I was recently talking with my family about the visual quality of modern movies in comparison to older ones. Things definitely look better now that Blu-ray and 4K are available, and you can notice this when older films are released in this format.
Yet whenever I try to watch newer movies on TV, I have trouble seeing what’s going on. The lighting is always dark. Colors are always dull. Everything looks like it has a gray or sepia filter applied to it. And I’ve been wondering, “Why are movies so visually dark nowadays?”
I understand that in some cases, this may be a deliberate choice for the tone. Supernatural is supposed to be darker, so things should be less colorful. Horror films need the dark so that you are scared. There are plenty of reasons to do this on purpose, and I completely understand.
But why does every single film either look like a grim war movie or is impossible to see at all? I couldn’t even see the fight scene in Wonder Woman 1984 between Wonder Woman and Cheetah. Why are all of the new live-action Disney films so dark and devoid of color, despite the fact that they are aimed at children?
Even changing the TV settings does not seem to be helpful. And if you compare it to other films, you’ll notice a significant difference. My brother recently purchased The Lord of the Rings: Extended Edition on Blu-ray. The films look absolutely stunning. And guess what? You can see everything. Even massive battles. You can see everything.
So, why are fight and battle scenes nowadays so dark? I can’t even see them fighting. This seems to be the case with a lot of TV shows as well. There’s this desire to make everything dark and gritty when it doesn’t have to or shouldn’t.
So I’ll ask the question. Why?
Personally, I have some thoughts on “why are movies so visually dark nowadays?” I could be right, or I could be wrong. I think part of it is done on purpose to achieve an overused aesthetic. There’s a strong desire to make things darker and grittier.
And for some reason, that implies that it must look that way with dull colors and darkness, despite the fact that you can still make things dark, gritty, and creepy with colors. It happens all the time in anime. (Side note: not everything has to be dark and gritty these days. Please make some fun stuff.)
Some of it may be the device used to watch a movie or television show. Perhaps the filmmakers are envisioning a large cinema screen rather than a person’s TV. I rarely go to the movies, but I’ve heard they’re still difficult to see even then.
To be honest, I believe some of it is laziness and an attempt to hide faults or make things easier for themselves. Creating a fight scene for a movie is probably complicated, and it’s easy to make mistakes. Thus, if you make things dark and difficult to see, chances are that if someone makes a mistake, it won’t be seen as much. It’s also likely easier to conceal wires and other equipment.
I think the same may be true with CGI. CGI started to improve, but then it seemed to regress. We’re seeing a lot of bad CGI that receives a lot of criticism on the internet. Filmmakers can hide CGI behind dark or difficult-to-see scenes. Unfortunately, with so many movies now relying on CGI, the problem is just getting worse.
Conclusion
I think the darkness has been utilized to conceal things. I believe it is used to make things easier for people working on the film. I’m not going to sit here and say that making a movie isn’t difficult or anything. I have no idea what it’s like to make all of these movies.
I did take a couple film and electronic media classes in college, but they were basic and only scratched the surface. So I have no idea what it’s like to work on all those big blockbuster movies. But making everything impossible to see does not look good.
I can’t say for certain why this is happening; I can only speculate. But I can’t see what’s going on in your movies. And it’s evident that I’m not the only one, as a quick search for this issue shows that others have complained about it. My family and friends have also commented about it. If the purpose of making a film is for someone to see it, are you really completing your job if that person can’t see it?
It would be nice to have some entertainment that we could actually see again. Perhaps we’ll see some brightness return, some nice, vibrant colors, and some amazing fight sequences in broad daylight where we can appreciate all of the stunning shots. Give us some more magic and wonder in all their bright and vivid glory.
Check out my opinion piece on remakes and reboots too.
Do you think movies are too visually dark lately? Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment.