When discussing modern mainstream blockbusters, nostalgia can be a touchy subject. Whether it’s discussing the use of subversion as an attempt to deepen nostalgic characters we’ve been waiting years to see again in “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” or the possible merits a Bumblebee spinoff set in the 1980’s can have in an otherwise bloated and disappointing live-action “Transformers” franchise, nostalgia can be a defining factor as to whether or not a person sees the resurgence of properties of their romanticized past in an optimistic or cynical viewpoint. With a film like “Blade Runner 2049,” you see how nostalgic callbacks can be used to not only engage fans of the previous film but also how to use that nostalgia as a way to build an original, more emotional story that organically builds off the past. However, on the flip side, you can see films like 2015’s “Pixels” misuse nostalgia in the worst ways, cynically presenting nostalgic properties without even trying to replicate what made them nostalgic to people in the first place. I could probably do this all day because, in recent years, films have been trying to tap that nostalgia vein nearly to the point of sucking it bone dry.
Ready Player One
Ready Player One
Ready Player One
When discussing modern mainstream blockbusters, nostalgia can be a touchy subject. Whether it’s discussing the use of subversion as an attempt to deepen nostalgic characters we’ve been waiting years to see again in “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” or the possible merits a Bumblebee spinoff set in the 1980’s can have in an otherwise bloated and disappointing live-action “Transformers” franchise, nostalgia can be a defining factor as to whether or not a person sees the resurgence of properties of their romanticized past in an optimistic or cynical viewpoint. With a film like “Blade Runner 2049,” you see how nostalgic callbacks can be used to not only engage fans of the previous film but also how to use that nostalgia as a way to build an original, more emotional story that organically builds off the past. However, on the flip side, you can see films like 2015’s “Pixels” misuse nostalgia in the worst ways, cynically presenting nostalgic properties without even trying to replicate what made them nostalgic to people in the first place. I could probably do this all day because, in recent years, films have been trying to tap that nostalgia vein nearly to the point of sucking it bone dry.