10 Movies To Blame For The Current State Of Movies

1. The "Good Enough" Netflix Original - Bird Box

There's no denying that Netflix has changed the game as far as movies are concerned.

Though blockbusters are always going to have their place in multiplex cinemas, the streaming giant has spearheaded efforts to get glossy movies starring A-list actors on their platform day-and-date, allowing subscribers to watch huge new films from the comfort of their home.

But it's also fair to say that Netflix Originals are a quality-over-quantity affair for the most part, and for every great movie that hits the platform, there are about 10 mediocre-to-terrible ones.

It speaks to a wider, complex issue, that without box office returns to worry about, a precedent emerges that a movie only needs to be "good enough" for subscribers to keep watching.

This is best exemplified by Netflix's most successful Original movie to date, Bird Box, which racked up an insane 80 million views in its first four weeks on release.

Though undeniably aided by a viral marketing campaign and the absurd "Bird Box Challenge," its mediocrity basically confirmed that Netflix only needs to make a movie passable to become one of the streamer's biggest hits to date.

Everyone with a sub will watch it because it's got a neat premise and a great cast - and most of all, it's "free."

Though Netflix of course has released incredible recent movies like The Irishman and Marriage Story, the overwhelming majority of the Originals don't actually need to be good or even great.

The convenience with which the films can be accessed basically critic-proofs them, because there's so little investment on the part of the viewer, and as long as they're acceptable-ish viewing for tired people who just want to relax with something brainless after a long day at work, those viewing metrics will be just fine.

And that is why all those terrible Adam Sandler-starring Netflix Original "comedies" top the charts in every country around the world.

To reiterate, Netflix has done many great things for movies over the years, but the low-effort quality of so many of their star-studded Originals almost suggests that they're deliberately aiming for disposable, forgettable content which people can watch in bed while playing with their phones.

With the upcoming release of Michael Bay's new movie 6 Underground, we're likely to see that theory reinforced once again.

Because when a movie is gunning for actual viewer dollars rather than merely clicks, there's a more tangible sense of risk and potential loss - and therefore a greater incentive to make it actually good.