Films - are they getting longer or is it just me?

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Geektastic

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Topic # 191742 14-Feb-2016 23:12

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It seems to me that just about every film I have watched over the last 18 months or so has felt as though it was about 30 minutes too long. The film will be romping along nicely and all of a sudden it will go through a patch for 5 minutes where it feels as though it is crawling and just as I am about to stand up and say "Anyone fancy a pint? Only it's going on a bit..." it finds another gear and gets back to it for a while.

Maybe it's just me - although Mrs Geektastic also agreed.

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You're typing with Josh!
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Reply # 1492332 14-Feb-2016 23:30

ha! I feel the same pain, though I choose the right films to watch in cinema for long duration. But a mate and I watched the H8ful Eight a few weeks back and never looked at the duration before hand! and what a joy it was ! As long as the storyline is good and not weak then I can enjoy!

Geektastic

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Reply # 1492401 15-Feb-2016 08:49

joshhill96:

ha! I feel the same pain, though I choose the right films to watch in cinema for long duration. But a mate and I watched the H8ful Eight a few weeks back and never looked at the duration before hand! and what a joy it was ! As long as the storyline is good and not weak then I can enjoy!

Agreed - I have no problem with the film being long if it is necessary and if it works.

There does seem to be a trend just to make them long for the sake of it at the moment, almost as if directors or studios feel that it isn't a proper film if it isn't long.

Revenant just goes on way too long, for a start. Just how much footage of a man trekking across snow and ice alone is actually necessary to the plot of a man left for dead coming for revenge? It went on so long that the end was both a bit of an anti-climax and a relief at the same time.

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timmmay

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Reply # 1492402 15-Feb-2016 08:52

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I prefer them long. Actually I prefer TV series, where there's time for real character and plot development. 1.5 - 2 hours isn't much time really.

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MikeB4

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Reply # 1492404 15-Feb-2016 08:52

They just seem longer especially Peter Jackson movies

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RUKI

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Reply # 1492406 15-Feb-2016 08:54

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No, that could be age, mate... When you are getting older - you may need to "wash you hands" more frequently, hence movies could feel being too long :-)

old3eyes

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Reply # 1492411 15-Feb-2016 09:00

joshhill96:

ha! I feel the same pain, though I choose the right films to watch in cinema for long duration. But a mate and I watched the H8ful Eight a few weeks back and never looked at the duration before hand! and what a joy it was ! As long as the storyline is good and not weak then I can enjoy!

The roadshow version that was not shown here is 20 minutes longer but it had an intermission..

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Old3eyes

Paul1977

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Reply # 1492416 15-Feb-2016 09:16

timmmay: 1.5 - 2 hours isn't much time really.

1.5 - 2 hours used to be the norm, but that just isn't the case for theatrically released movies any more. Aside from comedies, most studio movies are in excess of 2 hrs these days.

I watched Creed last night, and it had a running time of 133 minutes. For comparison, none of the previous 6 Rocky movies exceeded 2 hours (with the majority of them being considerably less).

Rocky 119 minutes

Rocky II 119 minutes

Rocky III 100 minutes

Rocky IV 90 minutes

Rocky V 104 minutes

Rocky Balboa 102 minutes

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Reply # 1492430 15-Feb-2016 09:51

Maybe we're evolving to have shorter attention span. Before the days of iPhones/iPads/Ultrabooks, I could sit in the park and absorb the scenery for hours. Now I can't even find time to watch a 30 min WRC highlights.

In the past I felt the movies were too short (90-100mins) now I feel the movies are too long because I don't have time or I need to do something.

wasabi2k

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Reply # 1492441 15-Feb-2016 10:00

http://www.businessinsider.com/movies-are-getting-longer-2013-1 (2013)

http://www.randalolson.com/2014/01/25/movies-arent-actually-much-longer-than-they-used-to-be/

https://www.quora.com/Whats-the-average-length-of-movies-right-now-and-is-there-a-trend-going-up-or-down-Whats-the-trendline-been-like-over-the-last-10-years-Over-the-last-100-years

In short - it depends massively on what you watch. Stupid comedies remain short. There is more appetite for long movies in some cases.

You seem to be referring more to pacing - which will vary hugely on what you watch.

sidefx

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Reply # 1492442 15-Feb-2016 10:03

RUKI:

No, that could be age, mate... When you are getting older - you may need to "wash you hands" more frequently, hence movies could feel being too long :-)

Pretty much this I think. I also find as I get older by back and legs get quite uncomfortable sitting for extended periods. And other cinema goers seem put out when you stand up and stretch loudly. :-/

richms

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Reply # 1492444 15-Feb-2016 10:06

I have noticed my tolerance for time wasting bulls... padding has really dropped over the last few years.

Its why I cant stand 47 minute TV shows when it could have been 30, and most movies seem to have too much non action in them. I dont think it's a recent thing tho, going back and watching old movies also annoy me. Probably more so thanks to things with seek bars where I can easily skip past the drivel parts.

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Fred99

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Reply # 1492486 15-Feb-2016 10:42

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richms:

I have noticed my tolerance for time wasting bulls... padding has really dropped over the last few years.

Its why I cant stand 47 minute TV shows when it could have been 30, and most movies seem to have too much non action in them. I dont think it's a recent thing tho, going back and watching old movies also annoy me. Probably more so thanks to things with seek bars where I can easily skip past the drivel parts.

As an older person, I'd suggest that in good old movies much of the "padding" may have been plot and character development - often sadly lacking in modern "action" movies where back to back spectacular action/special effects seem to be used to hold the viewer's attention to lack of any credible plot, and one-dimensional stereotypes instead of real characters. Not saying I don't enjoy some such movies, but Tarantino-style where it doesn't take itself too seriously and with plot lines so predictable (or at least true to form), the movies are entertaining/amusing as parodies rather than anything to be taken seriously.

Attention spans have shortened. There's also a parallel IMO with music / audio and the "loudness wars". The quote "When there is no quiet, there can be no loud" is pertinent.

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Reply # 1492523 15-Feb-2016 11:50

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MikeAqua

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Reply # 1492532 15-Feb-2016 11:56

I've been thinking a lot lately "that movie needed more editing" so I would concur with the OP.

Mike

wasabi2k

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Reply # 1492533 15-Feb-2016 11:56

richms:

I have noticed my tolerance for time wasting bulls... padding has really dropped over the last few years.

Its why I cant stand 47 minute TV shows when it could have been 30, and most movies seem to have too much non action in them. I dont think it's a recent thing tho, going back and watching old movies also annoy me. Probably more so thanks to things with seek bars where I can easily skip past the drivel parts.

Old bond films - good lord - they feel like they are about 3 days long.

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