Summary
While season 2 of The Movies That Made Us lacks diversity among its selections, it more than makes up for it by upping the ante, going even further to prove that there’s a lot more to know about the films we love and making them is far from easy.
Netflix docuseries The Movies That Made Us season 2 was released on the platform on July 23, 2021.
Everyone loves a good movie. What most people don’t realize is that behind every good movie is an even greater story about how it got made. Unless you’ve been in the industry or worked a film, you’ll never know how exactly how much blood, sweat, and tears the process often requires. In the second season of Netflix’s The Movies That Made Us there’s a stronger emphasis on that, and that’s what makes it so invaluable.
The first season of The Movies That Made Us notably featured insight into the classics Dirty Dancing, Home Alone, Ghostbusters, and Die Hard. Even with all the fascinating oral histories and anecdotes shared from each respective production though, it was admittedly a rough (yet enjoyable) watch. In the nearly two years since then, Netflix has clearly worked out the kinks. This time around you can feel that the series finally found its footing.
Similar to the previous season, this one features a behind-the-scenes look at four brand new classics: Back to the Future, Pretty Woman, Jurassic Park, and Forrest Gump. While they’re all equally informative, I genuinely think that there’s an episode here for everyone. Of the four, my personal favorite was the episode on Back to the Future, but not for the reasons you might expect.
In the opening of that episode, we’re shown the version of the film that was made before Michael J. Foxx was brought on board. For those unfamiliar with what I’m referring to, I won’t spoil anything — all I’ll say is that the film had some production issues early on. Most films do. However, it was interesting to see some rare footage from that point firsthand. Additionally, it was surprising to learn that the film was pieced together from multiple failed projects. Those little breadcrumbs are what especially make you appreciate this series. Even if you’re a master cinephile, it’s impossible to watch these episodes and not come away with some new information.
Now, the only complaint I would have about this season is that even though all four films are unlike each other categorically, they do double-dip in terms of the people involved. What I mean by that is Robert Zemeckis directed both Back to the Future and Forrest Gump, and Steven Spielberg famously worked on both Back to the Future and Jurassic Park. As a result, unlike the first season, this one occasionally feels repetitive. As beloved as all those films are, and as fascinating as each of their respective episodes are, it would have been nice to delve into films with different talents associated. The pool of classics to choose from, after all, is infinite.
Still, each episode of The Movies That Made Us has the power to truly make someone see cinema in a new light. Einstein once said that the definition of insanity is, “doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” The way in which filmmakers return to their craft over and over again might be comparable to insanity, but it’s also incredible. The bottom line is: considering all the setbacks that happen (and that everyone almost always expects), the fact that so many different people come together to create films of any caliber is nothing short of a miracle.
What did you think of The Movies That Made Us season 2? Comment below.
