Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Movies no longer the best storytelling medium
With a headline like that, I’d wager folks might just be expecting me to do something stupid like predict the end of movies. But I’m not going to do that.
I love movies. I enjoy writing about movies. And I still intend to watch and write next year, assuming Philip Martin hasn’t smashed his iPad against the kitchen counter in frustration from my columns yet.
But a recent conversation I had with a buddy who lives in Montreal got me thinking about the superior storytelling medium, that is, the format of how writers put stories on the screen, big or small.
And I’ve come to the conclusion films aren’t the best way to tell a story, and they haven’t been for a few years now.
For starters, nobody can seem to agree on how long a movie should be, with the generally accepted minimum being around 90 minutes and the max at 3 hours. I remember people freaking out over “Avengers: Endgame” having a 3-hour running time. And the way those people cried about “The Irishman” (which they had the ability to pause),
you’d think there are cemeteries filled right now with unfortunate souls who died from exploded bladders.
On the flip side, you have plenty of “Harry Potter” fans who complain some of the movies were too short. I’m just annoyed the last film came in two parts, the first being an entirely useless entry in the franchise.
I’ve walked away with the credits rolling in plenty of films wishing there was more. One of my favorite movies from 2020 (I’ll get y’all my top 10 on Jan. 1) was “The Old Guard,” and even it left me wanting more story, more time with the characters.
Lots of critics seem to agree television is the medium for adults now, with shows like “Breaking Bad” and “Watchmen” telling really well-crafted stories. It’s why they call this the golden age of television. And I’d agree with a caveat, namely limits on time.
The superior storytelling format to me at this time is the limited series. I’m talking about shows that have 6-10 episodes every year or two and call it quits after three or four seasons. And I think now is the perfect time to take well-established movies and advance the story further with limited series.
Look at “Highlander” as an example. There’s one good movie (two if you count the animated film) and four unwatchable sequels. But when the story of immortals killing each other for “the prize” is turned into a television series? Suddenly, it’s a hit.
The reviews for “Highlander” 2-5 are abysmal, but “Highlander: The Series” was pretty well liked for the most part. Its primary fault seems to have been overstaying its welcome, something the show has in common with other hits like “The X-Files,” “Heroes,” and “Lost.” That’s why I think limited series that tap out after four seasons are the best way to tell a story.
There’s no pressure to fill a 26-episode order for six or seven years in a row. When writers do that, they’re just setting up the audience for more chances to end up being disappointed.
Following the success of “The Mandalorian,” Disney is betting big on limited series. The House of Mouse just announced a smörgåsbord of “Star Wars” series, and they all sound like the best thing to come out of Star Wars since “Rogue One.”
With “The Rise of Skywalker” and “The Last Jedi” being such disappointing films, I’m glad to see Disney realizing it can tell stories in that beloved universe with a medium that can deliver more story and characterization fans crave. I’m beside myself that I’m getting an entire series dedicated to Ahsoka, my favorite Jedi.
The running time in movies can make it more difficult to develop characters, particularly with an expanded cast list. Look at “Tenet.” That film was 150 minutes of all narrative and zero character development (Elizabeth Debicki being the sole exception). If it had been put into a six-episode miniseries on Showtime or Netflix, imagine how much better of a product fans would have gotten.
Characters are the most important part of any story for me. They’re how I relate to the movie/ book/game/series. I loved the characters in “The Old Guard,” but I found myself desperately craving more time with them when the movie ended. These were five immortal warriors with centuries of history between them. And screenwriter Greg Rucka was tasked with fleshing all of them out (plus KiKi Layne).
Rucka did a hell of a job with the task he was given, but then the villain suffered for it. We were stuck with generic evil scientist. Think of how much better these characters would have developed in an eight-episode season akin to “The Umbrella Academy.”
Compare this to a movie like “John Wick” which is amazing but only focuses on one character doing one thing (killing). In that scenario, a movie will do just fine.
Out of all Disney’s announcements on Investor Day, the one that excited me the most was a new “Alien” series coming to FX and Hulu. While I enjoyed “Prometheus” and “Alien: Covenant,” even I have to admit they left me with more frustrating questions than answers. And killing off Noomi Rapace was a sore spot with me in the same vein as killing off Hicks and Newt in “Alien 3.”
But once again, a limited series that’s a little more grounded and focused on the xenomorph creatures that we’ve all come to fear, as opposed to the endless philosophical questions posed in “Prometheus,” presents a grand reinvention opportunity for the franchise.
Movies are still great. Few things made me as happy as “Wolfwalkers” this year. But as I’ve started to compile my top 10 films list of 2020, I’ve realized that I came to enjoy limited series more than films this year, pandemic aside. And even movies I did enjoy like “The Old Guard” and “Birds of Prey” would have benefited from being series instead of films.
What can I say? When I find lovable characters, I want to spend as much time with them as possible, and sometimes three hours just isn’t enough.