From the tenth “Fast and Furious” to another Marvel sequel, Hollywood’s biggest recent blockbusters have left many viewers feeling uninspired. With franchise fatigue settling in, many turn their attention abroad, where international films like Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of a Fall” and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Drive My Car” have
secured multiple awards and inspired audiences all over the globe.
Senior Daniel Schwartz credits this trend to Hollywood’s lack of creativity. “Hollywood is so uninspired now that it’s just a bunch of sequels,” he said. “It just seems like every movie is getting repetitive. Every movie is too predictable. There used to be more effort into the plots with crazy ideas and unique twists.”
On the other hand, international films offer a cultural perspective that can feel more original. Junior Van
Calvert, whose father majored in film, has followed their shared passion, accumulating a list of over three hundred movies watched and currently taking the Film Literature class at Gunn.
“A lot of the movies that I’ve seen domestically are pretty action-like, so it’s just people going around and doing stuff,” he said. “But in international movies, I think (they) have a lot more themes and are visually interesting.”
Global cinema is also a platform for diversity in mainstream media. With parents who immigrated from Israel, Schwartz feels personally connected as many of his childhood favorites are Israeli musicals and films.
“They brought in all the special things about the culture, and that affected who I am now,” he said. “It’s about representation.”
Film Literature teacher Justin Brown explains how economic pressures have further fueled this shift. As streaming platforms gained dominance, mid-budget films shifted online, leaving studios to focus on high-
budget blockbusters and, therefore, recycle big-screen characters.
“Everything Hollywood studios are making are $100 million movies, and if they’re going to make a $100 million movie, they want assurance it’s going to make $200 million,” he said. “That means fewer risks, fewer chances for originality.”
Calvert relates the increase in new technology to the necessity for unique and eye-catching content in movies.
“In the 80s, (movie producers decided) that they were going to make super dazzling movies, like “Jaws” and “The Exorcist”, and everybody (went to) watch them,” he said. “As time progressed, the things that (people could
watch) on their phones (became) more interesting than the movies that you can see in the theaters, so Hollywood has to adapt to that.”
With six years of experience creating film projects, junior Johnny Na believes that although international
and American films are different, neither is superior.
“A lot of American movies, since America is such a melting pot for cultures, have diversity, and there’s a clear difference between them,” he said. “People need to appreciate how much hard work goes into both types of
movies.”
