Writing Is What Really Makes A Movie or Show Great
Neither the chase for more money nor the ongoing culture war can replace relatable themes or character development.
I haven't seen the movie Lightyear and don't plan to do so. My decision has nothing to do with that particular scene everyone highlights to create more fodder in the ongoing culture war.
My decision not to see it is twofold. First, there's nothing in the previews that has compelled me to watch it. Second, because I can remember enough about Toy Story 4 and my impressions afterward.
I didn't think Toy Story 4 was a bad film -- on the contrary, it was a solid film. However, the way Toy Story 4 wrapped up, it seemed like it was the film's creative staff sending a message to Disney that this is the end of the Toy Story franchise and to move on to something else.
Toy Story 3, to its credit, was not only a strong film, it may have been the best of the first three films. That's a rare feat, because when popular movies get sequels, it's hard to top yourself when you get to the third film.
However, Toy Story 3 was supposed to bring closure to the franchise, with Andy saying goodbye to his beloved toys as he heads off to college. That the writers put forward a compelling storyline with both the toy characters and with Andy himself is quite an accomplishment.
But this is Disney, a company that knows how to market a brand but, once that brand makes a lot of money, it wants to keep milking that brand for all it's worth. That desire to milk the brand is a likely reason why Toy Story 4 and, now, Lightyear got rolled out.
Wanting to get as much mileage out of a franchise as possible isn't a bad thing. As long as films or shows out of a franchise are well written, with strong characters and themes to which people can relate, I'll be happy with it.
But that brings me to this: The issue at hand isn't about wokeness or lack thereof, but about the quality of the writing, what characters are like and how much one can relate to the themes.
Again, I cannot judge Lightyear because I haven't seen it. But I can judge other films that I have watched, whether recently or a few years back, and say that they worked not because they did or didn't play to identity, but because they were strong films overall.
Rogue One, for example, was an attempt to build off the popularity of Star Wars and featured a diverse cast. However, what makes Rogue One work well is a compelling storyline, in which heroes, one by one, sacrifice everything to make sure the Death Star plans get into the hands of the Rebels and give them a fighting chance against the Empire.
Compare that to Rise of Skywalker, a clumsy attempt to wrap up the latest trilogy installment, in which much of it seemed to be appeasing critics of The Last Jedi, all while still trying to play to fan sentiment.
Or consider Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, in which one of the primary characters, America Chavez, is the daughter of a same-sex couple. This is not the reason the film doesn't work well -- in fact, the references to her parents are brief.
The reason the film doesn't work well is because it can't figure out whose journey is supposed to be at the forefront. Is it Stephen Strange forming trust with Chavez after an alternate version of himself acted selfish? Is it Strange's relationship with Christine Palmer (albeit an alternate version of her)? Or is it Wanda Maximoff's attempt to have children like an alternate version of her does?
Furthermore, the Doctor Strange film plays to the idea that the Illuminati will have an important role, but they're just there for the cameos. Benedict Wong is wasted in this film and we learn that Strange's biggest rival is Karl Mordo -- only that hasn't been explored in depth in the movies, even if comic book fans know the rivalry well.
Meanwhile, a film like Top Gun: Maverick -- a film that comes many years after the initial Top Gun release back in the late 1980s -- works because it puts together a compelling storyline and themes to which people can relate.
Consider that Maverick loves flying so much, he doesn't want to give it up, even refusing promotions. However, it means he's missed out on the chance to be a leader, plus his tendency to push back against superiors to prove them wrong, does more to hurt his point than make it.
It's only by realizing that he can't hold onto the past forever, when he becomes the leader who can guide inexperienced pilots on a dangerous mission. Furthermore, it makes him realize how he can sell his superiors on his ideas, even if it means defying orders.
The new Top Gun movie has plenty of callbacks to the first film, and it has fun with tropes, but it doesn’t push them for the sake of nostalgia. And even as the film introduces a host of new characters, each gets material that adds to the storyline.
If we want to understand what makes a film great, it's character development and themes to which people can relate -- and that comes through the writing.
There is something to be said about companies trying too hard to get as much money as they can out of a franchise. There is much more to be said about great writing, directing and character development being the key elements to a great movie or TV show.
Neither of these questions are answered by whatever drives the culture wars. It's driven by the simple fact that what makes a film popular is how well it captures interest at large. To do that, the best way to present a film is to think about the writing first.