Why Must Everything Be Dark and Modern?

[vid87]

This was probably already done before and I apologize beforehand if it was:

I just found out about the CW network planning to remake Alice in Wonderland as modern day cop drama, along with similar treatments for Sleepy Hollow and Beauty and the Beast.

http://www.craveonline.com/tv/articles/196233-the-cw-develops-modern-day-alice-in-wonderland-tv-series

It's between this, the rest of the fairy-tale/fantasy "Modernization" trend that's become so ingrained in our culture, gaming's fascination with the Space Marine FPS, and all the rest that I really must ask: is anyone else sick of it yet? I mean, other than MovieBob, I haven't really heard anyone voice much in protest. I understand grit and darkness can be fun and they certainly have their place in life, but it's in ev-er-y-thing. Whimsy, gentle awe or beauty, or just plain goofiness is "kid stuff" and "demeaning" to the adult sensibility. Personally, I can be a bit of a prude at times and won't find lighter fare as stimulating or entertaining as I'd like as an adult, but I'm really starting to understand how desperately we as a culture need to start injecting some color and fun back into life. Seriously - why must fairy tales of all things become depressing? (not counting the actually depressing ones like Little Mermaid and such, but I think you get my point).

Am I wrong? Or do you agree at least to some extent?

 

[SomeLameStuff]

Because after seeing Nolan's Batman raking in cash, studios are now jumping on the Dark&Gritty bandwagon the way they jumped on the Vampire bandwagon when Twilight was released.

Because MONEYMONEYMONEYMONEYMONEY!!

 

[Supertegwyn]

Because after seeing Nolan's Batman raking in cash, studios are now jumping on the Dark&Gritty bandwagon the way they jumped on the Vampire bandwagon when Twilight was released.

Because MONEYMONEYMONEYMONEYMONEY!!

Essentially this.

Dark and gritty is nice in small doses, but if it is all you are getting it gets annoying.

 

[TehCookie]

Sick of it? I never liked it in the first place. My life is dark and depressing enough, I like media to get away from that and enjoy a brighter side of life I'm unable to in reality. It doesn't have to be grimdark to be emotional and serious. Not to mention I enjoy things that are cheerfully dark, since that's how I am.

 

[Porygon-2000]

Well, it's not always dark and gritty.

As an example, I would like to point out Batman: The Brave and the Bold. And Adventure Time. And Gravity Falls. Granted, these are cartoons. I can't really think of any live action examples right now. But they do provide a counterpoint to your Alice in Wonderland example. And I think Tangled, and the Princess and the Frog are recent examples of light fairy-tale fare.

 

[CommanderL]

this is why I love once apoun a time yes it can be dark and gritty but it is also incredible light and fun due to the whole two world thing

 

[TheIronRuler]

This was probably already done before and I apologize beforehand if it was:

I just found out about the CW network planning to remake Alice in Wonderland as modern day cop drama, along with similar treatments for Sleepy Hollow and Beauty and the Beast.

http://www.craveonline.com/tv/articles/196233-the-cw-develops-modern-day-alice-in-wonderland-tv-series

It's between this, the rest of the fairy-tale/fantasy "Modernization" trend that's become so ingrained in our culture, gaming's fascination with the Space Marine FPS, and all the rest that I really must ask: is anyone else sick of it yet? I mean, other than MovieBob, I haven't really heard anyone voice much in protest. I understand grit and darkness can be fun and they certainly have their place in life, but it's in ev-er-y-thing. Whimsy, gentle awe or beauty, or just plain goofiness is "kid stuff" and "demeaning" to the adult sensibility. Personally, I can be a bit of a prude at times and won't find lighter fare as stimulating or entertaining as I'd like as an adult, but I'm really starting to understand how desperately we as a culture need to start injecting some color and fun back into life. Seriously - why must fairy tales of all things become depressing? (not counting the actually depressing ones like Little Mermaid and such, but I think you get my point).

Am I wrong? Or do you agree at least to some extent?

.
If I can still get my Bullet-storm dose once every three years, I can't complain.

 

[Heaven's Guardian]

This frustrates me as anything else in modern fiction. I don't personally enjoy dark and gritty at all; dark is okay, but I want to see more emotionally pure story lines, preferably things that shift along the hope/despair continuum. It's one of the reasons that almost all fiction that I watch/play is animated now; not because it's inherently better, but because everyone who wants to do live action gets caught up in this, and there really isn't anything for me there.

 

[DoPo]

Am I wrong? Or do you agree at least to some extent?

You are not wrong, "dark and gritty" are prevalent. However, it's nothing out of the ordinary - culture does that - there are different periods in it. Fiction around WW2, for example, was choke full of depressing and military stuff. I'm pretty sure there were people complaining about it then. The fad will pass and another one will take its place and we can complain about it then.

 

[Soviet Steve]

I wonder if MLP would even be a thing if this wasn't the popular thing to do in fiction.

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

Sometimes it can be fun to see a dark and gritty version of something that's supposed to be whimsical.

As for why everyone is doing it?
As stated before, it's money, it's what sells,
and to an extent, it's a reflection of our current outlook on life.

Give it some time, people will get sick of it and start putting color back in.
The video game industry is already starting to move away from it.

Then we'll have a few years of eye bleeding vividness and everyone will want dark and gritty again.

 

[CrazyCapnMorgan]

It's either because "art imitates life" or "what makes teh moneyz?".

Any other response, IMO, is a variation of those two.

 

[MeChaNiZ3D]

1. Consumers of the light and fluffy versions are now older and would like dark and gritty versions.
2. It has the benefit of contrasting with the light and fluffy version, which is automatically a source of humour.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

Because after seeing Nolan's Batman raking in cash, studios are now jumping on the Dark&Gritty bandwagon the way they jumped on the Vampire bandwagon when Twilight was released.

Because MONEYMONEYMONEYMONEYMONEY!!

That sounds about right.

I'm kind of tired of it though to be honest. I like the idea of fantasy elements being brought into the modern day but not like this. I'd be all over a show similar to Cops wherein they bust an alchemy lab or, where pest control is brought in to take care of a Dragon rampaging around.

 

[rob_simple]

It's just what's popular (readrofitable) at the moment, just like there used to be fifty million sci-fi shows like Babylon Five, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica etc. It's also a free ideas bucket because you don't actually have to come up with any original ideas; you just take an innocent children's story, make it poorly lit and give half your characters alcoholism/sordid pasts.

I agree that it's annoying but that's why I don't watch any of it.

 

[theSteamSupported]

I think most people tend to have this sort of sub-conscious connection between grittiness and profundity. When you take a look at the works of are, which are considered to be the greatest, most of them tend be taking place in a realistic setting. Lev Tolstoj's 'War and Peace' doesn't have wizards, spaceships or any other spectacle in it, just to take an example.

So basically, it's a misconception about what a piece of fiction has to be in order to be taken seriously.

 

[Ashadowpie]

laziness, dark and modern is easier to create than using your imagination. game companies want to pump out the same shit every year because it sells, they dont need to think of new worlds and lands for gamers to enjoy anymore. inde games are flourishing because of that difference, they have imagination and creativity, unlike the big companies. its sad really

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

I understand what you mean. What I liked about Fable 1 & 2, for example, is the way they portrayed colours so vividly and brightly. It made for a very surreal picture which I only on rare occasions I find in real life. (Mind you, I'm talking about the lightning and vividness of the colours) I like seeing this in videogames. I think Bioshock did it too in a way. Eventhough the setting is gritty, they did make colours pop out a lot. (the place with all the plants and nature for example?) Go take a look at the Bioshock Infinite videos on youtube. You'll know what I'm talking about. Overlord is another good example of a game which mixed a gritty setting with a very colourful and vivid environment.

You should try Rayman Origins it's gorgeous

I enjoyed avengers and the build up films because it had an air of fun to it not everything was grimdark.

[collegehumor=6817857/the-dark-knight-meets-the-avengers]

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Because after seeing Nolan's Batman raking in cash, studios are now jumping on the Dark&Gritty bandwagon the way they jumped on the Vampire bandwagon when Twilight was released.

Because MONEYMONEYMONEYMONEYMONEY!!

I think it started long before Nolan made his Batman movies, but yeah essentially this.
And yeah I agree, dark and gritty is fine in small doses but when it's shoehorned into everything it starts to get irritating. Besides I like the whimsical, beautiful, awe inspiring, and the goofy.