For people who have been enjoying movies and TV for a long time, there will always be a shift in tone over time, especially for long-running franchises or regularly adapted stories. Times change, and in order to stay relatable, the stories that filmmakers tell must follow suit. This is particularly notable in media that is released in conjunction with major world events, such as the rise of social commentary in the popular films of the 70s. This trend has been not only present, but also prevalent in media for a long time, creating a tonal spectrum that fluctuates with time.
In recent years, however, with the popularity of reboots, adaptations, and continuations, we get to see a much clearer demonstration of how the films that audiences enjoy have evolved over time, and this isn’t always a flattering picture. While there can be no denying that the current array of films is certainly darker in tone than what might have been released, the big question to ask here is: are the movies that we enjoy becoming too dark?
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Has Tone Really Changed?
Warner Bros.
Popular cinema today is based on franchises that have often been around for a long time, either through long-form stories or updated adaptations. Characters that older audiences may have stood in line at the theater to see are being introduced to newer audiences in fresh, modernized ways, while new characters are developing in even more extreme ways than their inspiration would have even been capable of.
Franchises like Star Wars provide good examples of this shifting tone. Darth Vader’s controlled and authoritarian demeanor is intimidating, but less terrifying than the outright psychopathic tendencies and on-screen sadism demonstrated by Kylo Ren. On the protagonist side of things, one need only compare the classic version of Superman as played by Christopher Reeve to the broody and conflicted Zac Snyder version presented in Man of Steel to see the shift from the wholesome ideal toward a bleaker and grittier version of the very same character.
Examining the changes in tone of these franchises across different eras, while not conclusive to the entirety of cinema, does provide an indication that popular films have become much darker. The subject and stakes of each film have undergone fairly minor changes across eras. For instance, the villain and their goals are actually the same in Man of Steel and Superman II, but the hero of the film operates and makes decisions in a significantly more morally gray manner, and that in itself is a significant enough change in tone to illustrate the point.
Why Does it Matter?
Walt Disney Studios
Going to the movies is an experience that has been many things to just as many people, and the films that audiences go to see are one of the most critical components of that experience. Many people go to the movies as a way of connecting with family and friends, or to distract them from other things. With adaptations of comics, video games, and other media, the motivation may be to enjoy a new interpretation of their favorite characters. No matter what the reason, people go to the movies to be entertained.
The darker plots and morally gray depictions of characters, especially those which are much more traditionally optimistic, are not necessarily something that every member of the audience may enjoy. Certain films, such as Disney’s Star Wars trilogy and Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, are marketed towards audiences of all ages, but then deliver content that younger children or specific audience members may find disturbing, and therefore the experience of going to see these films is not enjoyable for them. This narrows the viewership down, and the more prevalent this becomes the fewer films there are for audiences craving more lighthearted fare.
This all isn’t to say that an adult-oriented film is bad or guaranteed to have a darker tone. The R-rating, controversial in superhero films, has proven to be quite effective for multiple different properties. Both Deadpool and Logan carry an R-rating, but their tones couldn’t be more different. The Deadpool films are extraordinarily entertaining, and every moment of the films is a fun experience, even with all the over the top violence and harsh language. Logan, by contrast, is a grim story with very little humor or hope, even in the brightest moments of the film, as its goal is to explore elements that aren’t even be associated with the superhero genre, described by the New York Times as a “Noirish Western”. Both are excellent films, but the audiences that will enjoy them are not exactly the same as most will be wanting something different from each experience.
What Can We Expect?
Warner Bros. Pictures
One thing to note is that the films that get released have shifted tone for as long as there have been movies. The Batman franchise, which is currently defined by each film becoming more and more grim with every release — CNET going so far as to describe the latest entry as a horror movie — has gone from lighthearted fun, to dark and grim, and back to fun again before it became what it is today, and that is the sort of thing that can be expected from the industry in general.
That movies are exploring dark and gritty themes isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and quite a few of the darker versions of existing stories and characters have been very successful in connecting with audiences in a way that their brighter predecessors simply never did. There is a quality to the darker side of storytelling that modern filmmakers have become comfortable with, and the end result is a renaissance of grim and pessimistic cinema. Even when popular cinema has evolved past that point, these stories will continue to be released because of the nuance and depth that the tone provides.
Today’s films are taking a darker turn, but just as it always has, film will adapt and change to suit the times. Audiences are diverse, and at this moment in cinematic history, they are enjoying the stories and perspectives that are being released. When the time comes for something else, then those same audiences will dictate what comes next with their attendance. For now, the quality of filmmaking is extraordinary, and we can expect the current era of the movie watching experience to continue for as long as the storytelling and cinematography can hold our attention.
