I'm not very good at analyzing/critiquing movies or novels, so I was wondering someone more experienced than me to help understand why I can't enjoy recent movies.
Specifically, I recently watched Jurassic World: Rebirth and didn't enjoy it at all. I just feel like movies have very little consequences for crappy decisions by the characters and there are so many safety nets (plot armour) for the main characters. As a result,
Spoiler
hardly anyone you'd expect die in a dire situation like in the movie to actually die.
So, nothing is really thrilling and most character deaths don't elicit any kind of emotional response.
And when speaking of death, I feel like there are other shows, movies, and anime where they just kill people off nilly willy like kind of an anti-meme. I guess it's more like gore shock that they're going for, but the most I get from that is maybe disgust.
I was thinking it's because I'm just too old and can't get attached to things so quickly, but I seriously cried when
Spoiler
Rengoku died after fighting Akaza
in Demon Slayer. I still feel like a real person has died and I miss him dearly.
Assuming it's not me, and it's the kinds of "blockbusters" that I'm watching, what is it that they're getting wrong with their storytelling?
I'm actually old, 60. And, man, is it hard to find something to watch that will engage me.
Like you said, characters making clearly stupid choices at the start of the show just to have a problem to solve for the rest of the show is annoying.
There really are only a few universal stories that many people can connect with. And, that is what mass entertainment needs to be, stories that many (paying) people can relate to. Which necessarily means we will quickly start to recognize one of the usual suspect main stories underlying the facade of details that dress it up.
You might find trying genres you don't usually watch more interesting. Not every show or movie involves characters dying.