Category Speculation & Analysis

Apr 16 2024

The Post-Superhero Film & TV Era

As we move further into this decade, it is apparent that the superhero era in films and TV shows has ended. We all know about the hurdles many recent superhero films and TV show have faced with diminished quality and profit. Guaranteed would-be hits like The Marvels or The Flash failed spectacularly last year and help cement that the superhero films and TV shows are no longer as popular at they were in the previous decade.

This does not mean that there won’t be anymore superhero films or TV shows or that they will never be popular again. There are several superhero films and TV shows in various stages of development and it is possible that a new era could arise. It has happened before. Back in the early 2000s, superhero films became dominant in films thanks to the success of Spider-Man and X-Men, but they then diminished in quality and several films did not perform well. However, as we all know the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) exploded on the scene and launched an even more successful and popular era of superhero films and TV shows. It is similar to what has happened with the comic books that inspired these live-action films and TV shows.

As comic book fans know, comic books have had their ups and downs throughout history with different ages. When they first came into prominence in the late 1930s they sold very well, but by the mid 1950s comic books declined in popularity and sales until the release of Showcase #4, which revamped the Flash and introduced a new age of comic books. Essentially, the eras come and go in cycles with comic books as they reinvented themselves and there is little reason to doubt this won’t happen with superhero films and TV shows. For all we know this year’s Deadpool & Wolverine will usher in a new age of superhero films and TV shows. Or it may be a while as other genres capture the attention of viewers as they offer a fresh new take on superheroes.

So, until then what genre can replace the superhero films and TV shows in terms of prominence and popularity?

It is too early to tell, but we have a couple of contenders: video game-based properties or monster-based properties.

The MonsterVerse based on giant kaijus like Godzilla and King Kong has proven to be unexpectedly popular, while Godzilla Minus Zero blew away audiences and critics with its high quality and success. There are plans for films based on classic movie monsters like the Wolfman and Frankenstein’s monster, which could fulfill the failed promise of the so-called Dark Universe from ten years ago. The only issue with these monster films is their limited scope in terms of story. It is difficult to make compelling stories that focus on giant monsters while ignoring poorly developed human characters. But it is possible, again look at Godzilla Minus Zero.

On the other hand, video games have provided ample material for filmmakers to mine from. The most popular video games are based on science fiction, horror and fantasy and everything in between. In the past, films based on video games fared poorly as filmmakers were unable to translate what made the games so popular into film.

However, there have been many recent films and TV shows based on video games that were wildly successful and were well received. These include Sonic the Hedgehog, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Five Nights at Freddy’s, The Last of Us, The Witcher, Halo and most recently Fallout. Although the quality and success of these projects varied, it is clear that they are becoming more and more prominent in theaters and in streaming services. These properties are just the tip of the iceberg of available video games that are practically begging to be adapted to live-action. There are plans to produce films and TV shows based on The Legend of Zelda, Death Stranding, Borderlands, Minecraft: The Movie, Metal Gear Solid, Mass Effect and Bioshock. Of course, we will also be getting sequels and new seasons like Sonic the Hedgehog 3, The Last of Us, Knuckles, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, and Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft. The subject matter of these projects range from alternate history, hard sci-fi, horror and animated cartoons.

Will these films duplicate the success of the MCU and other superhero films and TV shows? It’s hard to say at this point, but do not be surprised if some video-game based property explodes and captures the public zeitgeist. The Super Mario Bros. Movie was able to do this given that it earned over $1 billion when it was released last year. It’s possible that the sequel could earn more money and cement the Mario Brothers as the next big thing. Or maybe it will be some other video game property. The future is wide open for video game-based films and TV shows to dominate the public consciousness.

Feb 27 2024

Marvel’s Sony/Spider-Man Problem

Here we go again with the two corporate giants, Sony Pictures Entertainment and The Walt Disney Company, battling over Spider-Man. More specifically the films about the superhero and everyone in his orbit. The colossal failure of Sony’s Madame Web and the delays in producing a fourth Spider-Man film set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) only exacerbated the situation between the two companies.

Past Disagreements

Most Marvel fans know by now the convoluted story of how Sony acquired the exclusive film rights to Marvel Comics’ most popular character, Spider-Man. They also know this meant that Disney’s Marvel Studios could not make its own Spider-Man films. After the failure of Sony’s reboot of Spider-Man in the early 2010s, the two companies decided to share the character and have him appear in the MCU starting with Captain America: Civil War.

Things went well for both companies and the superhero. Marvel Studios produced acclaimed Spider-Man films as the character proved to be even more popular than ever. However, as the saying goes, all good things come to an end. After Spider-Man’s appearances in Avengers: Endgame and his solo film, Spider-Man: Far From Home in 2019, Sony decided to end its agreement with Marvel Studios and prepared to make their own Spider-Man films without the involvement of Marvel Studios and Disney. Following a huge backlash from the public, the two companies decided to play nice and the result was one of the greatest Spider-Man films, Spider-Man: No Way Home. Everything was great. The last MCU Spider-Man film essentially set him up to be a more traditional and grounded loner superhero and plans for a fourth film were underway. This was back in 2021/2022. Nothing has happened since then, and now there are reports of tension between the two companies.

Current Disagreements

Apparently, there are disagreements over the direction of the next Spider-Man film. Marvel Studios has planned a grounded, street-level film for Spider-Man that has him facing off against the Kingpin with appearances by Daredevil and other street-level heroes. However, Sony wants a repeat of Spider-Man: No Way Home where the MCU version of Spider-Man is to reunite with the Sony versions of Spider-Man as the trio would team up for another multiverse story. The reason for this is that Spider-Man: No Way Home was the most successful Spider-Man film and Sony wants more of this. While the idea of expanded multiverses has become part of the Spider-Man comic book mythos, to do the same thing after Spider-Man: No Way Home is creatively lazy and plays it safe. Also keep in mind that the recent releases of Sony’s animated Spider-Man films had similar plot lines where the title character interacted with alternate versions of himself. As tempting as it is to repeat the same thing expecting the fourth MCU Spider-Man film to be just as successful as Spider-Man: No Way Home is wishful thinking on Sony’s part. There isn’t any guarantee that lightning would strike twice. Frankly, doing a grounded Spider-Man story that would be part of a larger MCU storyline where the Kingpin is the mayor of New York City is the logical path for Spider-Man: No Way Home left our hero.

Another issue that is being reported is that Sony wants a Spider-Man film to come out next year. But Marvel Studios has four films already scheduled for release next year and adding the MCU Spider-Man film would strain the bandwidth of Marvel Studios’ resources and be too much for the average filmgoer. This could mean that one of the other scheduled MCU films would suffer at the box office. But Sony does not care, obviously they are only concerned about their own studio, which is desperate for a hit after the failures of Morbius and Madame Web. Marvel Studios could play nice and just delay one of their films next year. But the forthcoming MCU films have already undergone significant delays and Spider-Man will reportedly be a major character in the Secret Wars story, so Marvel Studios is in a pickle over how to go forward.

Sony’s Dismal Track Record

The problem with Sony is that they have proven that they cannot make a good Spider-Man or Spider-Man adjacent film. Yes, the first couple of Spider-Man films done by Sam Raimi were classics but that is largely due to the director, who ended up clashing with Sony over Spider-Man 3 and that film was a letdown compared to the first two films. Aside from an occassional Venom and the animated films, the Spider-Man and Spider-Man-related films were not well done and produced to keep the property with Sony. Apparently, Sony is contract-bound to release a Spider-Man film or one featuring characters in Spidey’s universe every few years. This was part of the reason why Raimi left the Spider-Man franchise because Sony was in a rush to release a Spider-Man film before giving Raimi the time to fully develop it. The tendency of Sony rushing out these films would explain why so many of them are bad. Another culprit is probably studio interferrence because that could only explain why Madame Web was so horrible. Let’s be objective, many of the actors and behind-the-scenes people in Madame Web are clearly talented, but the film was such a bad misfire that reeks of last-minute changes, such as poorly done ADR.

Sony is clearly desperate to create their own cinematic universe as seen with their films like Venom, Morbius, Madame Web and the upcoming Kraven the Hunter. On paper, creating a cinematic universe based on Spider-Man and characters in his world makes sense because throughout the decades the world of Spider-Man has seen many interesting characters that have spun off successfully into their own comic books. But what have we gotten from Sony? Aside from their released misfires, there were attempts to launch their own version of the Suicide Squad only this time with Spider-Man’s enemies, the Sinister Six, which was clumsily alluded to in The Amazing Spider-Man 2; a film about Aunt May as a spy in her younger days (!); and the character everyone has been clamoring for: El Muerto. Seriously, Sony, WTF?! We can understand a film about the Black Cat teaming up with Silver Sable, (which fell apart) but El Muerto? And the upcoming Kraven film has him as some kind of anti-hunting hero who gets his powers from being bitten by a lion! “Sigh”

Clearly, Sony does not know what to do with its superhero cash cow. The problem is that Sony’s ineptness is harming the MCU brand. How can this be? The Sony films are set in different universes except for the MCU Spider-Man films, which is what most fans would point out. But the average person would not know the difference. There are people who still confuse the Marvel films with the DC films! They’re not going to look at the fine print in marketing to see that Morbius was made “In Association with Marvel”, they’re going to see the Marvel logo and think that garbage Sony film is part of the MCU. This has a negative impact on Marvel Studios since the average moviegoer will think the inferior Sony films are made by Marvel Studios, which is the last thing Marvel Studios wants now that they are struggling to come back from recent setbacks with their own products.

Marvel’s Options

What can Disney and Marvel Studios do? Ignoring the Sony films is not working. Well, Disney can try to buy back the film rights to Spider-Man. Naturally, Sony will understandably be hesitant to give up its cash cow unless Disney pays them handsomely. But given the company’s financial hurdles, it’s doubtful Disney has the funds readily available for that feat. Disney can sue Sony with the argument that Spider-Man is so entwined with Marvel that the Sony films are hurting the Marvel brand even if future MCU films completely ignore Spider-Man.

Can Sony be forced to sell the rights back to Disney or at least be forced to remove the Marvel name from their marketing? Who knows at this point, but this cannot continue. Of course, the easiest way to get Sony to relinquish or loosen their hold on the rights would be for people to stop seeing the Sony Spider-Man and Spider-Man-related films. This includes Venom and the animated films. Sony has to be convinced that holding on to the film rights is not worth it if there are diminishing returns for these films. After all, it was the failure of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 that coerced Sony to negotiate with Marvel Studios to bring Spidey into the MCU. So, the ball is in our court.

Feb 18 2024

Four Things The New Fantastic Four Has To Accomplish

Now that the constant speculation about who would be cast as the Fantastic Four has ended (thank God!), we can officially get pumped for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) version of the Fantastic Four. With the casting out of the way for the core cast, the production has time to fine-tune the film, as seen with recent news that the film was being rewritten. Thanks to the failures of the previous film versions of the Fantastic Four, there is a a lot of pressure for the MCU version to get it right because it has to at this point.

Given that the Fantastic Four comics launched the so-called Marvel Age of Comics back in the 1960s and is considered one of the premier properties of Marvel Comics, it is outlandish that past efforts to adapt the superhero team into live-action films failed. Yet, here we are. As fans know, the first effort was an unreleased adaptation in the early 1990s that was produced with barely a budget in order for the producer to retain the film rights to the property. That monstrosity was as bad as its reputation and makes Madame Web look like Logan in terms of quality or lack of. The Tim Story duology that came out in the 2000s captured some of the spirit of the comic books, but lacked the gravitas to elevate them to top-tier superhero films. And the less said about the cloud thing called Galactus the better. The worse mainstream adaptation had to be 2015’s Fant4stic, which is how marketing stylized the film logo. The last version of the Fantastic Four basically tanked the career of its director Josh Trank, who had the bizarre idea to make his Fantastic Four film a body-horror film without any of the humor and charm the comic book team was famous for having.

Thankfully, now that Marvel Studios and Disney have the film rights to the Fantastic Four, they can give the property the attention it needs to create a high-quality superhero film. To do that, Marvel Studios has to evoke the qualities that made the comic books so beloved, especially the ones from the 1960s. At the same time, The Fantastic Four has to appeal to audiences in order to get them into theater seats. The cast, which includes Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Richards/Invisible Woman, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing and Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch, are a solid first step, now it is up to the script and the director to bring the Fantastic Four to life. Here are four things The Fantastic Four must accomplish in order to succeed:

Find the Right Balance With Humor, Family and Awe

The two different film versions of the Fantastic Four were flawed in that they either lacked any humor or humanity, or were too goofy and did not aspire to greatness. The Tim Story Fantastic Four films had plenty of humor and most of it worked, especially the interactions between Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm. But the flaw of those films was that they didn’t really aim higher. The films diminished Doctor Doom and had him being a petty businessman instead of the intimidating ruler of Latveria. What’s worse was that efforts to present something incredible lacked any real scope. The worst example was the Galactus storyline in the second film that reduced the cosmic villain into a giant gas cloud. Blame the budgets.

Now the Josh Trank Fantastic Four film was completely the opposite in that it lacked any humor and charm. The entire film was a dire and dark affair where the characters moped about their newfound powers and were forced to work for the military. Nothing in the film was cheerful or bright, nothing at all like the comic books. Those comics exuded optimism while dealing with challenges. Yes, the team often bickered and fought with each other, but they came together at the end because they were a family. The Trank film did not reflect this family aspect at all. It did not help that the characters were mistakenly cast as young adults, but that is another story. The Fantastic Four has to capture the wow factor and the family dynamics and the humor that made the comic books so revolutionary.

Explore the Fantastic (Pun Intended)

A major fault with the previous Fantastic Four films was that they lacked the sci-fi scale of the comic books. Yes there were many sci-fi trappings, but they were not anything audiences have not seen before. What was worse was that the production budgets of the films could not capture the epic scale of the comic books. Just look at the wild panels in Fantastic Four Annual #3 when Reed, Ben and Johnny explore the Negative Zone. Or the images in the Galactus trilogy of Fantastic Four #s 48-50 where the Human Torch traverses skyscraper-sized machinery to find a weapon to defeat Galactus. The closest we got to that in the films was in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer where Doctor Doom stole the Silver Surfer’s powers, which was taken from the comics. Yet, that was completely undone with the finale act where the Galactus cloud showed up.

Meanwhile, the Trank film did not have any of the joy of scientific discovery, even though many of the main characters were scientists. Sure, the characters visited an alien planet, but it was a barren, stormy hellhole that did not inspire any awe, and was more in line with the body-horror aspect of the film. But what made things worse was that the film had a low-budget feel. The Fantastic Four needs a huge budget and the best resources to pull off the mind-bending world of the Fantastic Four. This is not an easy feat given the difficulty of trying to pull off the stretching powers of Mr. Fantastic. In other words, The Fantastic Four has to and will be a true MCU epic with the budget and resources it needs to properly adapt the fantastic (yes, pun intended) feel of the comic books.

Do Not Have Doctor Doom as the Main Villain in the First Film

While Doctor Doom is the premier villain for the Fantastic Four and Marvel Comics, he has been overused in the past films. What was worse was that the depictions of the Latverian ruler in the films were not at all accurate. The filmmakers mistakenly tied the origin of Doctor Doom with the Fantastic Four, which was not the case in the comic books. But in the films the villainous doctor was involved in the same accident that gave the FF their powers, which in turn gave him some kind of electric powers, which was never shown in the comics. These reimaginings omitted his genius intellect that enabled him to master science and sorcery to be able to nearly conquer the world. Nor was his status as ruler of Latveria even a factor.

Doctor Doom has been misused in the previous films and he needs to be faithfully depicted if he is to be the main baddie of the MCU and the Secret Wars event. He should only appear in The Fantastic Four as a cameo, and in other MCU productions in the same way Thanos popped up here and there in early MCU films. As for which villains the FF should confront in the first film, well, supposedly Galactus and the Silver Surfer will be the foes, although it may be too early to confront them. It would have been better if a film trilogy built up to them. Other villains to make life miserable for the Fantastic Four could be Annihilus, the Molecule Man (a major character in Secret Wars), the Super-Skrull (though Secret Invasion ruined that), the Red Ghost, the Mad Thinker or even the Frightful Four. Or the sequels could have the team facing a villain not usually associated with them. A sequel film would also be a perfect way to bring back Namor since he was a major villain that the team fought in the early comic cooks.

Make the Characters Relatable

The Fantastic Four comic books, thanks to Stan Lee’s writing and Jack Kirby’s pencils and stories, were able to present outlandish and jaw-dropping sci-fi visuals while retaining a sense of humanity. Who could forget those intricately drawn panels of Reed’s room-sized machinery? Sure they were dazzling, but the focus was on the characters bickering in those same panels like a dysfunctional family. The Fantastic Four has to incorporate this aspect of family into the film.

Despite the faults with the Tim Story Fantastic Four films what they got right was a sense of pathos as seen with moments were Ben struggles with being the Thing. A perfect example was a scene in the first film where he was not able to pick up his wife’s wedding ring because his rock-like hands lacked dexterity. Then again the film was able to have some fun with Ben when one of the final shots of the first film showed him wearing humongous, custom-made sneakers. Meanwhile, with the Josh Trank film it was difficult to relate to the characters, even the Thing, who barely stood out as a character. The caustic, but loving relationship between Ben and Johnny, while done accurately in the Story films, was absent in the Trank film. That is except for one line at the end of the film where Johnny came off as a mean-spirited A-Hole when he mocked Ben.

If The Fantastic Four focuses on the characters and their family relationship, gives us a sense of wonder and adventure, while featuring villains other than Doctor Doom, then it will succeed. It’s just that simple. Fans will flock to see the film if it has these aspects that made the Fantastic Four one of the most popular superhero teams in comic books.

José Soto

Feb 11 2024

Deadpool & The Pending MCU Comeback

By now most Marvel fans have seen the eagerly awaited trailer for Deadpool & Wolverine, the sole offering from Marvel Studios this year. Just the fact that so many people were anticipating this trailer is alone to demonstrate that superhero fatigue is not necessarily upon us, especially when it comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

Sure, the MCU and Marvel Studios had its struggles recently, as seen with failures of The Marvels and Secret Invasion and with behind-the-scenes dramas. However, the higher ups at Disney and Marvel Studios acknowledged that things were not working with the MCU and they took corrective actions. Marvel Studios’ president Kevin Feige took a long look at what was being filmed and realized that several projects were not working, at least up to MCU standards. As painful as it was, Feige delayed the release of projects like Daredevil: Born Again and Captain America: Brave New World to basically scrap what was filmed and start over. This is a costly gamble without any guarantee of success (see Solo: A Star Wars Story), but it had to be done. Disney also realized this and the fact that there was too much MCU product, which led to many projects been held back or cancelled. While many fans did not like this, it was what the MCU needed in order to 1) give the coming MCU projects the time to be improved and not rushed and 2) creating demand and anticipation for the projects.

During the past few months, the common theme among trades and the online was that the MCU and superhero films were in decline, given the fact that most superhero films in 2023 did not perform well. Another argument for the decline was the poor reception to the coming Sony films based on Spider-Man properties like Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter. But declaring the superhero films to be in decline may be premature. Of course, they are not as popular as they were around 2018-19, but at that period the Infinity Saga was reaching its climax and everyone wanted to know how the Avengers were going to defeat Thanos. In the years since, the MCU films have had to start all over again with a new storyline, the Multiverse Saga, which has had a rocky start due to many reasons. They range from the COVID-19 pandemic, the reign of Disney CEO Bob Chapek, who demanded too much MCU product and overstretched Marvel Studios, the writers and actors strike from last year, and the firing of actor Jonathan Majors, whose character Kang was supposed to be the next main MCU villain. Thankfully, many of them have been dealt with or are behind Disney and Marvel Studios.

As Marvel Studios reassessed what worked and what did not with its recent projects, the film studio had the time to tweak its upcoming projects to improve them. This has led to Kevin Feige taking more control of the MCU films and TV shows to ensure that the projects match the quality of the previous MCU films.

Now Disney and Marvel Studios have stated that they intend to focus on quality not quantity, which means they are scaling back on what they greenlight and not just any Marvel Comics property will make the transition to live-action. This is great because it allows the film studio to focus on its most popular characters and devote time and resources to more obscure characters to help them stand out (see Guardians of the Galaxy).

In the recent past, quality films and TV shows have found their audiences as seen with the success of Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 and the second season of Loki. This will most likely occur with Deadpool & Wolverine given that it looks bonkers with its fourth-wall breaking and the zany and raunchy humor of Deadpool that does not seem watered down even though the film is from Disney. Deadpool & Wolverine could help change the direction that Marvel Studios is headed given its high anticipation. v

Also creating high anticipation for Marvel Studios is Daredevil: Born Again, which has excited many fans of the original Netflix production since it now features beloved characters from the Netflix shows. Then there is the over-the-top speculation on who will be cast in the Fantastic Four film coming out next year. Oh, and by the way, Marvel Studios: announce the cast already! Its not just the casting that has many excited about the Fantastic Four, but the fact that Kevin Feige is directly involved with the film and is a passion project for him given that past live-action efforts did not perform well.

Of course, another thing exciting fans is the coming of the X-Men in the MCU, which was teased in The Marvels and the mutants will be front and center in Deadpool & Wolverine. Frankly, it’s about time. Disney has had the rights to the X-Men characters for several years and although it was for the best that they took time for the memories of the Fox version of the X-Men films to dissipate, it’s time for them to appear in the MCU. Thankfully we’re getting that with Deadpool & Wolverine as the trailer clearly shows that not only do we see mutants but images of the MCU films and the Time Variance Authority from Loki.

Yes, it’s great to be excited about the MCU again and we have Deadpool & Wolverine to thank for that. Please, be great!

Jan 22 2024

Wither Physical Media? Or The Downside Of Digital Streaming

By now, we all know about how physical media is dying, especially after the retailer Best Buy announced last year they would discontinue selling DVDs, Blu-rays and 4K disks this year. This is largely due to the prevalence of digital media and digital streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Max, and so on, and declining sales of physical media. These platforms made it much more convenient to access and watch your favorite films and TV shows without the bother of physically getting up, searching through your DVD/Blu-ray library and inserting disks into a player. However, something has been lost with the downfall of physical media. Or is it truly dead?

By announcing that physical media was doomed, interest has increased in fans and collectors to obtain the remaining physical media, especially in secondary markets, as fans are now actively hunting down copies of their favorite films. What helped drive the hunts was a major flaw that became clear with the rise of digital media: the availability of a favorite film or TV show.

On paper, digital media and streaming takes care of the problems with buying and collecting physical media, namely storage and the ease of accessing your favorite Star Trek episode. The problem is the streaming market has become so diversified that these services feel like you’re accessing incomplete libraries. A draw of streaming was the vast libraries they boasted. This was the case when Netflix was the only large streaming service years ago, but with the coming of Disney+, Max and other streaming services, these companies understandably took their toys and went home. Good luck if you subscribed to Netflix to watch the latest Marvel superhero film. You might get Morbius or some knock-off film, but if you want to watch Iron Man or Avengers: Infinity War you’ll have to subscribe to Disney+. The same thing happened if you wanted to watch Star Trek. While you can watch some of the films on other services, for the “complete” Star Trek library you have to subscribe to Paramount+, which offers little else that would interest the average Star Trek fan. And by “complete” we have to keep in mind that Paramount+ cancelled and removed Star Trek: Prodigy from their service. Now you can only see that show on Netflix, which will exclusively stream the second and final season of Star Trek: Prodigy.

Anyone sees where this is going? Essentially, you have to subscribe to all the major and even minor digital streaming services to be able to access the films and TV shows you want to see. That is if they have the rights to stream them. Anyone want to see Outland? Never heard of it? No surprise. Outland was a sci-fi crime drama that starred Sean Connery as a sheriff on a mining station on IO. It copied the gritty and grounded look of Alien but was a well done film. Now where can you find it. Sure, anyone can buy it digitally, but why should they if they are supposed to easily access it on digital streaming? Also the money spent to download Outland is comparable to buying a physical disk.

The same issue has been noted online with the sci-fi film Cocoon. It was successful back when it was released in the 1980s, it even won Academy Awards, but it is unavailable on physical media and you have to hunt for it on streaming. Then there is the situation with trying to watch the original version of Star Wars, no bloody Episode IV or other silly subtitles, and where Han shoots first! Many fans hoped that Disney+ would have streamed the original vision of George Lucas, but to date that has not happened. The only way to see the unaltered Star Wars is by purchasing old VHS cassettes, laser disks, and DVDs. Of course, the quality won’t be 4K but at least it is accessible to you and owned by you.

The problem with buying digital downloads of films and TV shows is that you don’t actually own the downloads. Disney+ boasted that with its service you could download their content to watch anywhere on any device. But do you get to keep the downloads if you unsubscribe? If you can please drop a comment below.

Many owners of the PS5 learned the hard way that their digital downloads are not theirs to keep forever, as it was announced late last year that any Discovery+ content that was purchased and downloaded would be removed from PS5s. So, what is the point of buying downloads if you cannot keep them? With DVDs and Blu-rays, the disks are yours forever, you can watch them at anytime just as long as you have a player, which are very cheap these days. Of course, a problem with all the media platforms is the availability of old and obscure content. There are countless sci-fi, fantasy and horror films and TV shows that have basically disappeared since they are not streaming (usually due to rights issues) on any service and if they had a DVD or Blu-ray release, they have gone out of print a long time ago. This makes me glad that I never got rid of my DVD copy of Peter Jackson’s The Frighteners since it is a favorite that cannot be easily seen these days.

What can a genre fan do? Sure you can subscribe to every streaming service but that is expensive and you’ll be stuck paying for subpar services just to access a film or TV show, which can be removed at anytime, often without notice. This happened to me when I was binging Snowpiercer on Max and stopped watching it a few episodes away from its season finale. The next day the entire series was removed from Max. This streaming service was infamous for removing other genre content because the parent company did not want to pay residuals to writers and so on. Such content included Raised By Wolves and Westworld. Anyone who intended to watch the complete series is out of luck these days.

Another thing that makes physical media superior is that many disks come with unique interactive menus and features that you cannot get on a digital download. Some like The Lord of The Rings films are renowned for the exhaustive content on their Blu-rays and 4K disks like extensive behind-the-scenes features, production art, games, and of course deleted scenes. You certainly won’t get this much material in a download!

The best option is to shop for obscure products on second-hand online services that specialize in obscure and out-of-print DVDs and Blu-rays. But be prepared to pay a lot. Then there is cable or satellite TV. Yes, the point of streaming services was to enable viewers to cut the cable cord, but many times, cable is the best place to watch obscure genre films. However, while sales these days of physical media are past their heyday, they are still being made. It is easy to see a time when physical media makes a comeback like vinyl records did as streaming services and digital downloads become more expensive and inconvenient for fans. But for now, make a point of actively seeking out and buying your favorite obscure sci-fi film like Silent Running or the original version of the Star Trek TV shows. You never know if an increase in sales would have an influence on the decision makers in Hollywood. Besides a Blu-ray or 4K disk library definitely looks cool on display in your homes!