The Movies Hollywood Needs Now
In the same way cowboys used to rule the West, Westerns ruled the silver screen. It was not hard to find a Western, as they were everywhere in theaters and on television. However, the genre eventually lost its royalty and shuffled off into the sunset not with a bang, but with a whimper. Over the years, some Westerns have broken out into the mainstream and found success, such as Unforgiven, Django Unchained, and Bone Tomahawk. In recent years, Taylor Sheridan’s films and his Yellowstone franchise have propelled Westerns back into the mainstream. With Yellowstone becoming one of the most-watched series, it helped pave the way for Kevin Costner to develop his Horizon franchise, which is currently a box office failure. But, among all of the bad news surrounding the franchise, Horizon: An American Saga highlighted why the genre needs a revival.
Cowboys vs. Superheroes
After the downfall of the heyday of Westerns and cowboys, a few films broke the mold of the genre and created something unique. Movies such as Hell or High Water, No Country For Old Men, Lonestar, and even Logan showed there is still life in the genre if only they’d be given a chance to succeed and evolve. Sure, spaghetti westerns likely won’t see a comeback, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the genre needs to be held back. While genres tend to lose and gain popularity, such as comedies and horror movies, Hollywood doesn’t serve the genres that they think no one wants to see.
When interviewed by The Telegraph, Glenn Powell mentioned how certain demographics are not served. “Having grown up in and around Texas, I’m aware there are vast parts of America that have been underserved in terms of the movies that they want to see.” Powell has experience with this when his film Anyone But You became a smash hit despite Hollywood believing that the rom-com was dead.
“One of the things that I’ve realized recently is that when studios say a genre is dead, all it means is that there’s a huge opportunity because a market is not being served,” Powell continued.
While these quotes are mostly attributed to the genres Powell has been in, they ring true for Westerns as well. Superhero films have essentially overtaken the Western for this generation, but it isn’t the fault of the genre. When examining superheroes, they had a long uphill battle before they became the dominating industry genre. Before X-Men and Sam Rami’s Spider-Man took Hollywood by storm, there were very few comic book movies that were well received, with plenty more hated. Once filmmakers cracked the code, the genre began releasing hit after hit.
After a while, the genre evolved, such as with Logan and Joker, demonstrating that there is plenty to play around with in genres. Despite comic book movies breaking Hollywood records, recent movies have shown a downward trajectory, with not every comic book movie released guaranteed to become a hit. Marvel hasn’t been achieving the same amount of success at the box office as they used to, with a string of DC films flopping at the box office, leading to the studio completely rebooting the franchise. A few movies have come out and struck gold, such as The Batman, Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. That goes to show that it isn’t genres audiences are attracted to, but rather the quality of the movies.
Reflection on Morals
Through Yellowstone and its spin-offs, 1883 and 1923, writer, director, and showrunner Taylor Sheridan revitalized Westerns on the small screen. Together, all of the series have shown audiences will still tune in for Westerns. Hollywood can blame their lack of Westerns on audiences not being interested, but it isn’t necessarily the case. Bad products seem more likely to be the issue. Look at comic book movies; they too have learned this lesson by putting out inferior movies, leading audiences to lag behind instead of rushing to the box office.
Even though a few Westerns are released every now and again, why should there be a revival? One reason is how the genre depicts morals and ethics, which popular genres today never really dive into. The classic hero and villain storylines are a prominent theme explored in Westerns. The message is explored in other genres, such as crime and gangsters, but the outlaw nature of the Wild West provides an opportunity to explore human nature without much structure or civilization to keep it in check. Within crime movies, the characters are forced within the confines of the law to justify their actions, whereas in Westerns, the characters are usually outside the jurisdiction of any man-made rule. It makes the characters able to commit morally justified acts that may go against the law but challenge viewers to question their own ethics.
The conflict between wilderness and civilization is another element explored in traditional Westerns. Westerns have explored the themes of man versus nature, but those movies tend to explore the theme on a personal level for the characters. Typically in Westerns, the stories depict humans fighting to survive, showing how people are able to arrive in a location with nothing and build something meaningful and lasting. They’re inspirational tales that could help motivate younger generations, showing how our ancestors fought every day to stay alive and yet didn’t complain.
The Story of Us
By showcasing the hardships of simple, basic living, Westerns also describe how nations were built. They become visual history lessons, showcasing how America once looked. Civilization wasn’t always so civilized, and the characters reflect this. Typically, they are depicted as having an edge, if not a savage nature. Even in Westerns set in the modern day, this savage nature in humans is depicted as the characters enforce their own form of justice.
When speaking about American history, Westerns are almost an oral tradition passed down. Other cultures have mythology or stories of how they came into existence. America doesn’t really have that, but through Westerns, pieces of America’s story emerge. Monumental moments in America’s history, such as the great expansion west, the Civil War, pioneers, and Native Americans are explored throughout the genre. As historical movies seem to shift more and more into the 20th century, the 19th century seems to get less and less priority, ultimately feeling as if notable pieces of history are being forgotten.
Although Westerns are not as prominent as they used to be, studios do still put out a film every once in a while. The genre has essentially been resorted to television or direct-to-video films. However, the genre seems to have much more to offer and is still valuable enough for studios to take more chances on them. As Yellowstone has shown, there is still an audience that isn’t being served. With the recent disappointment at the box office for Horizon: An American Sage – Chapter 1, it seems even less likely for studios to take a chance on them. Hopefully, studios won’t be frightened away by the performance of the movie, and audiences will turn out whenever Chapter 2 is released.
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 is currently playing in theaters and is available on-demand.
Horizon: An American Saga (2024) Official Warner Bros. Pictures Trailer
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Author
| Mason Kupiainen is a recent Butler University graduate with a degree in Creative Media and Entertainment. His work has been published in Butler Collegiate, The Mall, and Byte BSU. Along with written work, he has a videography portfolio with Indy Blue Video, Byte BSU, and Ball Bearings. |
Cailen Fienemann is a current student at Le Moyne College pursuing her BA in English and Communications with a film studies minor and a creative writing concentration. Though uncertain about her career end-goals, any job that allows her to write is a cherished one indeed.