One thing I’ve noticed with newer movies is they do a lot more “tell, don’t show” than old movies.
The writing sucks which is why movies seem like stream of consciousness time wasters with no stakes, fake emotions and CGI explosions. When the writers went on a strike in Hollywood I actually laughed. ChatGPT can write better scripts than what Hollywood has been churning out lately.
It really does feel like movies are dumbing down.
I think this is a combination of armchair directors in the boardroom trying to actualize their market research and writers actually being less smart and creative. It would explain why everything is a prequel, sequel, soft reboot, universe expansion or some other vehicle for recycled IP.
I think the big reason everything is a reboot these days is that it makes marketing it a lot easier. If you told me there’s a new sci fi show coming out I might watch it. But if you told me they rebooted SG1 I’d definitely watch it.