As humans, we always praise ourselves for how much we are fitted to modern trends and “innovative” about the things we do while considering the “modern traits” as a sign of development. It is not certain, well not specifically true either, in often conditions, I believe.
Nowadays, I started to examine the structure of the contents that we consume each and every day. Platforms like Netflix, Instagram, YouTube provide us with entertainment. Entertainment that is highly corrupted and degenerated, initiates the breakdown of our values, mental and physical health. Modern screenwriting, in terms of these, is only one of the corruptions that I want to point out specifically today.
The modern film industry has changed a lot. It became more of a fast forward, busy, factory-like kitchen; rather than a place where the master artists share their vision and stories in special places from the eyes of the medium they have created. I saw this “crime-in-action” to the screenwriting when it first began but did not think of the real consequences it dragged along. I am afraid to say that it is more complex than we wonder.
The modern film industry, Hollywood in general, now started to apply “deconstruction” to most of its original characters in the works that is put out recently. This process is generally referred to as the change in screen characters where they stray further from their original designs and are connected to an elsewhere in the plot of the newer creations. Often ends with the destruction of our big, admired strong heroes and heroines into desperate, depressed, passive states where they are used as “material” to highlight a protagonist (differs from work to work) or some other detail in the plot.
It is so hard for me not to highlight the Star Wars franchise as an example in this issue. Since we all own most of our childhood heroes from the creative and skilful hands of George Lukas.
I am a hundred per cent certain that we all remember Han Solo, a smuggler, a sinister, selfish person who has no care for anything that revolves around his head. At least, he was such a person when he was first introduced to the screen. However, later in the series, we see him transform into another person. A hero who is a smart, resourceful military commander, a brave fighter, who is desperately willing to risk himself for the sake of his fellow friends. Pretty cool right? It would be too bad to see him 30 years later in the franchise where he reverted back to a self-absorbed smuggler who somehow lost track of his own ship, Millennium Falcon, and as an incompetent criminal who made enemies from all over the galaxy. This exact thing happened later in the franchise. Later in the movies, he was killed by a poorly made plastic villain. What an end for a legend!
The movie “Creed” is another great example of how “deconstruction” is done. This time our childhood hero Rocky was the victim. The movie tells a story about the boxing career of a cynical, soulless character, Creed. Designed to fit into the unimaginable desire of power of modern humans. Creed is not like Rocky. Rocky is a determined trainee with has sheer greed and willpower. A boxer who is not the biggest, or the strongest, or the smartest, but optimistic in what he does, a hero tries to see the best in all people. He taught a generation that the most important thing is to never give up, be determined and inspire the people around you. However, in the new movie, he has lost his purpose in life and struggled with his pain. Even though diagnosed with cancer, our deconstructed hero is transformed into a character who does not want to even be treated. Furthermore, in need of a person that has to come and make him believe to be able to connect to faith again, which is Creed in this case.
Is not that is so heartbreaking to see our childhood heroes in that way. Do you even see a purpose in these? Through the years, Luke Skywalker’s optimism and bravery have turned into pessimism and passivity. From Terminator Franchise, Sarah Connor’s motherly love and craving for the protection of his son has turned into bitterness and relentlessness of the role that she was forced to have once. Rocky’s relentless force of willpower and belief has turned into defeatism and despair of the suffering and pain only to be a material for other peoples plastic work of meeting the incapable desires of the modern humans have.
This is all about the great mistake of screenwriting. The issue of corruption in screenwriting. People need to be aware of the damage that is caused by the normalization of despair, depression, lack of struggle, and weaknesses. People are made to believe that in real-world struggling for our dreams, fighting for what we want is not necessary because we can already do it even without pain in a virtual world where characters are stronger, more machine-like, and ideally perfect. We are captivated by the consumption of our pain and weakness to escape it. Yet, we like this because we are aware of the lack of our resources to face ourselves and accept what we are, in order to fight for the things we want in life.
This is a destruction of the past, in a desperate attempt to elevate the present.