Be normal and watch movies
I’m going to start this off by saying that I don’t think musicals are completely terrible. There are many that I enjoy, and all throughout my playlists there are hints of their songs. Does this mean they are better than any other movie? Fuck no. This shouldn’t even be a debate. Let me put it to you this way: if musicals didn’t exist, would it really impact your life so terribly that society would collapse and the world would stop being worth living in? Absolutely not.
To say that musicals are the superior genre of film should be a crime against humanity. Without “normal” films, we would not experience such diverse storytelling, world building, and in-depth character development. We would not witness the true art of cinema and the masterpieces that lie within it. I might not be your resident film geek (I sure as Hell pretend I am), but I’m educated enough to know that the true beauty of film does not lie within musicals.
It lies within the fantasy adventures of a boy, cursed as a child, who lived on to become the saviour of the wizarding world. It lies within a young man with immense potential who became one of the greatest villains after turning to a darker side of power in order to save the love of his life. It lies within a bride who seeks revenge on a group of assassins she was formally associated with who betrayed her. From parks filled with dinosaurs to movie adaptations of novels about sisters and their journeys with love, friendship, and family, the film industry is host to a myriad of our favourite characters and their stories. There is just no way that musicals could ever compare.
I’m not suggesting that music has no place in movies; that would be stupid. Soundtracks make up more than half of the emotion behind scenes. However, the fact (yes, I said fact) is that what we consider to be normal movies have a much greater impact on people than musicals do. There is always a place for singing, and that is the case in some movies, but I’m sure many could live without it. And I say that as someone who watches High School Musical unironically.
Lemme sing bro
Let’s preface something. Tehana is going to talk about how musicals don’t add anything to the movie experience. I want to counter that immediately. They add everything to the movie experience. You cannot seriously sit there and tell me you watch a musical and don’t remember the songs, lyric for lyric. But then think back to that last Marvel film, can you recite the lines without missing a beat? You can? Jesus, that’s a bit weird mate.
Mamma Mia, Sweeny Todd, Rent, and In the Heights. These are a select section of films I’d argue wouldn’t be good without the music. A film about an estranged daughter contacting her Mum’s ex roots so they can fly to a remote island in Greece and awkwardly fight for her. I’m not saying that movie would be problematic but it certainly wouldn’t be nominated for as many awards as it was. Rent is another fantastic argument. I’m not trying to be a dick but the premise is already depressing, now take away the beat you get from the music points and you have Philadelphia. No thanks.
You’re probably reading this thinking I’m the biggest musical fan, and guess what, you’d be right baby. My blood runs theatre. What colour is that? Probably all the rainbow colours. I can appreciate a non-musical movie though. They’re great for everyone and the prospect of watching a movie is rarely divisive. Sure the story-telling has to be complex and the characters have to have 100 pages of backstory so they’re relatable. Tell me why this sounds less like a positive and more like a chore. You know what musicals don’t need? Backstory. They’re standalone and you can tell what’s going on without thinking too much. Let them sing.
Musicals shouldn’t be the only movies in your library. But the absence of them tells me everything I need to know about you. Stop thinking it’s going to diminish who you are because you’re singing along to Breaking Free. It just makes you a dope person.
