What I've found through exploring the films of yesteryear (ie: 90s and back) is that comparatively, new Hollywood blockbusters aren't written as well and focus mainly on advertisement for monetary success. Why do people disregard the cycle of seemingly constant degradation of the quality of the stories in films nowadays??
mostly, if a famous actor is gonna be in a movie, everybody is gonna watch the movie. that alice in wonderland (which WAS an amazing movie) would have gotten way less attention if johnny depp wasnt playing a role there.
Because Hollywood believes the viewers want what they already know. And suprisingly, it works. For some reason people believe thinking is a chore, not a natural process and they flock to braindead action sequels also known as "summer movies" full of creepy stereotypes and explosions.
Good cinema requires effort in writing and cinematography and why bother when you can just get a popular franchise, slap together some sci-fi CGI (or in Disney's case, recycle Rapunzel's face) and make easy money. Just making sure the dinosaurs are bigger and the explosions more frequent.
I think blockbusters in the 90s would be just as bad if technology allowed it. Back then it was either expensive special effects or making up with a clever plot.
