Is American Movie Creativity Dead?

Are you tired of watching sequels, remakes, zombie, disaster, and superhero movies like me in this new year? Is American movie creativity dead? To confirm my disagreeable feelings about American movies, Warner Bros. Pictures is remaking the “Lord of the Rings” films? Really?

America used to be so creative. Have you ever wondered how Americans could write Star Wars, and the British were able to produce something like “Lord of the Rings” and “Harry Potter?” Unfortunately, Americans have little history; looking into the future is best. The British have history, experience, and traditions; while Americans are much simpler than that. As such, Americans are often ridiculed by people from other parts of the world for having no depth and culture.

Another reason for America losing its creativity could be due to Americans’ arrogance and ignorance of different cultures. The wisdom and humor of the British are the result of struggles with the Scots, the Welsh, the Irish, the French, and the colonization and aggression all over the world. America has a unique frontier cowboy culture, which is why western movies are so classic. As the Black Lives Matter movement goes deeper, Americans are rethinking slavery and struggles with the native Americans, the Asian immigrants, the Hispanics, and newer waves of African and European immigrants and the conflicts between these groups. Hopefully, these will not be untouchable themes and politics will not get in the way.

Finally, the loss of creativity is probably due to stiffening laws and regulations. American films have the status of Tyrannosaurus rex in the film industry. But it is intriguing that even some classic European films from France, Germany, or Russia have not been seen by Americans. That is because of the copyright issue of the movie. In the past, DVD players could only play movies from a certain region. For example, one of my favorite movies since childhood is La Grande Vadrouille, I was so surprised that not too many Americans have seen it and I had a lot of difficulties finding the English-dubbed version of the movie. In the end, we bought a regional Blu-ray and an unlocked player to play the movie.

Movies are money making-machines in the U.S. foremost: sequels and remakes are the safe bets. Good movies tend to show up when there is social turmoil (e.g., World Wars, the 1960s), which reflects the times we did not have time to reflect or when people need an avenue to vent and express themselves. These are understandable reasons, but no excuses. Something reflecting everyday lives and people from all walks of life is hugely successful such as Friends, Sex & the City, The Office, Little Miss Sunshine (2006), and The Pursuit of Happiness (2006). The Hollywood movie, including the technique, crew, production, and editing is still unbeatable. I guess they just need better scripts and some gambling courage!