After 10 years of Marvel films (and various other superhero films that couldn't quite measure up to their ambitions), I'm convinced it's time to take a break.
Endgame was the perfect place to stop. After all, it was an ending. It was a good ending, too--one that rewarded 10 years of following each installment.
And I don't necessarily want to stop watching Marvel films or other superhero films. But I do want to start watching them on my terms--not theirs. To me, this means not having to go to the theater to avoid spoilers. It also means no longer caring about spoilers.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe only gets bigger and more unwieldy from here. I want to be more selective now, more judicious with my time. And part of that means deciding when/if to subscribe the upcoming Disney+ streaming service.
My relationship to content has been changing recently. I've started to realize that I already have enough content. I don't need another Star Wars movie or show, because I already have all the Star Wars that I need. New Star Wars might be fun, but it's unlikely to leave a strong impression unless it is either extremely exceptional or extremely upsetting. So I have to wonder whether the three new Star Wars shows announced for the streaming service is really something that will enrich my life. Likewise, I have to wonder the same for something like Marvel.
I already subscribe to Netflix, Hulu, and Prime. In my opinion, everything I need or want ought to be available between the three of them. So I kind of resent every additional service that isn't something niche like Crunchyroll or WWE Network.
Frankly, I wouldn't mind unsubscribing from some of these services, resubscribing only when I have the time and desire to binge-watch something.
Having too much content feels like it ought to be a good problem to have. Despite that, it can feel overwhelming. Falling behind on anything is usually a stressful experience. Knowing that I will never catch up--never be done with content fills me with a kind of dread.
I mean, isn't there more to life than just consuming? Shouldn't we also be creating? At some point, I need bigger goals than to finish that show. I need higher ambitions than to stay ahead of spoilers.
Maybe I feel this way because I haven't found the thing that resonates with me at this point in my life. When I was a child, it was the Saturday morning cartoons. When I was a teenager, it was Star Wars. When I was in college, it was Neil Gaiman's Sandman. At various points in my life, there were a handful of things... stories... that really meant something to me. And maybe what I'm feeling right now is just that void--that empty feeling of having so much content yet being largely unaffected by it.
I want content to affect me. I want content to awaken something within me. And it seems no amount of nostalgia will carry the same weight as something truly original, like Steven Universe, like Fruits Basket, like the Adventure Zone podcast.
I need creativity, not regurgitation of the "greatest hits." I need to be challenged--not by taking things from my childhood and transforming them into something different, but by showing me something that cuts through my adult cynicism and speaks to my heart.
Something like Star Wars has already given me everything it possibly can. Whether this has more to do with my limitations or its limitations is anybody's guess.
I suppose that's the one good thing about the overwhelming amount of content. In the vast, endless pile of content, there must be one more thing that can speak to me, change me, make me grow.
But it'll take some convincing to make me believe that I'll find such a thing on the Disney+ service.
(Zootopia was a fluke!)
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