I remember about a year ago, I was watching YouTube when a video in the recommended feed caught my eye. It was a trailer for the new film Cats. I decided to give it a watch out of sheer curiosity and oh boy, was that a mistake. After an excruciating two and a half minutes, I sat for a while and reflected on the abomination that I had just witnessed. I quickly went down into the comment section to see how others had responded and I was glad to see that I was not alone in my hatred for this furry monstrosity. In the following weeks, Cats was all over the media due to how much hate it was garnering, with many asking “who thought this was a good idea?” The film was eventually released into theatres and was met with a very negative reception, to nobody’s surprise. Public reaction was so negative in fact, that Universal decided to pull the film in order to reanimate and fix its most glaring issue, the horrendous CGI. Although the specific costs of reanimating have never been released, the second cut of the film made for a total budget of $90-100 million USD and went on to gross only $75 million USD worldwide, making for the biggest flop of the year. As Luke Parker of Screenrantpoints out “the idea of a re-release sets a terrible precedent for future filmmakers.”, as it shows Hollywood that they can tamper with their films after release to pander to audiences that may not have given the response that they were hoping for.
Cats is a textbook example of how throwing more money at a film does not necessarily make for good cinema. This is a mistake that Hollywood has made again and again, and despite their many financial failures, their successes are enough to keep them coming back for more. In recent years, Hollywood has fallen desperately far from the heights it once soared during its “Golden Age”. The influx of generic, big budget blockbusters has flooded the market with big profits, and even bigger egos. The industry has become nothing more than a machine, hellbent on lining the pockets of greedy producers and air-headed actors, pushing aside those who wish to make genuine art and express themselves in the only way they can. In many cases, these lower-budget independent films are the ones that stand the test of time, as the focus is not on making money, but art. These hidden gems, such as Guy Ritchie’s Snatch and Michael Haneke’s Funny Games, utilize unique story-telling and visuals to convey genuine messages and original experiences. Sadly, they are often left by the wayside and don’t make as big a splash upon release as a franchise such as The Avengers, but the good ones are strong enough to still be talked about and appreciated to this day.
To date, the most expensive film ever made was Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, costing a whopping $410 million USD when adjusted for inflation. The fourth installment in the series, it went on to make an estimated $1.04 billion despite its abysmal rating of 33% on Rotten Tomatoes. Although the film probably hasn’t been spoken of since it was released in 2011, the sweet smell of that $1 billion lingered in the air long enough for executives to churn out the even worse Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge a whole 6 years later. The film underperformed and failed to hit the $1 billion mark, making only $794.9 million USD at the box office. Most people would be quite content making such a profit, but once Disney had hit $1 billion with their previous installment, they wouldn’t settle for anything less. This franchise is just one of dozens that will continue to beat a long-dead horse just to squeeze out the last few drops of cash before moving on to their next operation. This is quite worrying, as it shows that Hollywood execs are people “for whom enough is never enough” (Pevere), and they are more than content with pumping out forgettable films that serve no other purpose than to make them richer.
Although it may seem as such, I’m not saying that it’s bad to shut your brain off and enjoy a fun big-budget film, but it could become a problem when we no longer desire to consume anything else. Powerhouse franchises such as The Avengers and Harry Potter use a formula of storytelling that forces fans and their wallets to always come back and find out what happened to their favourite on-screen heroes. Although this is not bad in and of itself, it can lead to lazily written films, as the producers know that fans will flock in the thousands to come and watch regardless. Independent films don’t have this privilege, forcing them to put all of their efforts into making a piece of art that will speak for itself. A smaller budget will often lead to greater creativity and more genuine intentions when it comes to spreading a message or idea. For example, CGI is an expense that most low-budget films simply can’t afford, so they will resort to using practical effects and creative techniques which are often far more memorable then some flashy, obnoxious special effects. This boosted creativity leads to a film that holds more artistic merit than your average Hollywood blockbuster, and one will still be discussed and examined for decades to come. I think that as fans of cinema, it is our duty to encourage independent films and help them get the recognition that they deserve. If we continue to support only what Hollywood spits out, we will just be encouraging them to continue their efforts and showing filmmakers everywhere that making formulaic blockbusters is the only way to survive in the industry.
Imagine this: It’s a brisk Friday night. You just got off work and are heading to the theatre with a couple friends to see the infamously horrendous Cats. The pimple-faced sixteen-year-old at the counter gives you a look of shame and disgust as he hands you your ticket. You get in line to buy some snacks, the stench of fake butter stinging your nostrils. As you sit down in your seat, popcorn in hand, a troublesome thought snakes its way into your mind. Did I really just pay $16 for this? You try to justify it to yourself. At least I can laugh at how bad it is, right? And then the guilt sinks in like a lead balloon with the realization that you have just directly supported this monstrosity. After two excruciating hours, the curtains close and the lights come on. As you leave the theatre with your friends, a homeless man on the corner asks you for some spare change. You wish you could give him some, but you’ve just gone and spent everything you had on the ticket. Was it worth it?
Sources:
“Cats (2019)”, IMDb, imdb.com. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5697572/
“Funny Games (1997)”, IMDb, imdb.com. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119167/
The Numbers. “Cats (2019)”, The Numbers: Where Data and the Movie Business Meet, the-numbers.com. https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Cats-(2019)#tab=summary
Parker, Luke. “Cats’ Re-Release Doesn’t Save the Film (It Made It Worse)”, Screen Rant, screenrant.com, published 30 January 2020. https://screenrant.com/cats-movie-cgi-rerelease-bad-worse/
Pevere, Geoff. “Hollywood’s sordid love story with greed and capitalism.” The Globe and Mail, theglobeandmail.com, published 27 September 2012, updated 5 May 2018. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/hollywoods-sordid-love-story-with-greed-and-capitalism/article4572902/
“Snatch (2000)”, IMDb, imdb.com. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0208092/
Sylt, Christian. “Fourth Pirates Of The Caribbean Is Most Expensive Movie Ever With Costs Of $410 Million”, Forbes, forbes.com, published 22 July 2014. https://www.forbes.com/sites/csylt/2014/07/22/fourth-pirates-of-the-caribbean-is-most-expensive-movie-ever-with-costs-of-410-million/#137aa7ef364f
W. Audrey. “The Rise and Fall of Hollywood’s Golden Age”, Arcadia Publishing, arcadiapublishing.com. https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Navigation/Community/Arcadia-and-THP-Blog/June-2019/The-Rise-and-Fall-of-Hollywood’s-Golden-Age
Oliver Warne Nonfiction 
This is a great second draft. Really great. I disagree with your assessment that this reads like a typical school essay. It does not. This reads entirely like a feature story. The writing is genuine, warm, and personable. You write in an “imagistic” way throughout, using really strong, active verbs. In fact, I think your verb choices is the most impressive thing about this draft. The verbs move the piece along. It doesn’t lag for a second. You’re an excellent writer. Really natural and engaging style. It’s important that you know that about yourself!
I like a lot of this draft. All my notes on your draft were positive–just pointing out things that I liked. I honestly thing until your second-to-last paragraph you don’t need to change a thing. Up to this point, I’d say this is your final draft. I just have two notes:
1) You could add a couple of paragraphs toward the end that touch on bigger picture ideas. What is behind this cycle of uninspired Hollywood trash? Cronyism? Greed? Lack of imagination? The dumbing down of mass-media? And, what why do independent movies have more artistic integrity? What is artistic integrity? Why are artists more free when there’s less money involved? What is freedom? How does financial consideration crush freedom or imagination? What is imagination?
Obvious, you’re not going to answer all these questions. These are examples of what I mean by bigger picture ideas. You could pick one or two of the above ideas to cap off your piece. Or think of another bigger picture idea. But, you need to lead us into some kind of “what does it all mean?” moment toward the end.
Though you identify your last paragraph as your favourite, I think you can do better. It’s a great paragraph, but it’s not the best ending for this piece. Maybe you could talk about watching a trailer for a good independent movie? I don’t know. Perhaps the bigger picture idea will lead to a more appropriate ending.
Really fantastic stuff. Truly impressive. You should be really happened. I’ve graded the majority of 2nd drafts, and yours is the first where I can honestly say that you don’t need to change anything besides the last paragraph or so. Pretty great.
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