HUNTR/X are the coolest, but we need to confront the demon elephant in the room
Like the majority of the world in the last few months, I’ve been swept up in the KPop Demon Hunters hype. It’s a fantastic film, and ranks among my top 5 of the year. Immediately after watching it, I soda-pop shoulder shuffled my phone out of my pocket to see about buying it on 4K Blu-ray. I want to experience it in its full audiovisual glory. If there’s anything I need, it’s “Golden”, “Soda Pop”, or “What it Sounds Like” stuck in my head for even longer than they have been.
Then reality hit me… It’s a Netflix movie. Netflix have global distribution rights. Netflix very seldom, if ever, release their content on Blu-Ray. I think the Marvel shows got a release, but that was probably due to pressure from Marvel.
Mo’like, “No Flix”!
If Netflix released their films for purchase, they’d have no leverage to keep you hostage (subscribed) to their now extortionately priced service. There’s a sliver of hope for us KPDH lovers, though. The movie was made by Sony, and us PlayStation owners know that Sony loves making money. However, without knowing the intricacies of their deal with Netflix, it’s hard to predict if a Blu-ray release will be allowed. This got me thinking about the problem at large, and how many times recently I’ve been extremely pissed off at my lack of ability to legally acquire the movies and shows I love.
Now, my problem is not necessarily the physical/digital argument, as I’ve recently dug myself into a hole there. Quite literally. There was no longer any physical space to store more movies. I remedied this by selling my entire Blu-ray collection with the aim of buying all my favourites back digitally. I know, I know, I don’t own them! But my hope is Apple aren’t going bust any time soon! There were a few worries, such as some users reporting that the horror classic Halloween had been removed from their library and was no longer available on the Apple Store. I think that’s recently been resolved, though, and they’ve been upgraded to 4K.
For the most part, it’s been great. If I stay at someone’s house, I can watch my library. Travelling? I can watch my library. Sitting in a car waiting to pick someone up? I can watch my library. Digital versions of obscure movies (my most recent pick up being the Daimajin trilogy) are often far cheaper than their physical counterparts, too, thanks to rarity and scalping. Plus the other perks, such as Apple upgrading your movie library to 4K where available, free of charge!
Hording movies like a corporate dragon
No, my issue pertains to exclusivity and how bad it is for movie preservation and collecting. I’ve since noticed subpar quality with streaming (Apple are by far the best, in case you’re wondering), so I have relapsed slightly and started picking up 4K Blu-rays of my favourite films. A few of these movies are by one of my favourite Indonesian action directors, Timo Tjahjanto.
Tjahjanto is responsible for movies such as Killers and Headshot, two great Indonesian action movies. He’s recently tried making waves in Hollywood, helming Nobody 2, starring Bob Odenkirk. God forbid, I want to buy his latest Indonesian movies though – The Night Comes for Us? Nope. Netflix exclusive. The Big 4? Nope, Netflix exclusive. The Shadow Strays (my favourite movie of his)? Nope. Netflix exclusive.
See the pattern? I’m locked out of seeing the latest movies from a director I adore, because they’re all bloody Netflix exclusives with nary a Blu-ray release in sight. This isn’t good for Timo, and it’s not good for movie preservation. Forcing you into an overpriced subscription, just to watch a movie you can never own, is abhorrent to me. What if the internet goes down? Or if I’m somewhere with no internet? Man alive, what do I do if I decide I can’t afford Netflix’s ever-increasing monthly cost any more? It’s a trend that’s become all too common, and it makes me angry.
All the big streaming names are putting the “me” in media
It’s the same with shows such as X-Men ’97 on Disney+, and content on the millions of other platforms such as Hulu, Paramount+, etc. If I had my way, every movie and every show would also get a Blu-ray release, or at the very least be available to legally buy to “own” digitally. This just promotes and pushes piracy. Is it even morally grey to pirate a movie or show you can’t legally buy? (“No.” – Editor in Chief)
I’m honestly getting sick of all the different services you need just to watch the things you want. At least if you buy them, they’re all in a central place and you know where they are. This seriously has me worried for the future of media, and a future when you quite literally “own nothing” and no longer even have the choice. …On the other hand, we can still get Kpop Demon Hunter vinyls! Let’s gooooooo!
What do you all think? Are we heading for doom? Do we have other practices to worry about? Let us know in the comments.
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