Cinema is art, and it is also entertainment. But what is it ‘to entertain’? What is the duty of entertainment? Surely it is more than the passing of a couple of hours of your time? Certainly, the cinema of today seems to have lost its way in its duty and to a large extent imagination has died, with escapism a lost art. To look retrospectively to the 80’s as a boom era, represented as such in its cinema, the “anything is possible” attitude was enormously prevalent. Before cinema became the segmented institution it is today, it was open to all to enjoy no-holds-barred fun, to escape, imagine, take risks, rebel and adventure. It was the age when Lucas and Spielberg were weaving their legendary movie magic and the young and old and everybody inbetween were flocking to share in this imagination, to imagine themselves, to escape. These days, the only journey’s cinema takes you on are the personal ones, and even they are wholly tainted by the all-prevailing morality lessons.

Back in the day, there was imagination. To see a film was to escape, to take a trip; maybe to another galaxy, maybe another time, or maybe just to the possibility that right under your nose there was adventure to be had. A blockbuster movie was absolutely that: a blockbuster. It was a real event when a big mainstream film came out (in the days when mainstream wasn’t a dirty word for film fans, but the staple of your movie diet) and it was inclusive. Yes, today a Tom Cruise film will be the cause of some sensationalism and gimmicky premiere bullshit, but in the 80’s there was purity to the grandness of the event. We all wanted our chance to dream, and we all got it. With films like Cocoon and Batteries Not Included, even the old folks could dream. But these films were not exclusive, they were open to all. All ages would be hunting for treasure; all ages would be looking towards a future. 

What does it mean to have lost this imagination, to have lost this sense of dreaming? Well, as we shall see, the ‘anything is possible’ has been replaced by ‘towing the line within society’s existing parameters,’ and the shared art of imagination has given way to realism replicating the status quo. We are no longer to question, to think, to dream. Disunity has ensued in cinema and segmentation has set in. Settling down has replaced adventure as an adult and the old folk are just obliterated. Kids can’t look to adulthood with any wonder anymore; all the magic of the oversimplified multi-cultural fun in the movies has been replaced with grinding lessons in morality and fearing thy neighbour. It’s no wonder our generation look to a time we once had and cherish it – for growing up didn’t mean it all turned to shit, it meant we had even more adventure. But times changed and cinema never delivered on its promise. We grew up and they took our dreams away and passed off churned out indoctrination in its place. The duty of entertainment is to make us question and dream and the craterous hole left by the lack of imagination in the current state of cinema cannot be underestimated, for this is where we all come to escape, to live out our dreams, to see a world beyond what is in existence and the chance of opportunity and individuality.

Coming Next: Part 3: Who Killed Hollywood And Why?