Recently, I have noticed that idol culture is at an all-time high. I’m not talking about American Idol the television show, or kids looking up to their parents, I’m talking about how people become completely obsessed with celebrities and public figures. Naturally, it is no wonder that biopics have also become extremely popular over the last few years.
The reason why there are so many biopics being created about past public figures is because of the social media and group mentality. I am sure that on every social media platform, there is a fan club for every celebrity, current and especially past.
I believe these groups of fans are a double-sided sword. While I personally love to see people loving older celebs as much as they did in the past; at the same time, it is becoming very obsessive and mob-ish. Some of these celebrities are not producing anything in their craft anymore even though these new rabid fans need media from them to consume, causing the rise of Biopics.
Biopics are movies about the life of a real person. They are biographies, almost like documentaries, but retold and acted out. There are my biopics that have come out in the past few years and even more that will be coming out soon.
Some highly anticipated ones are aboutBob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Amy Winehouse. Others that have already come out already and have become extremely popular are “Oppenheimer,” “Priscilla,” and “One Love” about Bob Marley. Clearly, biopics are all the rage.
Since we are in the age of biopics, questions arise such as, “Is it too soon?” Someone’s life, career and legacy can be sensitive topics. Sometimes biopics can misrepresent or offend people. In other cases, biopics are made about celebrities who have passed away and these are not always completely positive, therefore tainting their legacy.
I think that the rise of biopics has lots of negative and positive aspects, but overall, I believe that this era in the film industry will not last long. I also think that it will come back again in full force much later as the celebrities of now become the icons of the past and – gain a whole new fan base. The industry and rise of biopics is a cycle that will keep turning.
