our cohort, which is to say only a slight bit more. The conditioning we experienced as kids was profound, and (due in part to Reagen-era deregulation) omnipresent. He-Man and GIJoe weren't just in our toy box or on Saturday morning TV, they were fully integrated into just about every meaningful event of our childhood. The day we first met our eventual best friend in the school cafeteria, He-Man was posed heroically on our lunch box; the last time we had a sleepover at our grandparent's house before they moved away, GIJoe was on our pajamas and on our sleeping bag; the best birthday we can remember ever having as a kid, TMNT imagery was on the balloons and the paper plates and maybe even the birthday cake itself. Meaningful events during crucial developmental windows in childhood, all indelibly stamped with the IPs we loved and were constantly exposed to. I can't dismiss this as having significant weight in explaining some of the differences experienced by previous generations. Like I said, it's a complex set of phenomena, and it may be impossible to disentangle our cohort's concept of self from the experience of many of these IPs, precisely because of how integrated they are with that which is sacred: memory and the past. And, if I were to put my cynic's hat on for a moment, this is something that the likes of Disney (who have spent a lot of time and money monopolizing the sole ownership of these IPs) understand very well and have no reservations about exploiting. But that's a whole other thread. Again, great job with this video. Hopefully it will give viewers some food for thought, maybe even help to reframe how they interact with culture and how they think about themselves. Kudos.
*Sequelitis is due to IP Squatting and wealth concentration. Makers/owners of hit properties have decided it's safer to build on an existing franchise and cater to an existing fanbase, by making a sequel or a reboot, than to take the risk of making something new that could be entirely passed over and ignored.* 🧐
Very well though out and argued. Stories are supposed to have a beginning, middle and end. An example I have given before of how actors and directors of Hollywood do not always know how to end a story is how Harrison Ford wanted to kill off Han Solo. He said Han's story was over and he wanted to end the character. But Han's story was integral in Leia's story. She was the person who had selflessly devoted herself to the rebellion and now she was discovering she loved this scoundrel who was, at first, only interested in himself. At the end of the first act of RotJ, Han's story was finished. he had grown to become someone who would let his prized possession, the Millennium Falcon, be used by someone else as he selflessly did his part to fight against the Empire. But Leia had still not fully accepted her love for Han until she answered him with, "I know." When they ended up together, her story was finished. Lucas wanted to have a more somber ending with Han dead, Leia on her own trying to rebuild the Republic and Luke gone to re-establish the Jedi. It would have been an ending that would have left many fans soured on the whole franchise. The ending we got was an ending where hope paid off and completed everyone's story with a satisfactory ending. Your entire examination clearly shows, that in the case of Star Wars, how the sequels threw the original trilogy all out the window and gave us a mess with NO satisfactory ending at all while at the same time making the original trilogy all for nothing with the Emperor surviving, Han and Leia separated, Luke Disgruntled with the Jedi... Oops sorry, Spoilers.
My explanation is as simple as this, and it's ironically a Batman reference: entertainment executives are a superstitious and cowardly lot. If you greenlight a pre-existing property with a pre-existing fan base and it flops, you can say to the CEO or the shareholders "hey, look at all the research that this material had a built-in audience, don't fire me, I had the right idea, the people under me didn't execute." Yes, the general audience goes to the reboots and deboots and preboots but, ultimately, it's because it was marketed so hard to them, not because that's all they wanted. They would go to see new stuff if it was offered and pushed. But it's safer for executives so it doesn't happen. They would rather keep their jobs and fail at their jobs than risk striking out in pursuit of a home run with a new property. And their tail wags our dog as consumers. There are other lesser factors, of course, but I think this is the heart of the matter.
And if their product is reviewed by the "fans" as the terrible creations that they are, then the studios, directors, and actors refuse to acknowledge their mistakes or biases. Instead, they blame the epitomes "toxic fans" or make up some excuse about how its the audiences that are awful.
@@n.d.m.515 IMHO that cuts both ways though. There are a lot of people who don't get that these massive corporate products that are largely made to appeal to the lowest common denominator intentionally weren't made with their specific tastes in mind. Say what you want, but sometimes there's a lot of truth in "these weren't made for you".
Even in pro-wrestling, this has often been the case. Sure, there´s a time limit in that wrestlers eventually get so old they have to stop performing in the ring, but that can take decades, while the wrestlers get worse and worse as performers. A lot of what hindered that line of entertainment was having the same old tired headliners main-eventing long past their primes, coming out of retirement several times, repeating storylines and trying to recreate the same matches and feuds long after it got old, not allowing new superstars to be made, who could have fresh storylines.
Also, to be blunt, it takes a lot of talent to consistently come up with fresh new stories, and sometimes that deep pool of creativity seems to run dry.
@@autobotstarscream765 that is true and it´s much easier to say something sucks than to make better content yourself. I still feel it is often better to make the same kind of story with new characters than keep using the same characters. I think that´s also the point of the video.
@@rokkvi1 Indeed, I'm just musing on why that's so rarely done, especially in dying media like pro wrestling that no longer commands the power, wealth, and cultural significance to consistently pull the cream of the crop in from all fields like when it ruled the world in the 70's-90's culminating in the Attitude Era, with the 00's and the Ruthless Aggression Era feeling like the end of the golden years and the beginning of the transition into low-shelf niche status and even self-deprecation.
"Zombie Franchises." I'm stealing that. The power of Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country (a subtitle that clearly refers to death and endings, as you know) is that it is a goodbye to the original crew and a definitive END.... Which is why I absolutely loathe Star Trek Generations. Kirk's story was OVER. But... Nope, gotta bring him back. Because money. And let's not even talk about what they are doing to Picard's character in that new series. Trek is most definitely the biggest Zombie Franchise out there. And you are 100% right about Doctor Who. Capaldi should have been the end... Because what followed cheapened the series as a whole.
Sick of the hate for Whittaker’s seasons in Who. Yes, they tried something different with Chibnall, and it was not well received. But that is the beauty of Doctor Who, and why it is such a unique show: the main character can regenerate, and become a new, but still, essentially, the same, person. And people are always resistant to change. The usual process, even since the first regeneration of Hartnell to Troughton, is as follows: . incoming actor - oh, they could never find a decent replacement for . This has happened with every regeneration, and nearly ended with the cancellation of the show, when Tennant decided to leave. Now, I have NOT liked every actor who played the Doctor. Was not a big fan of Colin Baker, endured Sylvester McCoy, as there would be no Who without him. Loathed Matt Smith. But the show was still worth watching. Doctor Who is unique in that the story never needs to end…
@@Wolf359inc I know the show. So does Michael. And if you like the new seasons, good. But if you are defending a new version of the thing you love because it is... The thing you love... Well, you may have reinforced Michael's point. I love Star Trek. LOVE it. Like, have a wall full of Trek tie-in collectibles. And more in boxes in storage. I've spoken at the official Star Trek Convention as a guest (in the tech block). But new Trek is bad. Really bad. Just because I love a thing doesn't mean I have to watch every single permutation of that thing. No one should waste their time on bad ANYTHING. Even if it has their favorite IP associated with it. Life is too short.
@@JosephDickersonUX oh, I don’t disagree that new Trek is bad. Bad is being kind. With regard to Doctor Who, I am riding out the storm. I like Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor, but she has not been given much to work with, to let her shine, and it is a shame we won’t get to see her written under a different showrunner (unless RTD2 gets to do something with her in the 60th. I am looking forward to RTD2 - if it’s more of what we got when he revived the show, I will be fine with that. But Davies has grown since then, so I have high hopes of something even better than what came before. I love “RTD2”, and frankly am surprised there is no meme of an Astromech, with Davies’ face on it… :)
For me, Doctor Who ended with The Husbands of River Song. And Ghostbusters with Ghostbusters II. And Star Wars with Return of the Jedi. We need to stop pretending quality is going to be there always, specially when incapable people is behind most of productions, scripts or visuals (by the way, I liked Ghostbusters Afterlife, but I take it like a different movie from a different time).
Yes, bur we as fans need to take responsibility. It's only partially Hollywood's fault. What it IS most responsible for is weaponizing fairness. "I can't be fair about a movie until I've seen it." Only then it is too late. The money's paid and no one at the studios care what you think. Fans needs to stop screaming "No spoilers" and do a little research. If you are set back by what you find, don't go paying for the ticket. And besides, the movie's going to be around forever if you change your mind. But it is imperative that moviegoers treat buying that ticket like they check the motor of the car before they buy it, or the foundation of the house before they buy it, or the expiration date of the food before they eat it. We need to stop "being fair," do the homework, and make an educated decision about seeing a movie BEFORE we pay.
Doctor Who ended for me when the 10th Doctor died in the snow instead of regenerating into Matt Smith because after that, it lost it's storytelling and went right for international praise instead of integrity.
Star wars worldbuilding is perfect to explored new places and event outside the main story. Espiode 1-6 was a self contain story. The story ended at Return of the jedi but left entire galaxy to explore both past and future.
Another problem I see from the youth of today is that our parents/elders would pass on their movies, comics, books, and stories to us; now the youth of today refuse to expect or watch anything old (examples I don't watch black & white movies, I don't want to read a movie or the now current annoying word problematic). I have gotten lucky in some situations for example after The Shape of Water came out I had tons of people wanting to borrow The Creature from the Black Lagoon from me (since that was one of the key inspirations of Del Toro's movie). It is now a chore for me to share the likes of the Universal Monsters, The Three Stooges, The Marx Brothers, Hitchcock films, and so on due to pure ignorance. I 100% get what Michael is saying about the kids of the 80's and 90's but a lot of it is also the stupidity of the society in general.
I would be careful with your assuming the older generation was more accepting of older material. That wasn't my experience growing up, as black and white still had a stigma back then. Books were just as disliked as now by the youth. On the other hand, we at least had new material coming out that was worth trying. This new generation has terrible media and just accepts it as the best ever, although a few have their eyes opened to the garbage they are getting fed.
@@n.d.m.515 I will bet money that in 20 or 30 years, a lot of that "garbage" media of today will be held up my many as the superior "classics" they grew up on. It's always been like that. I think part of us in the 80's/90's generation(s) just have trouble accepting that we're aging out of the pop culture window. Stuff isn't being catered to our tastes any longer because we're no longer the target demographic.
@@prufan That argument relies on two faulty assumptions: 1. That no one does/will like certain content at least in part because it's "woke" not in spite of it. and 2. That things that are seen as divisive hot buttons today will come across as acutely to people viewing that work decades from now. Neither are true, or at least not necessarily so.
@user-do2ev2hr7h Not really, my friend. It isn't just nostalgia. Movies and shows today are just written badly. Whether you call it WOKE or crappy politics, Hollywood is currently in a Dark Age
I’m sure others can come up with their own good examples…..but for me, an 80 year old Indiana Jones, in Part 5, is the ultimate embodiment of this video’s message.
23:55 Ironically, Star Wars already had a gigantic bookshelf of squeakquels and spin-offs that people actually liked, then Disney bought the franchise and somehow felt the need to chuck it out and start over with the whole new cash cow farm depicted here.
Because the audience of people who actually liked that stuff was really small compared to the amount of people exposed to a new film or even streaming content.
@@Tim85-y2q Idk, I'm probably dating myself here but I remember some EU stuff being pretty big for side stuff back in the day, like how some LucasArts SWEU games and game series and their tie-ins were becoming mainstream household names among the general gamer population such as KoToR, Jedi Knight, Shadows of the Empire, Rogue Squadron...
@@autobotstarscream765 Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying some of that stuff wasn't very big for what it was, but nothing beats the scale of heavily promoted mass media. Consider that the lowest grossing of the prequel trilogy grossed over 1 billion at the box office (roughly in the neighborhood of 100 million paid admissions). When you add that to the number of people who are exposed to them via streaming, home media etc. and it eclipses what even a best selling novel or 90's PC game could hope to achieve in terms of cultural footprint. It's also worth keeping in mind that a lot of these legacy franchises now do much of their business in overseas markets that don't have the same nostalgic connections that we do. (in fact, for all the chatter about how the SW sequel trilogy under performed because it disappointed fans, much of that was down to it not playing nearly as well as expected in Asian markets.)
I like a lot of sequels to a lot of great movies (in my opinion). But, your points are 100% valid and I love your insights! What a great and well thought out video! Thanks for all that you do RB!
What really drove this home for me, was the last episode of The Mandalorian. It is better for what we love to die with dignity and when we have consistently positive memories of it, than for a corpse to continually be resurrected, re-animated, and defiled, over and over again.
I know this may be an odd take, but "our fathers and grandfather's" were drafted into war. Even without a draft however ( I realize there were wars in the 90s and 2000s, just no draft since the end of Vietnam). Our fathers and grandfather's were expected to grow up. Many vintage comic book and toy collections were discarded. Even for myself, while I stopped " playing with toys" when I turned 12 and entered the 7th grade, I still watched cartoons, and then after highschool I stopped caring what my peers thought, and immediately started collecting again. I don't mind that stories end. I'm quite ok with it. Endgame was my end to the MCU. I haven't watched anything from phase 4,and I'm ok with it.
This is kinda how I feel about Super Sentai and Kamen Rider. As much as I enjoy those franchises. I wish they would stop making them, not flat out cancel them but at the very least give us a one year break from them. And try to make an original tokusatsu show. Just to see how people would react to it. Of course they won't do that because there is too much money to be made off on these shows. And the fans would flip out if they did. Well the adult fans would anyway. The little kids who watch these show wouldn't care. As long as there are superheroes fighting monsters the kids are happy. It's the adult fans who made these franchise there whole life that would have a problem.
I honestly think _The Dark Knight Trilogy_ will be the last _true_ film trilogy. None of those films were made with sequels in mind, they were just made because Nolan felt he had a story to tell, and wouldn't do them otherwise. A sequel wasn't an in-built guarantee for any of those films, and we only got them if the previous one was successful, the appetite was strong enough, and if Nolan had a good story. They weren't made with constant sequel bait peppered throughout to set up 15 other films. Ironically I think it was the success of this trilogy that really sent this current craze into overdrive.
Yeah, thanks. One of the things I hate is that everything gets a sequel or reboot these days, honestly it is exhausting keeping up with stories that never end. My favorite films and TV shows are ones that have an ending and I don't need sequels to. MASH doesn't need a sequel, Joker Doesn't need a sequel, The Adventures of Robin Hood doesn't need a sequel, Hill Street Blues doesn't need to continue, Star Wars reached its end point with Return of the Jedi, Babylon 5 ended on the perfect note and we don't need more adventures. We don't need a sequel or reboot to everything. Some stories just end and that is what makes them so good, their endings. One of the reasons I love the Nolan Batman trilogy is that it does end, it tells a story and then it ends. Imagine that. Thank you for bringing up Death Wish, it is one of the best examples of what you are talking about. When I say the first Death Wish is one of my favorite films of the 70s people look at me funny because they don't understand how good that film was because the sequels ruined the concept. It the first Death Wish he doesn't even get the guys who murdered his wife and he nearly loses his soul just going after random thugs but at the same time it shows that living in fear is no way to live either. It is complex and powerful but most people will not give the original a chance because the sequels were so bad.
I pray that this is the last Jurassic world movie, I haven't even watched anyone tear it apart on TH-cam. To know anything about anything that happens in that movie will be too painful, I don't even want to know how bad it is anymore.
This is why I didn't watched any MCU stuff (aside from Spider-Man) after Avengers: Endgame, I might be the only one who thought that it ended the MCU perfectly and like a full course meal, I was so content and happy that I never really bother to watch Wandavision, Loki etc despite hearing good things about it.
Here’s another point: Why don’t you use what you loved as inspiration and influence to create *new* stories? A lot of people in the indie comic/webcomic department are coming to realize this. I hang out at a discord group of indie comic creators called The Outlaw Dive who talk about doing this. Hell, George Lucas used Flash Gordon and Pulps, things of his childhood to make Star Wars and Indiana Jones I’ve been more excited for Kamen America by the small company Iconic Comics, than what the almighty Disney Corporation hocks up
@@BlackDoveNYC it was, but corporate culture and entertainment is desperately trying to suppress that due fear of risk of losing profit and/or becoming irrelevant so they’re trying to keep stories on life support and turn the lower classes into good little consumer units. RetroBlasting puts it best in his “Iger Sanctioning” video
Yes, but the problem is not enough people are which is why they are indie creators and Disney is Disney. When it comes to the intersection of business and art, business is going to win every time (at least above the "starving artist" level)
I’ve only made it halfway through this video and I feel it might already be The Best RetroBlasting Video You Guys Have Ever Made. Excellent topic, excellent narration, excellent writing, excellent examples, excellent editing. Thank you for publicly saying what some of us have felt needed to be said for a long time. Sadly, it will likely fall on deaf ears for the creators/studios who need to hear it.
You've said it all, so no need to add to it, but 100% agree. The corporate mentality has seeped into the fandom, itself, to the point where I see people constantly using words like "content" and "IP" to describe their favorite movies, which is just nauseating to see. Perhaps I'm spoiled, having grown up in the 80's with so many "one-off" great films that were just allowed to be great on their own. The *ONLY* example I can give of a totally successful modern sequel to a classic film that's been made recently is the "Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance" series, which was almost miraculously wonderful; I still don't think the work that was put into that has received the credit it deserved.
Thank you Michael. I agree Companies forcing out more sequels and reboots that ring hollow is getting old. They've already scraped the bottom of the barrel, and are now threatening us with more continuations and reimaginings of anything that might have had even the slightest buzz from the 80s and 90s. They're bringing back Quatum Leap, and Fraiser. I loved these shows, but I don't need more. I want new stories. That's why Invincible, Vox Machina, and Squid Games interested me. New approaches, fresh ideas, characters I never saw before.
Some of these stories and franchises need to end. As a lifelong Star Wars, I've come to despise a lot of the new stuff coming out now-not because it's different from the original, but because it's just overload. I was under the impression that the Book of Boba Fett was only a limited series, but now folks are already clamoring for a second season-and the episodes we got weren't the best anyway. This video was SPOT ON. Thanks for sharing this.
Great video. Of my two favorite movies, one is lost in sequel hell (Jurassic Park) and one is blissfully complete (hopefully); that being Gladiator. Really great insight, and a great presentation.
Love your content, man. Stumbled across your channel when I was researching a recent purchase and have been binging ever since. Voice comes off smart and authoritative. Ideas are clear, concise, well researched and articulated. And the wit is gold. Wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment here: All good things must/should come to an end.
But we DID have Odyssey 2 and Illiad 3. Its name is the Telegony. And it's also, from everything we know about it, total fucking shit. The Greeks were AWFUL about sequelitis and spinoff stories, like, if you think the modern industry is bad about it, the Greeks codified all that shit ages ago. And they're not even the first ones - The Epic Of Gilgamesh, we know, is actually a derivative version of older legends, made to shit on some of the characters.
Great video expose, my dude. Like Don Henley wrote in his sublime 80's tome The Boys of Summer where he summerized The Boomers with one single poignant lyric: 'Out on the road today, I saw a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac...' *SPOILER: his generation sold out* I think you just perfectly articulated ours. The reason Generation X was coined generation x was because we were this unquantifiable variable going into the new world order of the then upcoming future. Now that once open road of possibility and unlimited promise ahead is a well-ridden beaten path wasteland of squandered potential left behind eating dust in the rear view mirror.
The very worst offender is the Terminator movies. I wish Cameron left in the original finite ending with old Sarah looking at her son with no future war around them. Second is Star Wars. It was a shameless cash grab because Disney had to make back their 4 billion dollar investment. I don't even want to see the new Indy movie. The Last Crusade was a perfect ending. The heroes riding off into the sunset. Nothing else was needed. These sequels usually hit or missed in the 80s and 90s. They are completely whiffing today. However, I still love Ghostbusters 2, I don't care what anyone says lol. Fantastic video Michael.
You mentioned the finite number of the doctor regenerations. I think it is accurate. After that number, the doctor was gone. Anything since will be a shadow.
This has always been a thing--it _used_ to be a lot of media in *a popular genre,* making it a little less noticeable on the surface. Take the Western boom of the 50s and early 60s: there were so many Westerns on TV that the market was oversaturated, and it basically killed the TV Western stone dead.
Just FYI: King Solomon's Mine was part of an ongoing series of Allan Quartermain books, The Three Musketeers has a sequel (The Man in the Iron Mask), and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle famously tried to kill off Sherlock Holmes because he was tired of writing the same sorts of stories. This problem has been going on for HUNDREDS of years.
The corporations from the 80s and 90s succeeded on their terms. They hooked us on their brands. We keep asking for more of the same (guilty as charged). Folks want to recapture the feel of old gems and experience that high again. The same corporations are more than happy to play to that desire and spit out some half-baked derivation of the original. We keep consuming those derivations. What we see today is the result of the 80s and 90s branding. You may not like to hear that, but we are seeing the harm of that era in modern creative terms. I disagree this is about this generation being unable to accept endings. Like an addict, we are unable to break the cycle of regurgitated branding. We want this cycle to end, but we are stuck chasing that old high. Current consumers should not be the ones to blame. The impressionable youth of the 80s and 90s were influenced by the corporate brands. The blame lies with them. They wanted to indoctrinate us for future sales. Decades later, the corporations are reaping the rewards of their scheme. Why bother with creativity when you have your audience hooked on old brands?
I think that is the way it was for several years, but that tide is turning. More and more people are just wanting good movies. It may not look that way because of higher prices to watch movies, but audience attendance is way down. It was starting to go that way even before the Covid house arrests. Although Hollywood doesn't know it yet, they are strangely behind the curve rather than the curve makers they used to be in years past.
@@n.d.m.515 Yes, but that doesn't mean they're not consuming media, they're just doing it in other ways. For around the same price as a single movie ticket, you can get a month's subscription to a HUGE library of streaming content that you can watch on your phone. Hollywood realizes that more than you think. Disney makes more off of Disney+ per year than they ever have at the theatrical box office. They don't need "good movies" so much as they need a constant churn of new content to drive subscriptions. It's an entirely different business model than it was back in our day. (Witness this video's example of Sonic 3 already being slated for Paramount+) The idea of "going to the movies" is increasingly an affectation for old fogies and something everyone else does once or twice a year as a big event (as sad as that is to say.)
I don't think it's a fear of aging (perhaps for some), but rather a longing for the good years. Society is objectively spiraling downwards since that 1950-2000 era (not that those 50 years were perfect, but put in historical context, if you lived in the West, they were the best for the average person in recorded history, especially the 80s and 90s) and I think it's more people clinging on to that. A lot of these IPs were huge parts of the culture then, so letting them die means letting that era go and embracing the cold brutal reality of the post-9/11 dystopia (A subjective term of course, but at the absolute least "much worse than back then"), this is why nostalgia-seeking is at a all time high, unlike the 2nd half of the 20th century, there is nothing to look forward to going forward for the average person. You saw a similar phenomenon after WW1, which ironically enough is the origin of the term nostalgia. As an emotion, it probably existed before that, but it was never common enough to give a name. Before the industrial revolution, the average person's life was quite stagnant. Born in to a peasant family, grew up and made you own peasant family, then died, often in the same town you were born in rarely if ever leaving. After the industrial revolution, tech that revolutionized and changed society came out yearly, society was ever-changing (and this isn't even mentioning people entertaining new social ideas too, for better or worse) and this is still happening to this day. For context, wide-spread electricity, air travel, computers, television, phones, the internet, cars, among many others all came out in the span of 100 years. People _need_ something they can cling on to from their youth to function in the modern world, and a mix of marketing and the fact it is entertainment, thus something fun (in theory) has made these franchises an appealing thing to cling to. I do think if societally the future looked bright, we would see more original and experimental works, reboots and sequels, even if they are utter garbage, are relatively safe financially and also give people a sense of familiarity. I generally agree with the premise of this video, but I think the societal factor is a bigger part of the equation and less just people afraid of getting old.
I think the real problem is no one is really story boarding this stuff anymore. They are just throwing stuff at the wall trying to see what stick. The last set of Star Wars movies really showed no one had any foresight on what they wanted to do with the story. And with that being said are we going to get that part 2 for the Bionic Six?
I'm already looking forward to "It's OK for Stories to END 2" The next one needs to be more nihilistic, but also have lots of Marvel style humour and have a suitably open end.
Bless you sir.
It's OK for Stories to End - Part II: The Final Conflict
😆 !!!
I see what you did there, good sir. The comedic irony is strong with this one.
Most importantly, it needs to subvert fan expectations.
Years ago I would have loved to have sequels to The Goonies, The Monster Squad, The Secret of NIMH (a real one), The Last Starfighter or Buckaroo Banzai......now I realize idiots run the asylum. Leave the classics and cult classics alone.
Yup. I second your vote for never revisiting Buckaroo Banzai or Last Starfighter again. Leave them as they are, frozen in amber.
I’ve made the argument time and again about “Star Trek: Enterprise” that, had it been a unique science fantasy series in the production style of Berman-era Star Trek, it would’ve done a lot better.
I wonder if the problem is simply the sheer ease of access to entertainment that’s made it less enjoyable. There’s something about how rare anime was in the 90s that made seeing Dominion Tank Police, the Tenchi movies, or Gundam on SyFy or Cartoon Network fun.
Streaming tv and music also takes away from the anticipation of the communal experience. Yes, you can find colleagues at work who watch the same shows you do more easily, but is the anticipation as fun?
I wonder if something like KOFY TV 20’s Annual Dance Party tv marathon would work these days, or how many others tune in Saturday nights for Svengoolie to replicate the classic “creature feature” concept.
The last vestige of this experience I have held on to is Jim French’s Imagination Theater, which I listened to religiously every Sunday night while working pizza delivery and evenings in the college dorms.
It's cause back than (mid 70's through like 1995) Movies had to only check 3 boxes. Good script ✔ interesting characters ✔ & _is it Fun_ ✔...
> Today these same Producers think they need to check 500 boxes. Most of which are based on ridiculous identity politics sensibilities. Which Most of the time- also use messaging and "what not" an end up destroying whatever the production is.
They won’t be leaving them alone. I’m sure a Woke Monster Squad is in the works.
@@chrisbullard5901 I have had a similar thought quite a bit recently. I think we have TOO much. I agree with our comment about the communal experience. When there were less channels, less releases it just seemed that we all could enjoy these wonderful works with many of our peers. But now there are so many options from new shows/films to the countless reboots, spin-offs and continuations that it is easy to get overhelmed by the number of choices.
“There’s a fine line between being truly timeless and running yourself ragged trying to become timeless, old friend.”- a paraphrase of Optimus Prime, 1984
This might be one of the most important video essays on TH-cam.
I remember finishing the Back to the Future trilogy for the first time as kid. The train smashed through the screen and up it came, "THE END". I cried because I knew it was finished and my journey with Marty and Doc was done. I loved it and went about watching those three stories over and over again to relive the adventure. There have been supplemental materials over they years, the animated show, the ride, comics, but a part four would only ever cheapen the experience of that trilogy and how wonderful it is. Here's hoping BTTF never joins the ranks of Star Wars, Star Trek, Ghostbusters. For a movie that was only ever meant to be a one and done, I'm so glad we have the sequels and they knew when to quit.
Couldn't agree more.
I reckon they should have left that as a standalone movie. Especially without Glover coming back for part 2.
Michael, I think this is your best (easily my favourite) social commentary video ever...and I'm not being hyperbolic. I mean it. Great job.
Oh, god yes. Hollywood's obsession with never letting stuff go is at its worst in the late 2010s-early 2020s.
If you don't have anything else to say, don't bother.
@@LUCKO2022 careful there, you might be implying something about a particular event in 2008 that made everything crap ;)
@@n.d.m.515 *WRITERS' GUILD STRIKE INTENSIFIES*
@@LUCKO2022 TV (especially basic cable) went to crap in 2000 with the invention of fake reality trash TV shows starting with that fake as hell survivor bullcrap. Oddly enough survivor failed in the ratings at first as nobody was interested in it at all....it was only after the cast began fighting with each other to the point of wanting to kick each other off the set that the idea of voting cast members "off the island" was created by the writers and producers and is what proved to be the catalyst that saved the series and genre. The audience didn't give a crap about watching the cast trying to "survive" on a so called desert island(in reality it was filmed on a studio soundstage in hollywood) the audience was fixated on the drama of who was gonna get "voted off" the island this week.
Possibly the finest entry yet on such an original and enlightening channel. This should have been published in the New York Times. Thank You.
I'm glad someone finally came out and said it, and said it well. Great job!
"Full blown emotional deficiency," I laughed hard at that.
It’s about money, not stories. Stories end, but greed never ends.
Brilliant as ever, Michael. I couldn't agree more with "The End" being more satisfying. There is a direct connection between Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and Avengers: Endgame. The signatures of the actors on screen at the end of both films were a clear message to the audience that this was the end.
The producers and directors of Endgame have even come out and said this. It's not a coincidence, it's a tip of the hat and nod to how graceful Star Trek 6 did it. Which is why I am personally done with the MCU. I got my ending. And I think a lot of other people feel the same way.
@Joseph Dickerson Indeed. I saw an interview where they said the same thing and I agree that Endgame was a very satisfying ending for me and the MCU. Star Trek VI was a perfect 25 year ending for the original crew.
I am interested in the upcoming Doctor Stange film, mainly because the first one was well done and it's an extremely bizarre character's world to portray. The fact that they accomplished it and Cumberbatch's performance makes me want to see it.
star trek vi was a great ending for it all.
But then Star Trek Generations has Malcolm McDowell say, "time is the fire in which we burn" which makes it necessary. It would have been great to see Ricardo Mantalbàn's Khan survive Star Trek II and quote more books: "“I am what you designed me to be. I am your blade. You cannot now complain if you also feel the hurt.”
Excellent video. Sometimes the truth can be harsh and difficult to swallow. And now the question remains: Will our generation (kids from the 80's) have the courage to stop recreating and watching "old stuff" and finally understand there is a big world of new ideas (movies, books, comic books) waiting to be presented for our kids?
Dead. Solid. Perfect. Michael you have crystalized my thoughts exactly.
Great job Michael, thoroughly enjoyed this piece 👍🏻
I'm an adult, a part of Gen X and I don't like all the remakes/reboots/spin-offs, what have you. I feel no embarrassment in my love of the original products, childish they may be nowadays.
As you shouldn't! We were truly blessed to grow up as kids in the 80's!
This is very smart and something adults really need to come to terms with. It's something I've been expressing for years, usually to the anger many of my friends and fan groups who continue to demand more sequels and then scratch their heads in confusion as to why they're disappointed when they get them. We've infantilized ourselves for cheap entertainment and the results have bled into every aspect of our lives wherein we can no longer engage reality in an effective manner.
I think pretty much my entire generation needs to see this.
I was thinking as soon as I started the video, “ I think it’s because we fear death” and yep you mentioned it. Couldn’t agree more. Even these movie stars are wanting to quit and move on with their lives and we won’t let them. So studios need to recast parts and we complain about it.
I grew up with Harry Potter, now I know that it was far past your generation but it was my childhood. Every kid was excited to see the end of the seven book eight movie series. And when our beloved characters stood together at a train station waving their children goodbye, that was it, and we were happy. Now however things are far different with a 5 movie prequel series answering questions that were good because they never had answers. I never needed to know how Harry Potter's kid was doing at school. So I have to agree with you, all stories need to end.
ehh, that Harry Potter epilogue was pretty mixed with fans
Love this video. One of your best. Really makes you sit back and reflect.
One of my favorite things as a kid was going to the theater and looking at the coming attraction posters. They were better than trailers sometimes.
Not a day goes by where I don't miss a time when there were only 3 star wars films. The franchise has become so stretched out and fatigued that it's truly heart breaking. I only continue to watch out of morbid curiosity to see how an ip can be so badly and unnecessarily mistreated by so many people, so many times.
@Zombobby. BINGO
I agree, though I only have enough morbid curiosity to check out synopses on youtube by people who are critical of them. I had enough curiosity for episode seven because it was well received at first, but I waited until it was on TV and am glad I did as I would have hated paying for a movie ticket for it. I had a bad feeling they were going to mess up Star Wars when they announced the new movies. I know some people like things such as the Mandalorian, and I'm happy for them, but for me, I just ignore anything but the originals and that works for me.
I tolerate the prequel trilogy because for better or worse they are 100% George Lucas’ vision. The only thing from the Disney era worthy to fit in with Episodes I-VI is Rogue One, I ignore everything else
@@Bingo_the_Pug yeah I'd agree with that
@@Bingo_the_Pug Yeah Disney is simply gonna milk that franchise to the last drop and then engage in another power grab of another unsuspecting franchise to exploit until the cash stops flowing into their bank account.
For Disney right now it's about marketing and tying the franchise into their park attractions in much the same way as six flags continually exploits the DC comics franchise in their parks as a simple cash grab.
Well said Michael. I realized almost a year ago that “these aren’t for you”, was becoming fact as things were changed to bring in new people or our children as you succinctly put it, “to enjoy our thing”. I also think this attempt to hold onto them makes us like them less.
So, I walked away. I continue to enjoy what I liked but have let go and have walked completely away from what there is today. It has made my entertainment more enjoyable and I cherish it more because it is limited again.
Another brilliant video.
I always loved the idea of The Terminator franchise ending with Kyle Reese stepping into the time machine so that the story would become the eternal snake eating its own tale....and unending circle, you can watch forever. But the kept doing time travel stories....even in the tv show.
About 20 years ago I remember an online debate about whether or not there should be a sequel to "Ferris Beuller's Day Off." My opinion then stands now: It works perfectly as a stand-alone film.
Terminator movies are truly the most egregious examples of unneeded sequels. I TRULY believe Shaq is to blame for telling media he would love to be in a Terminator movie in the 90's and then a bunch of people kept asking for it.
Great video Michael. I have two young boys and I always planned on handing down my MOTU and GI Joe's from my youth. More so they had more to play with. Instead it sometimes feels like they are retreading my childhood with the same franchises being the focus in the media. As much as they like MOTU Origins, Transformers, GI Joe Classified I often take a step back to ensure they are choosing something they want.
BRAVO 👍🏾 👍🏾👍🏾
I really wish you would do more videos like this. Your insight to these topics are much needed. These video essays are why I watch your channel. Keep them coming…. Er oh wait that’s the topic of the video 😂
More are coming.
This is video of the Year for 2022 so far. 💯
Less is sometimes more.
If I could like this video 10 times I would (but I will just let my original "like" stand alone and avoid the unnecessary sequels).
Great video!
Wow so on point. This is pretty funny as I was actually just debating with somone this week if The Thing (1982) should have a sequel. It was insane to me that somone would need more then the conclusion we got for that story. I also see what your saying about our generation having a real aversion to growing old and dying when in reality it's what happens to everyone. I actually kinda fear the day they say we've conqured death but that's just me.
The best video about entertainment, in the history of the Internet.
Stories,like all things; must all end eventually. It's only natural.
I feel like Return of The Jedi was the perfect end to "The Skywalker Saga" and don't get me wrong,I don't mind and even enjoy some of the extended universe stuff like books,comics and video games but I feel like the story of the Skywalker family should've ended there.
Come 2005, and the final prequel, Revenge of the Sith, also worked as a perfect ending to the "Skywalker Saga". We knew things would get better, and the movie left us off with all the questions we had from prior entries answered, the characters at where they are when we first met them in the original Star Wars, and a hopeful image to round things out. It might not be a finale in the traditional sense, but dammit, they should've stopped there rather than getting sold to Disney to make the Sequels.
@@NebLleb Somehow letting Disney get a hold of the franchise is what ruined it.
@@michaezell4607 Ayup. It could've worked, but Disney (and to an extent, Lucas himself who appointed Kathleen Kennedy) approached this in the worst way possible.
This is a complex issue, and you did about the best job that anyone could with distilling its many dimensions into a 28-minute video. I only differ in the amount of sympathy I have for our cohort, which is to say only a slight bit more. The conditioning we experienced as kids was profound, and (due in part to Reagen-era deregulation) omnipresent. He-Man and GIJoe weren't just in our toy box or on Saturday morning TV, they were fully integrated into just about every meaningful event of our childhood. The day we first met our eventual best friend in the school cafeteria, He-Man was posed heroically on our lunch box; the last time we had a sleepover at our grandparent's house before they moved away, GIJoe was on our pajamas and on our sleeping bag; the best birthday we can remember ever having as a kid, TMNT imagery was on the balloons and the paper plates and maybe even the birthday cake itself.
Meaningful events during crucial developmental windows in childhood, all indelibly stamped with the IPs we loved and were constantly exposed to. I can't dismiss this as having significant weight in explaining some of the differences experienced by previous generations. Like I said, it's a complex set of phenomena, and it may be impossible to disentangle our cohort's concept of self from the experience of many of these IPs, precisely because of how integrated they are with that which is sacred: memory and the past. And, if I were to put my cynic's hat on for a moment, this is something that the likes of Disney (who have spent a lot of time and money monopolizing the sole ownership of these IPs) understand very well and have no reservations about exploiting. But that's a whole other thread.
Again, great job with this video. Hopefully it will give viewers some food for thought, maybe even help to reframe how they interact with culture and how they think about themselves. Kudos.
*Sequelitis is due to IP Squatting and wealth concentration. Makers/owners of hit properties have decided it's safer to build on an existing franchise and cater to an existing fanbase, by making a sequel or a reboot, than to take the risk of making something new that could be entirely passed over and ignored.* 🧐
Great essay Michael
Very well though out and argued. Stories are supposed to have a beginning, middle and end.
An example I have given before of how actors and directors of Hollywood do not always know how to end a story is how Harrison Ford wanted to kill off Han Solo. He said Han's story was over and he wanted to end the character. But Han's story was integral in Leia's story. She was the person who had selflessly devoted herself to the rebellion and now she was discovering she loved this scoundrel who was, at first, only interested in himself. At the end of the first act of RotJ, Han's story was finished. he had grown to become someone who would let his prized possession, the Millennium Falcon, be used by someone else as he selflessly did his part to fight against the Empire. But Leia had still not fully accepted her love for Han until she answered him with, "I know." When they ended up together, her story was finished.
Lucas wanted to have a more somber ending with Han dead, Leia on her own trying to rebuild the Republic and Luke gone to re-establish the Jedi. It would have been an ending that would have left many fans soured on the whole franchise. The ending we got was an ending where hope paid off and completed everyone's story with a satisfactory ending.
Your entire examination clearly shows, that in the case of Star Wars, how the sequels threw the original trilogy all out the window and gave us a mess with NO satisfactory ending at all while at the same time making the original trilogy all for nothing with the Emperor surviving, Han and Leia separated, Luke Disgruntled with the Jedi... Oops sorry, Spoilers.
My explanation is as simple as this, and it's ironically a Batman reference: entertainment executives are a superstitious and cowardly lot. If you greenlight a pre-existing property with a pre-existing fan base and it flops, you can say to the CEO or the shareholders "hey, look at all the research that this material had a built-in audience, don't fire me, I had the right idea, the people under me didn't execute." Yes, the general audience goes to the reboots and deboots and preboots but, ultimately, it's because it was marketed so hard to them, not because that's all they wanted. They would go to see new stuff if it was offered and pushed. But it's safer for executives so it doesn't happen. They would rather keep their jobs and fail at their jobs than risk striking out in pursuit of a home run with a new property. And their tail wags our dog as consumers. There are other lesser factors, of course, but I think this is the heart of the matter.
And if their product is reviewed by the "fans" as the terrible creations that they are, then the studios, directors, and actors refuse to acknowledge their mistakes or biases. Instead, they blame the epitomes "toxic fans" or make up some excuse about how its the audiences that are awful.
@@n.d.m.515 IMHO that cuts both ways though. There are a lot of people who don't get that these massive corporate products that are largely made to appeal to the lowest common denominator intentionally weren't made with their specific tastes in mind. Say what you want, but sometimes there's a lot of truth in "these weren't made for you".
Excellent analysis! One of your best videos yet.
Even in pro-wrestling, this has often been the case. Sure, there´s a time limit in that wrestlers eventually get so old they have to stop performing in the ring, but that can take decades, while the wrestlers get worse and worse as performers. A lot of what hindered that line of entertainment was having the same old tired headliners main-eventing long past their primes, coming out of retirement several times, repeating storylines and trying to recreate the same matches and feuds long after it got old, not allowing new superstars to be made, who could have fresh storylines.
Also, to be blunt, it takes a lot of talent to consistently come up with fresh new stories, and sometimes that deep pool of creativity seems to run dry.
@@autobotstarscream765 that is true and it´s much easier to say something sucks than to make better content yourself. I still feel it is often better to make the same kind of story with new characters than keep using the same characters. I think that´s also the point of the video.
@@rokkvi1 Indeed, I'm just musing on why that's so rarely done, especially in dying media like pro wrestling that no longer commands the power, wealth, and cultural significance to consistently pull the cream of the crop in from all fields like when it ruled the world in the 70's-90's culminating in the Attitude Era, with the 00's and the Ruthless Aggression Era feeling like the end of the golden years and the beginning of the transition into low-shelf niche status and even self-deprecation.
@@autobotstarscream765With Triple H in charge, I feel like a Renaissance Era is on its way.
@@rokkvi1Cool to see a wrestling fan in the comments 😎
I think movie houses are afraid of “endings” because they are so afraid to take a chance on a new ip.
"Zombie Franchises." I'm stealing that.
The power of Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country (a subtitle that clearly refers to death and endings, as you know) is that it is a goodbye to the original crew and a definitive END.... Which is why I absolutely loathe Star Trek Generations. Kirk's story was OVER. But... Nope, gotta bring him back. Because money. And let's not even talk about what they are doing to Picard's character in that new series. Trek is most definitely the biggest Zombie Franchise out there.
And you are 100% right about Doctor Who. Capaldi should have been the end... Because what followed cheapened the series as a whole.
Kirk's scenes were awful in that turd and the lines were delivered awfully.
Sick of the hate for Whittaker’s seasons in Who. Yes, they tried something different with Chibnall, and it was not well received. But that is the beauty of Doctor Who, and why it is such a unique show: the main character can regenerate, and become a new, but still, essentially, the same, person. And people are always resistant to change. The usual process, even since the first regeneration of Hartnell to Troughton, is as follows:
. incoming actor - oh, they could never find a decent replacement for .
This has happened with every regeneration, and nearly ended with the cancellation of the show, when Tennant decided to leave. Now, I have NOT liked every actor who played the Doctor. Was not a big fan of Colin Baker, endured Sylvester McCoy, as there would be no Who without him. Loathed Matt Smith. But the show was still worth watching.
Doctor Who is unique in that the story never needs to end…
@@Wolf359inc I know the show. So does Michael. And if you like the new seasons, good. But if you are defending a new version of the thing you love because it is... The thing you love... Well, you may have reinforced Michael's point.
I love Star Trek. LOVE it. Like, have a wall full of Trek tie-in collectibles. And more in boxes in storage. I've spoken at the official Star Trek Convention as a guest (in the tech block). But new Trek is bad. Really bad. Just because I love a thing doesn't mean I have to watch every single permutation of that thing. No one should waste their time on bad ANYTHING. Even if it has their favorite IP associated with it. Life is too short.
@@JosephDickersonUX oh, I don’t disagree that new Trek is bad. Bad is being kind.
With regard to Doctor Who, I am riding out the storm. I like Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor, but she has not been given much to work with, to let her shine, and it is a shame we won’t get to see her written under a different showrunner (unless RTD2 gets to do something with her in the 60th.
I am looking forward to RTD2 - if it’s more of what we got when he revived the show, I will be fine with that. But Davies has grown since then, so I have high hopes of something even better than what came before.
I love “RTD2”, and frankly am surprised there is no meme of an Astromech, with Davies’ face on it… :)
Very good Observation. 👍
Michael really nails it here, but guys... I'm so excited for "Lightyear". 😬😬
For me, Doctor Who ended with The Husbands of River Song. And Ghostbusters with Ghostbusters II. And Star Wars with Return of the Jedi. We need to stop pretending quality is going to be there always, specially when incapable people is behind most of productions, scripts or visuals (by the way, I liked Ghostbusters Afterlife, but I take it like a different movie from a different time).
Yes, bur we as fans need to take responsibility. It's only partially Hollywood's fault. What it IS most responsible for is weaponizing fairness. "I can't be fair about a movie until I've seen it." Only then it is too late. The money's paid and no one at the studios care what you think. Fans needs to stop screaming "No spoilers" and do a little research. If you are set back by what you find, don't go paying for the ticket. And besides, the movie's going to be around forever if you change your mind.
But it is imperative that moviegoers treat buying that ticket like they check the motor of the car before they buy it, or the foundation of the house before they buy it, or the expiration date of the food before they eat it. We need to stop "being fair," do the homework, and make an educated decision about seeing a movie BEFORE we pay.
Doctor Who ended for me when the 10th Doctor died in the snow instead of regenerating into Matt Smith because after that, it lost it's storytelling and went right for international praise instead of integrity.
@@dr.feelgoodmalusphillips2475 you're right. But I found Capaldi's Doctor very interesting. Too bad most pf the scripts were bad.
@@dw.dunphy Totally right, indeed.
Star wars worldbuilding is perfect to explored new places and event outside the main story. Espiode 1-6 was a self contain story. The story ended at Return of the jedi but left entire galaxy to explore both past and future.
I agree. ROTJ should've been the end of the skywalker saga
Another problem I see from the youth of today is that our parents/elders would pass on their movies, comics, books, and stories to us; now the youth of today refuse to expect or watch anything old (examples I don't watch black & white movies, I don't want to read a movie or the now current annoying word problematic). I have gotten lucky in some situations for example after The Shape of Water came out I had tons of people wanting to borrow The Creature from the Black Lagoon from me (since that was one of the key inspirations of Del Toro's movie). It is now a chore for me to share the likes of the Universal Monsters, The Three Stooges, The Marx Brothers, Hitchcock films, and so on due to pure ignorance. I 100% get what Michael is saying about the kids of the 80's and 90's but a lot of it is also the stupidity of the society in general.
I would be careful with your assuming the older generation was more accepting of older material. That wasn't my experience growing up, as black and white still had a stigma back then. Books were just as disliked as now by the youth. On the other hand, we at least had new material coming out that was worth trying. This new generation has terrible media and just accepts it as the best ever, although a few have their eyes opened to the garbage they are getting fed.
@@n.d.m.515 I will bet money that in 20 or 30 years, a lot of that "garbage" media of today will be held up my many as the superior "classics" they grew up on. It's always been like that. I think part of us in the 80's/90's generation(s) just have trouble accepting that we're aging out of the pop culture window. Stuff isn't being catered to our tastes any longer because we're no longer the target demographic.
@@Tim85-y2q no, a lot of it has gone woke, it won't be fondly remembered.
@@prufan That argument relies on two faulty assumptions:
1. That no one does/will like certain content at least in part because it's "woke" not in spite of it.
and
2. That things that are seen as divisive hot buttons today will come across as acutely to people viewing that work decades from now.
Neither are true, or at least not necessarily so.
@user-do2ev2hr7h Not really, my friend. It isn't just nostalgia. Movies and shows today are just written badly. Whether you call it WOKE or crappy politics, Hollywood is currently in a Dark Age
Also, I love that you included a clip from Michael Wood's Beowulf documentary!
I’m sure others can come up with their own good examples…..but for me, an 80 year old Indiana Jones, in Part 5, is the ultimate embodiment of this video’s message.
Thoughtful, insightful, and WISE. This was an amazing episode!
23:55 Ironically, Star Wars already had a gigantic bookshelf of squeakquels and spin-offs that people actually liked, then Disney bought the franchise and somehow felt the need to chuck it out and start over with the whole new cash cow farm depicted here.
Because the audience of people who actually liked that stuff was really small compared to the amount of people exposed to a new film or even streaming content.
@@Tim85-y2q Idk, I'm probably dating myself here but I remember some EU stuff being pretty big for side stuff back in the day, like how some LucasArts SWEU games and game series and their tie-ins were becoming mainstream household names among the general gamer population such as KoToR, Jedi Knight, Shadows of the Empire, Rogue Squadron...
@@autobotstarscream765 Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying some of that stuff wasn't very big for what it was, but nothing beats the scale of heavily promoted mass media. Consider that the lowest grossing of the prequel trilogy grossed over 1 billion at the box office (roughly in the neighborhood of 100 million paid admissions). When you add that to the number of people who are exposed to them via streaming, home media etc. and it eclipses what even a best selling novel or 90's PC game could hope to achieve in terms of cultural footprint. It's also worth keeping in mind that a lot of these legacy franchises now do much of their business in overseas markets that don't have the same nostalgic connections that we do. (in fact, for all the chatter about how the SW sequel trilogy under performed because it disappointed fans, much of that was down to it not playing nearly as well as expected in Asian markets.)
"There can be only one..dozen sequels!"
I like a lot of sequels to a lot of great movies (in my opinion). But, your points are 100% valid and I love your insights! What a great and well thought out video! Thanks for all that you do RB!
Great video. Nailed what I’ve been trying to explain to a bunch of friends for ages! From now on I’ll just send them this link…
What really drove this home for me, was the last episode of The Mandalorian. It is better for what we love to die with dignity and when we have consistently positive memories of it, than for a corpse to continually be resurrected, re-animated, and defiled, over and over again.
Such an articulate, insightful, and well-crafted video essay. Keep up the good work!
That video was simply brilliant.
Toy story 4 is a great example of this
I know this may be an odd take, but "our fathers and grandfather's" were drafted into war. Even without a draft however ( I realize there were wars in the 90s and 2000s, just no draft since the end of Vietnam). Our fathers and grandfather's were expected to grow up. Many vintage comic book and toy collections were discarded. Even for myself, while I stopped " playing with toys" when I turned 12 and entered the 7th grade, I still watched cartoons, and then after highschool I stopped caring what my peers thought, and immediately started collecting again. I don't mind that stories end. I'm quite ok with it. Endgame was my end to the MCU. I haven't watched anything from phase 4,and I'm ok with it.
This is kinda how I feel about Super Sentai and Kamen Rider. As much as I enjoy those franchises. I wish they would stop making them, not flat out cancel them but at the very least give us a one year break from them. And try to make an original tokusatsu show. Just to see how people would react to it. Of course they won't do that because there is too much money to be made off on these shows. And the fans would flip out if they did. Well the adult fans would anyway. The little kids who watch these show wouldn't care. As long as there are superheroes fighting monsters the kids are happy. It's the adult fans who made these franchise there whole life that would have a problem.
I honestly think _The Dark Knight Trilogy_ will be the last _true_ film trilogy. None of those films were made with sequels in mind, they were just made because Nolan felt he had a story to tell, and wouldn't do them otherwise. A sequel wasn't an in-built guarantee for any of those films, and we only got them if the previous one was successful, the appetite was strong enough, and if Nolan had a good story. They weren't made with constant sequel bait peppered throughout to set up 15 other films. Ironically I think it was the success of this trilogy that really sent this current craze into overdrive.
Michael, this video could lead to so many important discussions and really profound implications. Thank you.
The last crusade is the last Indiana Jones movie in my book!
Yeah, thanks. One of the things I hate is that everything gets a sequel or reboot these days, honestly it is exhausting keeping up with stories that never end. My favorite films and TV shows are ones that have an ending and I don't need sequels to. MASH doesn't need a sequel, Joker Doesn't need a sequel, The Adventures of Robin Hood doesn't need a sequel, Hill Street Blues doesn't need to continue, Star Wars reached its end point with Return of the Jedi, Babylon 5 ended on the perfect note and we don't need more adventures. We don't need a sequel or reboot to everything. Some stories just end and that is what makes them so good, their endings.
One of the reasons I love the Nolan Batman trilogy is that it does end, it tells a story and then it ends. Imagine that.
Thank you for bringing up Death Wish, it is one of the best examples of what you are talking about. When I say the first Death Wish is one of my favorite films of the 70s people look at me funny because they don't understand how good that film was because the sequels ruined the concept. It the first Death Wish he doesn't even get the guys who murdered his wife and he nearly loses his soul just going after random thugs but at the same time it shows that living in fear is no way to live either. It is complex and powerful but most people will not give the original a chance because the sequels were so bad.
I pray that this is the last Jurassic world movie, I haven't even watched anyone tear it apart on TH-cam. To know anything about anything that happens in that movie will be too painful, I don't even want to know how bad it is anymore.
This is why I didn't watched any MCU stuff (aside from Spider-Man) after Avengers: Endgame, I might be the only one who thought that it ended the MCU perfectly and like a full course meal, I was so content and happy that I never really bother to watch Wandavision, Loki etc despite hearing good things about it.
Here’s another point: Why don’t you use what you loved as inspiration and influence to create *new* stories?
A lot of people in the indie comic/webcomic department are coming to realize this. I hang out at a discord group of indie comic creators called The Outlaw Dive who talk about doing this.
Hell, George Lucas used Flash Gordon and Pulps, things of his childhood to make Star Wars and Indiana Jones
I’ve been more excited for Kamen America by the small company Iconic Comics, than what the almighty Disney Corporation hocks up
Isn’t that how it used to work?
@@BlackDoveNYC it was, but corporate culture and entertainment is desperately trying to suppress that due fear of risk of losing profit and/or becoming irrelevant
so they’re trying to keep stories on life support and turn the lower classes into good little consumer units.
RetroBlasting puts it best in his “Iger Sanctioning” video
Yes, but the problem is not enough people are which is why they are indie creators and Disney is Disney. When it comes to the intersection of business and art, business is going to win every time (at least above the "starving artist" level)
Great piece, Michael! Very well done!
I’ve only made it halfway through this video and I feel it might already be The Best RetroBlasting Video You Guys Have Ever Made.
Excellent topic, excellent narration, excellent writing, excellent examples, excellent editing.
Thank you for publicly saying what some of us have felt needed to be said for a long time. Sadly, it will likely fall on deaf ears for the creators/studios who need to hear it.
You've said it all, so no need to add to it, but 100% agree. The corporate mentality has seeped into the fandom, itself, to the point where I see people constantly using words like "content" and "IP" to describe their favorite movies, which is just nauseating to see. Perhaps I'm spoiled, having grown up in the 80's with so many "one-off" great films that were just allowed to be great on their own. The *ONLY* example I can give of a totally successful modern sequel to a classic film that's been made recently is the "Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance" series, which was almost miraculously wonderful; I still don't think the work that was put into that has received the credit it deserved.
Thank you Michael. I agree Companies forcing out more sequels and reboots that ring hollow is getting old. They've already scraped the bottom of the barrel, and are now threatening us with more continuations and reimaginings of anything that might have had even the slightest buzz from the 80s and 90s. They're bringing back Quatum Leap, and Fraiser. I loved these shows, but I don't need more. I want new stories. That's why Invincible, Vox Machina, and Squid Games interested me. New approaches, fresh ideas, characters I never saw before.
Some of these stories and franchises need to end. As a lifelong Star Wars, I've come to despise a lot of the new stuff coming out now-not because it's different from the original, but because it's just overload. I was under the impression that the Book of Boba Fett was only a limited series, but now folks are already clamoring for a second season-and the episodes we got weren't the best anyway. This video was SPOT ON. Thanks for sharing this.
Great video. Of my two favorite movies, one is lost in sequel hell (Jurassic Park) and one is blissfully complete (hopefully); that being Gladiator. Really great insight, and a great presentation.
Thats why I like the 90s Dick Tracy, they just shot everyone so there was no hope.
Our culture died in the 1990s and has been lurching forward till it eventually rots to nothing.
Love your content, man. Stumbled across your channel when I was researching a recent purchase and have been binging ever since. Voice comes off smart and authoritative. Ideas are clear, concise, well researched and articulated. And the wit is gold.
Wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment here: All good things must/should come to an end.
One of the things I really love about Retroblasting, is the honesty and the logic of videos like this!
"Titanic 2: The Captain Strikes Back"
For me AFTERLIFE was the worst GHOSTBUSTERS. Havent seen that much recycling in a movie in a long time.
So true!👏👏👏👏‼️
Can you please make a sequel video to this?
lol
But we DID have Odyssey 2 and Illiad 3. Its name is the Telegony. And it's also, from everything we know about it, total fucking shit.
The Greeks were AWFUL about sequelitis and spinoff stories, like, if you think the modern industry is bad about it, the Greeks codified all that shit ages ago. And they're not even the first ones - The Epic Of Gilgamesh, we know, is actually a derivative version of older legends, made to shit on some of the characters.
Great video expose, my dude. Like Don Henley wrote in his sublime 80's tome The Boys of Summer where he summerized The Boomers with one single poignant lyric:
'Out on the road today, I saw a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac...'
*SPOILER: his generation sold out*
I think you just perfectly articulated ours.
The reason Generation X was coined generation x was because we were this unquantifiable variable going into the new world order of the then upcoming future. Now that once open road of possibility and unlimited promise ahead is a well-ridden beaten path wasteland of squandered potential left behind eating dust in the rear view mirror.
Well said, Michael. I totally agree with you .
Bravo!
Deep and very thought provoking.
The very worst offender is the Terminator movies. I wish Cameron left in the original finite ending with old Sarah looking at her son with no future war around them. Second is Star Wars. It was a shameless cash grab because Disney had to make back their 4 billion dollar investment. I don't even want to see the new Indy movie. The Last Crusade was a perfect ending. The heroes riding off into the sunset. Nothing else was needed. These sequels usually hit or missed in the 80s and 90s. They are completely whiffing today. However, I still love Ghostbusters 2, I don't care what anyone says lol. Fantastic video Michael.
You mentioned the finite number of the doctor regenerations. I think it is accurate. After that number, the doctor was gone. Anything since will be a shadow.
Used to be; 'No one stays dead except Pa and Ma Kent, Bucky, and Uncle Ben!' It's down to Uncle Ben. The Kent's yo yo, and Bucky came back.
This has always been a thing--it _used_ to be a lot of media in *a popular genre,* making it a little less noticeable on the surface. Take the Western boom of the 50s and early 60s: there were so many Westerns on TV that the market was oversaturated, and it basically killed the TV Western stone dead.
Completely agree.
Once again, Michael - you've nailed it.
Probably the best video you've ever made.
Just FYI:
King Solomon's Mine was part of an ongoing series of Allan Quartermain books, The Three Musketeers has a sequel (The Man in the Iron Mask), and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle famously tried to kill off Sherlock Holmes because he was tired of writing the same sorts of stories.
This problem has been going on for HUNDREDS of years.
He said this has always existed. However, it has never existed for every franchise that ever was created in a person's lifetime times infinity.
@@n.d.m.515 Yes, but he held some of these up as examples of self-contained stories, and that simply isn't the case.
Yet another well presented and concise video essay Michael. Keep up the great work!
The corporations from the 80s and 90s succeeded on their terms. They hooked us on their brands. We keep asking for more of the same (guilty as charged). Folks want to recapture the feel of old gems and experience that high again. The same corporations are more than happy to play to that desire and spit out some half-baked derivation of the original. We keep consuming those derivations. What we see today is the result of the 80s and 90s branding. You may not like to hear that, but we are seeing the harm of that era in modern creative terms. I disagree this is about this generation being unable to accept endings. Like an addict, we are unable to break the cycle of regurgitated branding. We want this cycle to end, but we are stuck chasing that old high. Current consumers should not be the ones to blame. The impressionable youth of the 80s and 90s were influenced by the corporate brands. The blame lies with them. They wanted to indoctrinate us for future sales. Decades later, the corporations are reaping the rewards of their scheme. Why bother with creativity when you have your audience hooked on old brands?
I think that is the way it was for several years, but that tide is turning. More and more people are just wanting good movies. It may not look that way because of higher prices to watch movies, but audience attendance is way down. It was starting to go that way even before the Covid house arrests. Although Hollywood doesn't know it yet, they are strangely behind the curve rather than the curve makers they used to be in years past.
@@n.d.m.515 Yes, but that doesn't mean they're not consuming media, they're just doing it in other ways. For around the same price as a single movie ticket, you can get a month's subscription to a HUGE library of streaming content that you can watch on your phone. Hollywood realizes that more than you think. Disney makes more off of Disney+ per year than they ever have at the theatrical box office. They don't need "good movies" so much as they need a constant churn of new content to drive subscriptions. It's an entirely different business model than it was back in our day. (Witness this video's example of Sonic 3 already being slated for Paramount+)
The idea of "going to the movies" is increasingly an affectation for old fogies and something everyone else does once or twice a year as a big event (as sad as that is to say.)
I don't think it's a fear of aging (perhaps for some), but rather a longing for the good years. Society is objectively spiraling downwards since that 1950-2000 era (not that those 50 years were perfect, but put in historical context, if you lived in the West, they were the best for the average person in recorded history, especially the 80s and 90s) and I think it's more people clinging on to that. A lot of these IPs were huge parts of the culture then, so letting them die means letting that era go and embracing the cold brutal reality of the post-9/11 dystopia (A subjective term of course, but at the absolute least "much worse than back then"), this is why nostalgia-seeking is at a all time high, unlike the 2nd half of the 20th century, there is nothing to look forward to going forward for the average person.
You saw a similar phenomenon after WW1, which ironically enough is the origin of the term nostalgia. As an emotion, it probably existed before that, but it was never common enough to give a name. Before the industrial revolution, the average person's life was quite stagnant. Born in to a peasant family, grew up and made you own peasant family, then died, often in the same town you were born in rarely if ever leaving. After the industrial revolution, tech that revolutionized and changed society came out yearly, society was ever-changing (and this isn't even mentioning people entertaining new social ideas too, for better or worse) and this is still happening to this day. For context, wide-spread electricity, air travel, computers, television, phones, the internet, cars, among many others all came out in the span of 100 years.
People _need_ something they can cling on to from their youth to function in the modern world, and a mix of marketing and the fact it is entertainment, thus something fun (in theory) has made these franchises an appealing thing to cling to. I do think if societally the future looked bright, we would see more original and experimental works, reboots and sequels, even if they are utter garbage, are relatively safe financially and also give people a sense of familiarity. I generally agree with the premise of this video, but I think the societal factor is a bigger part of the equation and less just people afraid of getting old.
I think the real problem is no one is really story boarding this stuff anymore. They are just throwing stuff at the wall trying to see what stick. The last set of Star Wars movies really showed no one had any foresight on what they wanted to do with the story. And with that being said are we going to get that part 2 for the Bionic Six?
It's Hollywood itself that needs the reboot.
It needs a boot in the rear in order to reboot.