Five directors who made cinema worse
Cinema has rapidly evolved since the medium’s early days, with big-budget movies, crazy special effects, and animation all coming a long way and subsequently shaping the industry. The most successful movies today are strikingly different from what was most popularly consumed before the 1970s, but with the rise of blockbusters spurred by Jaws, Hollywood has since transitioned to making more lucrative projects.
As a result, there has been a decline in artistry and creativity in the mainstream, many might argue, with the experimental and often daring movies of the ‘New Hollywood’ era in the ‘60s and ‘70s now replaced by flat-looking, formulaic, epic tales and superhero movies. It might be harsh to say that a certain director has made cinema worse, but there are definitely cases to be made for various filmmakers whose films have actively contributed to a decline in the art form.
The rise of Marvel and superhero films, which do little to present audiences with interesting and complex ideas, have helped to turn cinema into a business rather than a medium for expression and critical thought. In fact, the dominance of these films and other big blockbusters suggests that the meaning of cinema differs depending on who you ask – to some it’s art that is allowed to be confronting, to others it’s escapism.
The directors listed below have all made movies that force us to question what cinema really is. Many of their films are well-made, but their effects on the industry are overwhelmingly negative.
Five directors who made cinema worse:
Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer
Cinema was much better before films like Disaster Movie and Epic Movie were being made. We’re all for having fun – there are some great parody and satire films out there – but the ones made by directorial duo Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer are not those. Blending plots and characters from popular movies like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Dark Knight and Alvin and the Chipmunks, these parody movies base everything on far better films (yes, even Alvin and the Chipmunks), and the results are always terrible.
These kinds of parody films were a dire time for cinema, and the 2000s were somehow loaded with them. It was Friedberg and Seltzer’s films that remain the worst, however, with their terrible acting (Kim Kardashian stars in Disaster Movie), offensive jokes, and overall lack of cinematic merit. Often labelled as some of the worst movies of all time, Friedberg and Seltzer’s work has nothing to propel cinema forward – their movies have only made it worse.
Michael Bay
Sometimes, you wonder how certain filmmakers are able to keep making films when they are consistently negatively reviewed, but then you look at how much each movie has grossed, and suddenly, it all makes sense. Michael Bay is one of the worst of all, having only been given countless opportunities to make films because of the sheer financial success each of his terrible films has garnered. His career in the ‘90s and early ’00s included many action thrillers and disaster movies, like The Rock and Pearl Harbour, but it was his subsequent decision to make five Transformers movies that truly landed him on this list.
Full of flashy action sequences and lots of special effects, these films are devoid of any real cinematic worth, but the fact that he’s been allowed to just…keep making them is incredibly disheartening for the state of cinema. It seems like the industry will happily prioritise money and franchises over integrity and artistry, and Bay’s work is a prime example.
Ridley Scott
This one might ruffle some feathers, but Ridley Scott’s career reflects an industry that prioritises names and status over true creativity and interesting up-and-coming filmmakers. While Scott has made some undeniably great and incredibly influential movies, like Alien, Thelma and Louise, Blade Runner, and Gladiator, he has also dished out some absolute shit. From A Good Year and Exodus: Gods and Kings to House of Gucci and 1492: Conquest of Paradise, Scott has made quite a lot of poorly-reviewed movies.
Yet, because he has also made some good films, he keeps being given chances, churning out movies instead of sitting back and letting other people have a go. He is routinely given millions of dollars to work with, but rarely do the films he’s made in the past 25 years stick out as enduring classics, nor do any of them actually contain much substance. Scott exemplifies the privileges that many white male filmmakers harness, continuously given funding despite a notable decline in quality and his rather bad reputation as being lazy and moody.
George Lucas
It might be controversial to call George Lucas – the creator of Star Wars and the visual effects company Industrial Light & Magic – a director responsible for making cinema worse but hear us out. We’re not saying that his original Star Wars trilogy is bad by any means or that he’s an awful filmmaker, but the effects that Star Wars has had on the film industry have been, overall, rather catastrophic. The blockbuster franchise was born when Star Wars was made, resulting in a shift towards big-budget movies that Hollywood prioritised over more artistically-driven films.
Industry executives quickly saw the appeal of these movies, which could easily rake in billions through box-office earnings and merchandise. Franchises guarantee that countless viewers will flock to each new movie, further driving away funding for more interesting and less hegemonic ideas to be made for the screen. Since Star Wars debuted in 1977, countless special-effects-laden blockbusters have dominated Hollywood – and this isn’t a good thing.
Russo brothers
Has Marvel ruined cinema? Yes. The company’s frequent production of star-studded movies full of CGI, cringe-worthy humour, predictable plots, and an overwhelming amount of fan service, have resulted in a decline in people going to the cinema to see thought-provoking, creative movies. Marvel movies aren’t pieces of art; they’re the equivalent of fast food – quickly and sloppily made, easily addictive, and not good for you.
While the Russo brothers aren’t responsible for all Marvel films, they helmed some of the biggest entries to the MCU, such as Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Both films sit in the top 10 highest-grossing films of all time list, with the latter coming in at number two. Bringing together characters like Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and the Hulk, these movies have further turned cinema into a commodity, their purposes seemingly being to earn money and little more.
