Movies Moving Forward
A Reflection On The Decade’s Films
Over the past ten years, box office records for movie’s opening night sales have skyrocketed. Some of the decade’s films became classics, others were not as successful and a special few films broke industry records.
Movies have entertained America for over a century. The cinema industry began in 1888 with the world’s first film: “The Roundhay Garden Scene,” which lasted 2.11 seconds. In today’s world, movies tend to last at least ninety minutes and include special effects, high-tech editing and 4K cameras.
The past decade provided film enthusiasts with action packed thrillers, family movies and re-makes of the country’s favorite classics. Re-makes of movies like “Spider Man” brought old stories back to the big screen with new special effects and actors. New additions to ongoing series like “The Avengers” and “Kingsman” kept movie-goers on the edge of their seats throughout the decade.
“My favorite movie of the decade was “Kingsman: Secret Service” because it was a great thriller, and the writers talk about a modern crisis happening today: climate change,” said Remington Ullmann, junior.
This decade also saw films like The “Joker” (2019) break box office records. “Joker” became Warner Bros’ largest opening for an R-rated film bringing in $248 million worldwide. However, the film was subject to controversy because of the level of violence and graphic scenes used to depict the harsh reality of mental health.
“I think movies are more explicit and more dramatic [than they used to be],”said Jackie Birch, sophomore.
IMDB and CNET created a list of the best films of the decade based off votes from film critics, regular movie-goers and movie reviews. “The Social Network” (2010), “Toy Story 3” (2010), “12 Years A Slave” (2013), “Lady Bird” (2017) and “Black Panther” (2018) each made both lists for Top 30 Best Films of the Decade.
Looking to the future, 2020 will feature new films such as “Jungle Cruise,” “Onward,” “The King’s Man” and re-makes of Disney classics like “Mulan.” Also, “Black Widow” and “Wonder Woman 1984” will feature new strong female leads in the superhero genre.
Cinema fans will always remember this past decade’s movies as the world of film transitions into the new decade: the 2020’s.
