Film making

One of the things that made Star Wars amazing was the fact that it utilized technology and special effects that were way before its time, that no other pictures had yet been able to implement. Back in the 1970s, CGI effects were a big thing, and having the ability to do the kinds of things they did with Star Wars put that trilogy really on the leading edge.

But here we are over thirty years later and movie producers are still trying to push the envelope with the latest and greatest CGI effects. It has gotten sort of old. Movie watchers are getting burned out on special effects. The trend seems to slowly be going in the opposite direction actually. Movie producers have been spending millions of bucks on CGI effects that in a lot of ways are actually detracting from the general movie experience.

Some film producers have noticed this, and have slowly but steadily begun going back to the traditional hooks like suspense and good dialog, in lieu of just blowing things up. Don't misunderstand what I mean, I love a good action sequence. But in the last decade, it has gotten a bit silly, with action stars customarily performing stunts that are way beyond the field of human capacity.

Things are slowly changing though. I have actually really enjoyed some of the films coming out nowadays in the world of science-fiction and fantasy. The producers and directors are finally starting to get the hint that their audiences are losing interest with high priced, impossible to believe action sequences that carry on and on.

There are numerous different films that are starting to take this approach. My favorite is the new film "Cowboys and Aliens," whose title obviously makes it seem like a cheasy science fiction film that probably has an especially poor plot. But I was very impressed by their restricted use of computer effects and drawn out action sequences, and instead got a pleasant supply of good acting and dialog.