Matt Damon once explained why he felt “depressed” by modern cinema
Following the release of 1997’s Good Willing Hunting, it was clear that Matt Damon, who co-wrote and starred in the movie alongside Ben Affleck, was destined for acting greatness. The years following the legendary drama have proven that such a fate lay in waiting.
However, seeing as Damon has seen the advent of the way cinema has moved into new frontiers throughout the 21st century, he’s been well positioned to consider the direction it might be heading in. Unfortunately, the acting legend is not best pleased with modern cinema, and it’s actually sent him into a depression of sorts.
In an interview with The Sunday Times (via Comic Book), Damon explained how the new generation of movie fans experience the medium in a different manner to his. “The way they watch is different to how we did. How can you watch a movie if you are texting? As someone who makes these things, I can’t say I love that.”
“Movies as we know them aren’t going to be a thing in our kids’ lives. And that makes me sad,” he continued. Enemy number one for Damon looks to be the modern superhero movie, several of which are released yearly. Damon believes it contributes to the poor quality of cinema.
Studios are always looking to make new superhero movies because they are so profitable and can almost always guarantee an audience. “It made the most profitable movie, one that could travel around the world,” Damon said. “And if you want a movie to travel and play big, you want the least amount of cultural confusion. So there is the rise of the superhero movie, right?”
He continued, “They’re easy for everyone. You know who the good person is and who the bad person is. They fight three times, and the good person wins twice.” This narrative is indeed easy to follow, but it does not necessarily make the story a good one nor one that’s culturally and socially important.
The effect on Damon is one of depression. In another interview with The Tech, he noted, “I think nowadays I’m so depressed about things because movies have changed since I was where you are. That was 25 years ago. Because of these bigger influences on the business, now they’re making these giant, giant movies that are these 300 million dollar behemoths, and they’re all about people in capes running around.”
Damon’s filmography is undoubtedly one of quality, with movies like Interstellar and Good Will Hunting possessing the kind of narrative quality that is starkly lacking from superhero movies, and that’s precisely why the actor finds himself in such a depressive state over modern cinema.
