Movie trends are constantly ebbing and flowing. That’s because trends are always tied to modern affairs, making them immediately relevant to audiences. On top of that, the best new trends usually showcase a new filming style, thematic take, or even filmmaking technology.
In other words, there are a few key ingredients that go into identifiable movie trends—usually a blend of breaking news and creative innovation. But these aren’t always easy to identify as they’re released. Hindsight is always 20-20, after all.
Now that we’re twenty years removed from the early 2000s, it’s easy to see what sorts of filmmaking trends were taking off at the time. The era will likely be remembered more for the emergence of reality television, but the world of film still generated more than a few unique blockbusters.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the most interesting trends from the early 2000s, in terms of theme, content, and filmmaking technology.
Casino Intrigue
It was a huge decade for the casino thanks to the Ocean’s franchise reboot and a myriad smaller hits. Much of this trend was built on the hype of online poker, which was taking off at the time. For example, 1998’s Rounders helped lay the foundation for all-out poker intrigue. The film focused on underground poker games played for high stakes.
Though the film focused on Texas Hold’em more than other popular variations, it introduced players to the highly intellectual and tactical world of poker. Today, millions of players compete online as long-time hobbyists—some of whom might have seen Rounders and similar hits. The movie also starred Matt Damon, who would go on to join that famous Ocean’s trilogy later on. Sometimes, movie trends are layered like this.
High Fantasy
Throughout the decades, casinos have come and gone from Hollywood screens. The same is true for high fantasy, which really took off in the early 2000s thanks to Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. This took a beloved and niche franchise and turned it into a global hit.
The same goes for Harry Potter. As the wizardry books were released, they were flipped into blockbuster films that sold out theaters around the world. Fantasy films hadn’t yet commanded a consistently high-performing series like that.
Don’t forget—the 2000s also heralded the era of James Cameron’s Avatar. Though the second installation only recently hit theaters, it was originally part of the early 2000s high fantasy hit catalog. More casual fantasy takes had always been popular, but this was an era when high fantasy, specifically, went mainstream.
Computer Generation
In terms of filmmaking techniques, the early 2000s saw a massive proliferation of computer generation… for good and for bad. Initially, computer generation was used largely for films that would have once been entirely animated. Think: Shrek, Finding Nemo, Monster, Inc., and The Polar Express.
But it also led to less-beloved incorporation into live-action films. While fantasy was taking off, the Star Wars sci-fi reboot was notably lackluster. Computer generation quickly led to the use of CGI, which gave life to characters like Jar-Jar Binks, really awful renditions of The Rock in The Mummy, and more shoddy work in The Matrix: Reloaded.
While computer generation helped put animated films on a new (and better) level, they almost unanimously threw audiences off when poor CGI was adapted for live-action films.
Series
You may have noticed from this list that the early 2000s was an era of trilogies. Whether this was due to writers taking greater licenses with their stories or studios looking to juice fans for all they could, it led to dozens of iconic releases and poorly executed failures.
As mentioned above, Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings franchises both took off. So did Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean. But the most notable series has to be the reboot of just about every superhero ever written.
DC and Marvel kicked off new series for dozens of superheroes. Not all stuck the landing—but Marvel has notably been able to turn its Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Iron Man projects into blockbuster franchises that span an entire fictional universe. While audiences aren’t overly happy with the Marvel Universe these days, the brand dominated the 2010s box office.
