Five Interesting Trends in Current Movies That Are Worth Noting

With the granddaddy of all awards shows in the books, we can seemingly look back at movies of the last year, as well as current movies, and realize that there are some intriguing trends emerging. 

On the surface, it may seem as though we're doing a bit of a disservice to some of these films as they tend to be very different from each other.

Nonetheless, here are what appear to be the most interesting trends visible in current cinema that are worth mentioning if only to see what may change down the road:

1. Stronger Female Characters - A common archetype of the big screen has been the ever-present good-looking damsel in distress. Female characters have often been relegated to nothing more than second-tier ancillary characters subject to their emotions and devoid of logic. Lately, though, there have been more female characters taking the lead. Certainly, this has been a long trend in animated film, but even live-action film has taken notice and realized that there is a population interested in seeing stronger woman on the big screen.

2. More Diversity is Being Seen - In the last few years, controversies have erupted over the lack of minority actors in film, as well as the lack of minority actors being acknowledged for their acting prowess. The idea of diversity has always been a thorny subject for movie makers, and in many ways, the movie industry has as sorted a history with race as does the country. Even more problematic has been the portrayal of minority characters by Caucasian/Anglo actors. Luckily, things are changing.

3. Comic Book Movies Are Being Mined for All Their Worth - Though films based on comic book characters have been en vogue for well over a decade, there seems to be a need to rehash and retread storylines based on either new material from the source (comics) or a fresh take from a new writer/director at the helm.

4. Classic Movies & Fan Favorites Are Being Remade for No Reason - The idea of the remake seems at odds with so many moviegoers because they go to the movies for the precise reason of seeing something that they haven't seen before. Moreover, actors associated with original films have been forthright in their wish to not be a part of the new version. An argument could be made for remaking these classic movies with actors that current younger movie lovers may recognize, but in many cases, the original films were a product of the era in which they were released and capturing that magic again may not be possible.

5. The Era of the Prequel, Sequel, and other Movement through Time - The movie industry has weathered quite a number of financial storms in its history because it knows what sells and what doesn't. Even in the face of some failures, movies that essentially take off from lucrative releases are worth the risk because the reward can be massive. However, moviegoers are savvy and have been quick to skip movies they know are a veritable "money-grab".

Trends aside, current movies are showing a tremendous amount of breadth and scope. At the center of all movies is the want to tell a story, and regardless of the current trends in cinema, a good story is hard to ignore.