Is 2018 an Underrated Year?
Disclaimer: This post was originally written in June of 2018 and scheduled at that time until it was lost. Recently discovered it is getting a second chance at life in 2019, even if it's a little irrelevant now.
The cinema going experience within the domestic world of Hollywood has been on a downward spiral for a few years, mainly with the internet yelling about how cinema is dying. With the rise of Netflix and other streaming services I can see where that argument can be made, especially when you're a broke college student and Netflix is the moviepass for your home, but is that really the case?
Over the past five years we have seen ticket prices go up, concessions go up, and movie theaters being upgraded with assigned seating; the whole nine yards. It's fair to say that people who don't go to the movies because it costs too much are correct. If you have a family of five, three of them being kids, and you get concession, the price for movie night easily hits the $60-70 range. Nobody wants to spend that much money for a two hour trip out of their home. Streaming services have helped families, and lonely college grads, to reconnect with movies from the comfort of their couch. Last year was even reported to be a record low for movie attendants in the last 25 years.
From this point of view it's easy to see a troubling picture begin to form. In 2017 the films that struck big were franchise movies; Star Wars, Wonder Woman, Spider-man, Fate of the Furious, etc. Smaller movies that had gained good word of mouth also had a good run at the box office like The Big Sick and The Post, but most of the really engaging movies that I believe people should have seen in theaters went by nearly unnoticed. In today's market it's really difficult to get people out of their homes and into a theater unless it's established as something they know...until 2018. While 2017 had some long lasting movies, Wonder Woman, that people talked about for months and praised their importance, 2018 feels like the year that has truly grasped good films all around.
So, let's start with the blockbusters and get them out of the way. This year has been action packed since March, nay, February when it came to big budget blockbusters. Black Panther kicked off the superhero "summer" as Marvel's next endeavor, and while everybody was expecting it to be good and enjoyable no one saw it becoming this massive and smart. Marvel does have a formula they use, and it's very apparent in this film, but what Black Panther does better than previous movies set in that universe is their character work. Audiences left with such a high that naturally they'd want to check out other blockbusters...right?
Unfortunately, in the wake of Black Panther's success a lot of blockbusters that came out in March didn't do too well. Tomb Raider and Pacific Rim: Uprising are the notable tragedies. While both got critically slaughtered I found enough enjoyment in both to be worth a watch. Tomb Raider had good action and I thought the final third of the movie saved it from its awful exposition dump of the first two acts. Uprising I generally enjoyed and thought was a worthy successor to the first movie. Sadly, with bad reviews and Black Panther still making bank it seems like those two suitably fine blockbusters got pushed under the rug.
Ready Player One did a bit better, most likely because Spielberg's name is on it, and was able to stay in the cultural conversation for a week, maybe two. Nobody saw Rampage which is a shame because like Tomb Raider and Uprising it's an enjoyable blockbuster. A love letter to giant monster movies. It knows what it is and tries to have as much fun as possible, and for the most part I think it succeeds. Then came Avengers: Infinity War. Infinity War broke all records (nearly all) and expectations. It made people cry, feel, laugh, and every other emotion known to humans. This is a film that has been in the "making" for six years. Since the end of the first Avengers film Marvel has been building up to this movie, and it did not disappoint. The biggest take away from Avengers: Infinity War, for me, was the fact that thought was put into it. The writers made it feel like an event, and put enough depth into their antagonist that this blockbuster has elevated the blockbuster game. In my mind, I was stunned to see a super solid Marvel film.
Now we get to talk about the less advertised films, the smaller ones, and these I truly believe are the heart and soul of 2018 thus far. Game Night and Blockers are both comedies that truly shocked me. I enjoyed these so much more than I thought I would, and you know what else? They're smart! Game Night is a delight and had numerous scenes that I was busting my gut laughing at. Blockers has the premise of "Sex is bad, we need to stop our children" trope that we've seen hundreds of thousands of times, and yet here there is a good-hearted nature about it and character arcs that are actually meaningful and audiences can learn from. Then we had Annihilation, the critic's indie darling of the year it seems. While I did not like this film I have found a lot of opportunities to discuss it and dissect it in a civilized manner. I actually found myself loving the hunt for good reviews and trying to understand why people love this movie so much, and while I've come to understand why it's loved, and even formed my own opinions on what the movie means, I can proudly say I still don't like it. And I love that!
Other mid-budget movies that had huge talk opening weekend, but got lost in the shuffle of blockbuster season descending upon us, are Love, Simon and A Quiet Place. Love, Simon is probably the only good teen rom-com that has come out in over a decade. It's delightful, and important in how average it is. A Quiet Place on the other hand is a train ride of suspense that had me clutching at my arm rests the whole way through. It's a very fun, simple thriller that'll scare you, make you invested in these character whom barely talk, and fall in love with a very touching story.
It's nearly the halfway mark on 2018 and already there are a plethora of great films to talk about, so why does it feel like most of the movies I listed are barely talked about now with the exception of Marvel blockbusters? Each of these films, whether slandered or praised, had huge word of mouth on their respective opening weekends, and yet who's still talking about Love, Simon? When that was in theaters, along with A Quiet Place, they were selling out shows and wowing the crowds, and yet both are rarely talked about now that Avengers: Infinity War is out. Which brings me back to why the domestic box office of Hollywood is dwindling.
After working at a movie theater for over a year I can tell you that most of the audiences for the movies I listed are teens/young adults, or senior citizens. Couples, or people going solo. While these films are making their money, and then some, it's still small compared to your Marvel movies. Those giant blockbusters are what families go to, and what their kids will be talking about at school. That, and streaming services, college debt, and an assortment of other reasons are why less and less people are going to the movies. That is sad to think when so many good solid movies are out there waiting to be watched. I believe because of that, and the fact that this first half of 2018 is uncharacteristically good for movies, and with all of them being out around the same time has narrowed the window for seeing these delectable delights and thus are talked about for a week or two, nay, championed for a week or two before the next one comes to replace it. So, after all this I truly believe 2018 is an underrated year for film that most people won't realize until it's behind us, because we've had a number of solid movies in the months that are usually the dumping grounds of studios.
