James Mangold, the director of Logan, isn’t a big fan of Easter eggs in movies and there are those that would agree with him. Personally I have to admit to fence-sitting at times on this issue, since the novelty of Easter eggs in a movie can be a good or a bad thing really. I get the idea that Mangold’s going after, that it kind of degrades the movie and can get people addicted to watching one movie after another simply to keep finding the hidden bits and pieces that Hollywood likes to tease people with when it comes to their favorite movies. In many ways that puts a serious damper on things by stating that it’s not so important to enjoy the movie but to dissect it and find every little hidden thing that might mean something, or nothing, in the grand scheme of things.
Easter eggs aren’t the worst thing to ever appear in a movie but when they’re used as a gimmick to just keep the money machine that is Hollywood rolling it means that the writers have started to dry up with their ideas and aren’t being pushed hard enough to come up with something new. Basically they have to put in hidden secrets to appease the fans that can’t seem to deal with new material and in many cases will turn their heads because they don’t want to be challenged when they enter the theater. Personally I say challenge them until they get the point that Easter eggs should be a fun quirk that has something to do with the movie or something related to it, not the main theme of the movie. Too many people take too much time to dissect a movie in an effort to find little bits and pieces that have next to nothing to do with the actual story.
On top of that the theories and ideas that come from finding these Easter eggs whip fans into a frenzy debating about just what might happen in upcoming movies or why something appeared in a film and what possible significance it could have had. Because you know that directors put things in on purpose all the time, right? It’d be nice if sarcasm came through a little easier when it’s being written.
Easter eggs in video games is one thing, as they can be used to unlock bonus content and other such materials. But using them as a gimmick in movies simply ruins the experience and makes people focus more on what’s hidden instead of enjoying the movie. The very idea that people will go to a film just to see what they can find hidden in the corners or the darkest places or the most innocuous locations is something that Hollywood executives have come to bank on as they keep churning out one film after another that has little substance but plenty of hidden content for those that don’t seem to want the story, just the surprises that are hidden within.
It’s like buying a box of Cracker Jacks and getting a few kernels of popcorn with a box full of prizes.
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