April 20, 2014
BY ADAM PARKER
If you've been to the movies lately, surely you've noticed all the havoc. The common denominator of destruction is more widely employed than ever.
Dystopia and decimation surely are not new to visual entertainment; I grew up fascinated by the old Japanese version of "Godzilla,"
for example. And sci-fi or superhero epics are hardly a recent
phenomenon. But you have to admit that we are living in times that tend
to emphasize not just adventure, but the drama of annihilation.
There are several reasons, including commercial concerns and technological advances
that make intensified special effects possible. But I propose something
else is at work here. Hollywood, it seems to me, is tapping into very
real fears, exploiting audiences' preoccupations with actual bad news
that just keeps piling up.
Read the whole essay here:
Niko Tavernise/Paramount Pictures/AP
