Watched Oppenheimer today. It’s a fantastic film. Christopher Nolan is a fucking genius. The way the movie is structured, the quality of scenes, the general feel, everything is so refreshing. It was a revelation when most of the movies releasing are woke shit.
But still barbie gets more popular than Oppenheimer? What? I watched trailers and reviews of barbie and from what I know, it’s a woke shit that tells matriarchy is better than patriarchy, with a bit of comedy admittedly. I mean yes they can have their freedom of speech, but how does a film like that shadows a fucking artwork like Oppenheimer? What am I missing?
Artistic works that go hard on artistic qualities are appreciated by those who want to engage their brains and appreciate that art. It requires some level of effort, of attention, of conscientiousness rather than consumption. A huge portion of my enjoyment of Oppenheimer came from paying close attention to the way the story was structured.
But that kind of experience isn’t what everyone wants when they go see a movie. Some people (I’d say most people, really) want to turn their brains off and enjoy a few hours of pure entertainment. And there’s nothing wrong with that!
That’s why films that are artistic masterpieces are not always commercial successes.
I do want to briefly touch on your mention of “woke shit.” I would recommend keeping a more open mind when engaging with the world around you. Not because you need to change your mind, I don’t particularly care what you believe about things, but because hearing the stories and viewpoints of others help us to be better people. We can better serve those around us and better support those who need us when we are able to empathize with them, and to do that we need to hear and understand stories that don’t fit with our experiences. Empathy is one of humanity’s greatest superpowers.