I’m not sure what’s in the water in Hollywood these days, but movies seem to be getting longer. This past weekend, I went to see “Killers of the Flower Moon”. Before I dive into the quote, I would just like to emphasize how amazing that movie was. I am no history buff, but I am a bit of a movie geek. This film was an amazing combination of artistic cinema and historical representation. I appreciate the collaboration with the direction (Martin Scorsese) and the people of the Osage Nation to create an accurate and thoughtful representation of the Freemasonry’s devastation of the land and the Osage people. It was moving and informative and enjoyable and heart-breaking and everything in between.
That being said…it was 3 hours and 34 minutes long. That’s roughly the same amount of time it takes for a well-prepared person to run a marathon. Was every scene necessary? Yes. Was it still a test for my bladder and lower back? Also yes.
The real question is are movies getting longer, or is our attention span getting shorter. “Kids these days and their new technology” are usually blamed for the lack of attention for longer than a minute. But is the issue us, or is it the media we are being shown? The shift from TV to YouTube to Instagram to TikTok is a testament to the fact that people consume content in an increasingly fast pace. Another popular movie this year (that I also recommend for being a pretty good representation of historical events) and prime example of the shift in viewership was Oppenheimer. The run time of Oppenheimer was similarly lengthy, clocking in at 3 hours exactly. What separated Oppenheimer from Killers of the Flower moon was the pace of scenes; Oppenheimer had tons of short shots with fast-paced dialogue and action while Killers of the Flower Moon was drawn out with 5+ minute one-shot scenes and lengthy conversations where every word and expression contributed to plot development. In other words, Oppenheimer felt a little like scrolling on TikTok while Killers of the Flower Moon was a whole YouTube video.
I appreciated both movies immensely, but only one left me with a sore body and tired mind. I left Oppenheimer feeling ready to watch the second part of the movie experience that day (Barbie, of course). I left Killers of the Flower Moon tired and mentally drained. The power of both movies was incredible in very different ways. Overall, I would watch Killers of the Flower Moon over and over…if I were in my own house with a pause button. If you haven’t had the chance to see it, I would definitely make time to get a group together and see it soon. If you’ve seen it already, let me know how you liked it!
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