Saahith Veeramaneni Week 14 Nostalgia for Profit - 4/10 [10:06 AM]
Week 14
Nostalgia for Profit - 4/10 [10:29 AM]
From my experience on the internet and in real life, I have seen a considerable shift in today’s popular culture surrounding the struggle between certain aesthetics, or more generally principles that is reflected in design choices, advertisements, and the collective consciousness of the greatest tool for spreading information, the internet. It is a struggle between idealists who base their tastes on a continuing shred of optimism for the future, and the increasing number of consumers consumed by nostalgia. To meet this changing demand, there has been a noticeable trend of leveraging nostalgia for profit across various industries, most notably in movies.
Nostalgia, a sentimental longing for the past, has proven to be an effective marketing tool, making it much easier to rope in consumers and make profits. This trend is evident in entertainment, fashion, marketing, and even technology, where companies capitalize on people's fondness for past experiences and cultural icons to drive sales and engagement.
One of the most prominent areas where nostalgia is harnessed for profit is in the entertainment industry. Hollywood studios release sequels, reboots, and remakes of beloved films and television shows from past decades, capitalizing on audiences' nostalgia for familiar characters and storylines. If you looked hard enough, it’s hard to find a single movie released this year that relied on completely new concepts. Dune 2 was a sequel to Dune, which in turn was based off of a book that was written in 1965. Or Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, which has a history that goes back to 1954, where Godzilla was little more than a man in an elaborate suit knocking over toy buildings.
Directors use these established franchises and beloved characters as a safety net, hoping to capitalize on existing fan bases and nostalgia-driven ticket sales. While this approach may lead to box office success in some cases, it often comes at the expense of originality and creativity. As a moviegoer, I've experienced both the excitement of revisiting beloved characters and the disappointment of uninspired sequels. While some sequels manage to capture the magic of the original and expand upon its universe in meaningful ways, others feel like soulless cash grabs, lacking the heart and creativity that made the original film memorable. For instance, my recent watch of "Kung Fu Panda 4" left me underwhelmed. Maybe I grew up, but to me, it failed to recapture the charm and humor of the earlier films in the series.
In an industry dominated by sequels and reboots, it's increasingly rare to find truly original films that push the boundaries of storytelling and filmmaking. While nostalgia can be a powerful marketing tool, it should not come at the expense of innovation and creativity. As a moviegoer, I would like to see more effort from Hollywood, for filmmakers to take risks and explore new ideas rather than relying on the safety of established franchises. I pay for tickets to experience or learn something new every time, and this is why I find many faults with the overwhelming usage of nostalgia to make easy money.
Hi Saahith,
ReplyDeleteYour blog thoroughly provided me with insight into the evolving landscape of popular culture and the role nostalgia plays in it. It's fascinating to see how the struggle between idealism and nostalgia appears not only in design choices and advertisements but also in our collective consciousness, especially through the powerful medium of the internet. Your blog articulated well how nostalgia has become a driving force in various industries, particularly in entertainment, where sequels, reboots, and remakes capitalize on audiences' longing for the past. Your examples from the film industry, such as "Dune 2" and "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire," effectively highlight how established franchises are often relied upon, sometimes at the expense of originality. Your personal experience as a moviegoer adds depth to your argument, and as a moviegoer myself, I could relate. The disappointment you felt with "Kung Fu Panda 4" serves as a relatable example of how some sequels fail to recapture the essence of the original, leaving audiences wanting more than just nostalgia. Another example of this is the “Rocky” series, which progressively got worse and repetitive. I agree with your opinion that while nostalgia can be a potent marketing tool, it should not stifle the pursuit of fresh storytelling and filmmaking techniques. As consumers, we entertain novelty and the opportunity to be captivated by new experiences, rather than simply reliving past ones.
Hi Saahith. I think you're absolutely right about the lack of original ideas in the entertainment industry. With major franchises like Marvel and Star Wars proving to be major cash grabs, it seems that nearly every film ever created has been created into a franchise, or at least expanded on in a variety of genres such as literature and video games. However, I think you do take a generally negative look at using older franchises, and I'd have to disagree with the notion that all movies using nostalgia are an inherently bad thing compared to original ideas. While nostalgia can be used to drive up ticket sales, it doesn't necessarily imply that the story the film is telling is the same as the previous versions. Take the Joaquin Phoenix Joker movie, for example. Ticket sales for those movies were undoubtedly driven by the audience's desire to see a movie surrounding the origins of one of the most famous movie villains ever in theaters. Instead of telling a story that's already been told with numerous other interpretations of Joker, however, the movie told a completely unique story dealing with mental illness that had never been seen before in the Batman universe. Of course, there are going to be franchises that are just milking money by having a familiar name and story in theaters, but I'd say it's unfair to classify all nostalgia-based films into one melting pot of lack of creativity.
ReplyDeleteHello Saahith! I think you give a very insightful message on something people might fall for subconsciously. However like Muhammed said in his comment to you, I do not believe that this is a bad thing. Recently my family and I went out to watch Kung Fu Panda 4 and my family and I are not movie watchers especially not my parents, but when they heard of this movie coming out they immediately wanted to go watch it since it has such a role in welcoming my parents who immigrated to America that Chinese culture and identity is normalized since this big motion picture film is about just that. It is also a part of someone of my most fond moments with my brother growing up and watching all the previous movies in theater and on the DVD at home until late night. After watching the movie, my mom said that it seems rushed and not as good as the other ones but still we had such a good time watching it. The nostalgia definitely out rose tinted glasses on me and my family but if we had a fun time then it was worth it. And the fact that the next generation of Kung Fu Panda lovers could be born after watching that movie, and watch the previous better ones. Nostalgia brings me joy and even if I have to pay 10 dollars for a cute family moment, so be it, being joyful and having a memory that will last forever even if caused by a lame film.
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