Some of the world's favorite films are Hollywood based productions, but as of recently while their popularity continues to grow with major hit film genres such as Marvel/action, Horror, Sci-fi it's worth noting the backlash of gender representation in your favorite films as more and more women find themselves in reboots of popular movies that were once dominated by almost entirely of male actors. Some of these films include Ghostbusters, American Psycho, and The Next Karate Kid.
Now most films are mostly associated with common everyday tv violence, absurd humor, and acting that is questionable depending on the watcher. These movies and genres have become so popular among the general public that we've been accustomed to change just as frequently as these films do. It's become a culture to consume so much of the media, where we don't even notice it taking place. Lots of people love these movies and wish they could be a part of them, but lately with gender-swapping of popular films, its more about a message they want to relay to you as the watcher. With the original ghostbusters it was all about how students were kicked out of a university and set up shop as paranormal investigators that end up saving the city, in the 2016 film, which I admittedly never watched but will try to accurately justify. With an overall rating of average by moviegoers and critics alike as a funnier and visually pleasing version of Ivan Reitmans' it lacked the innovation to be its own
identity, instead it was just an ill-conceived plot with a messy execution that meant to please a demand for female representation in the industry. Now this isn't the first nor is it the last film in its industry to have a gender swapped cast, but it certainly is exactly that, a change of cast about an unoriginal remake that wanted to be something but fell short. With how easily accessible it is to watch movies like this it gives the impression of laziness and lack of actual female experience in the world in favor of equal representation which in reality is just taking the success of men in film and taking it as their own. Now I particularly don't care about such things but it's becoming a trope in more than just movies where a character is replaced in favor of a female or diverse character. With how common this has become I'm not entirely surprised about how many people in today's society want to do the work and labor of a man or vice versa, especially in sports with the Lia Thompson
debacle. These movies aren't about making a movie, they're about sending messages to their watchers that it's okay to change and defy what you thought was normal, and it very well may be ok to do so, but I for one believe it's better to make something of your own instead of changing the source material for a new kind of generation individuals
I'm not sure I agree with your perspective on the 2016 "Ghostbusters" film. First all media has something it is trying to portray to the audience. This movie was no different. There is a stereotype that women do not belong in STEM careers and this movie reflects this with how the women as STEM professionals were not taken seriously. This is a modern and common problem in the STEM fields where men often discredit and look down on their colleagues that are women.
ReplyDeleteThe movie also takes a jab at the Hollywood trope of the "dumb bimbo" with the character Kevin played by Chris Hemsworth. In the original "Ghostbusters" franchise they had Dana played by Sigourney Weaver and while she wasn't necessarily dumb her character did receive the eye candy treatment when possessed by an evil entity. There were many complaints from men about how dumb and unrealistic the character Kevin was, but that was the point as that is how women often get written by men in media.
The 2016 "Ghostbusters" film was a feminist movie and the response from critics and men in particular is a prime example of hegemony. The movie was headed by famous comedians whose costuming was designed around character expression rather than sexual display. Most of these comedians rose to fame on SNL just like the original "Ghostbusters. Like many famous movies there was a character displayed for sexual objectification, but instead of a woman it was a man. Lastly the film was a statement about women belonging in the STEM field, which many men from STEM disagree with.
The response from critics in particular is where the hegemony of the patriarchy comes into play. In the excerpt "Hegemony" by James Lull he states "hegemony is more than social power itself; it is the method for gaining and maintaining power" (Lull, page 34). The critics were tearing apart this movie to maintain the status of women being inferior to men. The movie itself was well written, well produced, and starred top comedic talent. Yet it was torn to shreds.
In his article "Why The 'Ghostbusters; Backlash Is A Sexist Control Issue" columnist Sam Adams points out the IMDB ratings by movie goers was "Nearly eight times as many male voters as female, with women ranking the movie twice as high as men" (Adams, paragraph 5) and many of those men likely did not see the movie due to the reboot being cast with women. Adams goes on to explain this visceral response from men by describing a fan who who said he was once proud to wear the "Ghostbusters" logo, but now was discomforted about wearing it because the meaning was different and Adams interprets this reaction when he says "I have to worry about people thinking I’m a feminist? Nuh uh. No thank you. He’s lost control of the place that “Ghostbusters” has in the culture, and he doesn’t like how that feels" (Adams, paragraphs 13-14).
The truth is the movie was never given a chance simply because it was a female perspective. Male viewers sabotaged the ratings, voiced their outrage long before the film was released to the public, and critics gave the upset men what they wanted in their own reviews. The hegemony of the patriarchy worked its magic and the movie flopped by Hollywood standards. But ultimately there was nothing cheap or lazy about this intelligent feminist movie.
Works Cited:
Adams, Sam. “Why The ‘Ghostbusters’ Backlash Is A Sexist Control Issue.” IndieWire, 14 July 2016, https://www.indiewire.com/2016/07/ghostbusters-reboot-backlash-1201705555/.
Lull, James. “Hegemony.” Gender, Race, and Class in Media: A Critical Reader, 5th ed., SAGE, Los Angeles, CA, 2018, pp. 34-36.