It seems that production conglomerates like Disney and Warner Bros. have been pumping out large-budget films as of late. The number of Marvel movies coming out has skyrocketed to 33, Star Wars and its spin-offs just keep on going, and live-action remakes of popular animated films have gone wild.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a superhero movie now and again. But I find that for me, much of the films’ draw is the spectacle: the long action sequences and the rampant special effects. I’ve found that especially recently, with the release of “The Marvels,” and Star Wars’ “Ahsoka,” much of the dialogue sounds forced, the characters feel underdeveloped, and the plotline seems lacking.
On the other hand, mid-budget films like “La La Land” and “Home Alone” don’t tend to rely on special effects or CGI. I find that because of this, their plotlines are more developed, their characters feel compelling, and their experience is more enjoyable overall.
“Knives Out” is an incredible example of a current mid-budget film that offers a respite from the droves of large-scale franchises in theaters. Made by a long-time, but little-known director, it gained popularity for its clever twists and humor. This is one of my favorite movies, and it didn’t need to keep me glued to my seat with heroic figures and sweeping battle scenes. I stayed because I cared what happened to Marta and because I wanted to see what insane thing Ransom would say next. I love this movie because it is so simple–it’s just a murder mystery–yet you can feel the effort the actors, directors, and writers put into it.
Because budgets do not go to CGI, and directors’ attentions are not given to complicated battles, smaller aspects of the plot get more thought. Things like symbolism and foreshadowing are much more present in movies that are not sweeping epics. I can’t remember the last time I watched a Star Wars movie and said: “that was clever!” These little “aha” moments seem to be much more present in smaller movies.
Take “The Truman Show” as an example. This movie was surprisingly philosophical, and I felt that with each move Truman made, the film was making a comment on the idea of reality and human connection. Rather than being boring and overly academic however, I could still enjoy the humor of the story. It felt like I had a deeper enjoyment of the film, because it was more than just entertaining. That’s something that I think large-scale movies lack–they feel like they try to impress the audience with intricate visuals rather than tell a compelling story.
Sadly, the amount of mid-budget films being produced is tanking.
While not completely absent from theaters, according to The College Contemporary, from 1996 to 2001, 36% of films had budgets in between $15 and $65 million. This number plummeted between 2016 to 2021, to only 5%.
Big studios have learned that spending money makes money; largely expensive franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe tend to gross massive numbers. “Avengers Endgame” had a budget of $365 million and made $2.8 billion internationally.
Hollywood is a business, and sadly, that machine is cranking out movies that spend more time wowing than actually telling stories.
