Please, don’t let the title fool you, authenticity in film has always mattered. Movies allow us, in my opinion, to experience some of the most tender, devastating and poignant facets of the human condition right from the comfort of our local theaters, or homes, if you prefer the couch. Films have never been more accessible, polished and expensive than they are today. Even so, many products of modern-day cinema feel almost empty. After all, once an art form becomes driven by profit at the expense of the soul, it becomes nearly indigestible for fans to consume happily.
The problem becomes clearer when we take a closer look at major examples of films that put this negative practice into, unfortunately, full effect. Disney’s Wish, 2023, felt less like the company’s 100th anniversary project and more like a cash grab, Joker: Folie à Deux, 2024, focused more on musical scores than remembering what made its central character so compelling in the first place, and Return to Silent Hill, 2026, only resulted in a poor reach for nostalgia rather than anything of substance.
The common error between these films can be summarized pretty neatly, oftentimes, we see bad films rely on some sort of built-in recognition to safety-net the risk of production. Disney’s overall legacy allows for producers to become sloppy in creating engaging media. Folie à Deux relied too much on the first Joker’s success. Return to Silent Hill, meanwhile, capitalized off of game-loving fans hoping for the adaptation to breathe life into their relatively dormant franchise. Instead of feeling driven by a clear, creative vision, we see some directors nowadays push out projects that seem calculated and flat.
But not all films are falling into this pattern. With major film industry successes like Sinners, 2025, Superman, 2025, Frankenstein, 2025, we can finally start to see the end of the “bad movie epidemic.” Sinners took a great risk by not following the standard cinematic approach to film, blending themes like southern gothic and supernatural elements, all the while honing in on the message that music connects people across color, gender and time.
A. A. Dowd’s article in The American Prospect highlights it perfectly, “Sinners is a threat to a Hollywood business model built only on regurgitation.” The Oscar-winning movie was authentic, and consequently, one of the best films released that year. Superman, which was also released in 2025, gave viewers a refreshing sense of hope in its message, human life carries value, kindness and love trump all, and good will prevail. Especially given the political climate during the summer of ‘25, fans were allowed to feel optimistic for the future, I definitely know I did. Superman, while not new in its franchise, was able to deliver us something of substance, ahem, Return to Silent Hill. Frankenstein follows in the same strain. Of course an adaptation of Mary Shelley’s thrilling novel, the film was still able to stun with beautiful cinematography, excellent acting and amazing costumery, of which it won an Oscar for. The movie was filled to the brim with feeling and emotion, not just a cheap regurgitation of a classic book, like Wuthering Heights, 2026. That’s another topic for another day, though.
Audiences, after going so long with a drought of mediocre films, are finally seeing an oasis in the desert. Viewers are, notably, increasingly drawn to movies that present something valuable to take away from, Sinners with resilience, Superman with hope and Frankenstein with forgiveness. Now, there’s real reason to believe the film industry will keep this ball rolling.
