Why can’t Zoomers stand up to ’90s cult comedies and action movies?

Many films of the 90s have already become classics, and those who grew up with them may wonder why zoom enthusiasts hate such a great movie. Of course, “hate” is a very strong word, but the hostility is obvious. It would be weird if everyone liked the same thing. After all, even to millennials who grew up watching Arnie movies and comedies like Scary Movie, they don’t seem that interesting anymore.

And it’s not about cinema, it’s about the change in values.

Lack of authority and new family models

It is enough to remember the movie “Problem Child” and its sequels. In them, the red-haired tomboy Junior causes big trouble for his foster family, who adopt him to join society. In the second part, he meets a girl who is not inferior to him in the ability to play on other people’s nerves, and her father is looking for a wife among divorced women.

You can see that family cinema was booming in the 90s, with mass divorces taking place in the background. “Home Alone”, “Beethoven”, “Nannies”, “The Parent Trap”, “Casper”, “Jurassic Park”, “ETET” – all to some extent emphasize the importance of the family institution. . And this largely aligned with how millennials felt when experiencing loneliness due to their parents’ divorce. Having matured, this generation does not seek to create a family and children, which is confirmed by demographic indicators in the USA, Russia and other countries.

It can be noted that the main characters of popular series such as Harry Potter and Star Wars either have a parent or adopted parents. This is especially evident in the films of Steven Spielberg and Chris Columbus. In Artificial Intelligence, an android child hopes to become a real child and win the love of his parents. The robot hero in “The Bicentennial Man” has the same leitmotif; dreams of a loving family.

Zoomers, on the other hand, do not value blood relatives too much and do not seek mentors, on the contrary, they are ready to argue on equal terms with an adult and even read a lecture about disrespect for the rights of women, racial and other minorities. Maybe that’s why Zoomers love to joke about millennials’ love of coffee, Harry Potter, and Disney cartoons where characters lose their parents or run away from home. At the same time, behavioral models are not based on traditional respect for the elderly – it is not age that matters, but what kind of person you are, not experience, but sincerity, the ability to change and accept mistakes. Social networks have given us the opportunity to choose our influencers from a wide variety of options. Zoomers not only navigate the digital environment more easily, but they are also less susceptible to the influence of propaganda.

Conscious free time instead of alcoholic parties

The new generation is relaxing in a new way. For example, comedies such as “American Pie” and “Eurotrip” depict drunken parties with illegal substance use, fights and promiscuous sexual encounters. It’s not that nice anymore. And although this is exactly the type of leisure depicted in “Euphoria” and “Sex Education,” the emphasis there is completely different. Loneliness problems and mental disorders came to the fore.

We also have to take into account that although Millennials grew up watching ’90s comedies, these movies were made by Boomers and Xers whose youth were completely different. It’s no coincidence that sociological studies show that Boomers dream more about companion sex and Zoomers dream more about monogamy. And the same “Euphoria” was filmed by millennials.

Zero tolerance for violence and bullying

What about violence? The devil is in the details too. It is unlikely that the horror films of Game of Thrones, A Game of Squid or A24 and Neon can be called less violent, but they still differ from the action and horror films of the 90s and zeros. And this is not a matter of realism; Even then computer graphics were quite advanced. In films such as “Terminator”, “Predator”, “Rimbaud”, “RoboCop”, “Die Hard”, the main link is a charismatic hero. In the 80s and 90s, bodybuilding was trendy; Tough guys like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis were running around the screens with guns at the ready and knives in their teeth. Their mission is to save the world, protect the weak, or ensure justice. All these movies are packed with plenty of action, chases, spectacular shootouts, dirt, sweat and blood.

Even in recent high school dramas, teenagers actively harass bad guys and girls. Because Zoomers prefer horizontal to vertical hierarchy, bullying is not only discouraged but also collectively condemned. While the nerds are appreciated, the tough, tough guys are ignored. The main weapon is not brute force, but ethical and fair actions.

A young viewer today cannot but be captivated by a spectacular “meat grinder”. It’s so boring. And action movies almost never come out in their classic form. It is now important to show the character’s motives, not the cruelty. The TV series “Halloween”, “Resident Evil”, “Night of the Living Dead” scare with jump scares and jump scares; Modern horror movies may have no blood or murder as in slow burners and post-horror movies. The fact is that the “snowflake generation” suffers from anxiety and stress, so they try to minimize them. At the same time, movies can be frightening due to their atmosphere and can be more reminiscent of psychological thrillers. For example, in Solstice, a folk horror film about a cruel pagan cult, the action takes place during the day, but despite the bright colors and minimal bloody scenes, the audience experiences panic fear.

Participation in political and social life

How much the values ​​have changed can be evaluated through restructurings. For example, while the cult “The Crow” starring Brandon Lee was more of a story about the revenge of a hero resurrected from the dead, the new “The Crow” starring Bill Skarsgard tells about the love of a man with mental disorders. who returns to the world of the living to destroy the hideous beings in human form who brutally murdered her lover. Despite the Gothic setting, both films are completely different in mood and message. The first is more brutal and hopeless (the hero’s fiancee is raped and beaten to death). It doesn’t show the hero’s difficult childhood and the love story of two misunderstood souls, but in the second movie, yes.

For comparison, let’s take the TV series “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” and “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.” If the first one is more reminiscent of a cute sitcom about coming of age, where the heroine gains magical powers and tries to solve ordinary school problems, then in the reboot Sabrina became the female version of Harry Potter, carrying the ideas of feminism. While millennials stay away from politics, closers see themselves as active participants in civil society. Moreover, they are disturbed by the lack of interest in social problems. The fight to protect the environment, women’s and minority rights, these are all important issues for them. Millennials don’t believe their voices can change the world. But this question – whether to live for oneself or for others – everyone decides for himself.

Platonic love and monogamy instead of companion sex

You may also note that there were many erotic dramas in the 90s and 2000s, such as 9 1/2 Weeks, Species, Sliver, Basic Instinct, and Sex, Lies, Madness. Nowadays, such films may seem offensive to young viewers. Almost all Zoomers have trouble connecting with their bodies. Therefore, although they are aware of gender, they are not very interested in it. While for closers it is important to find a permanent partner, friend and platonic love, for the older generation what really matters is sexuality in all its forms.

Zoomers consciously reject the model of consumer relations in which sex is bought and sold. This is one of the reasons why they often watch anime and TV series rather than movies. Asian content arranges an abundance of erotic content (women do not go naked at all, men only to the waist), and viewers expect the first kiss of the main characters as a holiday (they usually get it only in the middle or towards the end of the film). story). At the same time, friendship and sincere feelings prevail in them.

It should come as no surprise that zoomers view “Friends” and “The Office” as mothballs. Yes, most of them are not working yet, they have not yet encountered an acute lack of money and hard work, so they do not consider career growth and permanent work important. You can understand the logic: Why use a plow if you don’t have to? Frequent changes of activities, remote working and other features of current daily life seem more comfortable. It is much more interesting to watch a lone hero who works for hire and is a specialist with a set of unique skills; These are the kind of heroes we see in modern movies and TV series.