History AudienceAlienatingEra / Film

** It probably has more to do with the outlandishly low production values for a few of those 70s films coupled with bad direction and poor acting. In fact, only two of the seventies films are considered bad, with two films being considered quite good and a fifth falling squarely into 'love it or hate it' territory. Even the aforementioned bad films often fall into the SoBadItsGood category for a lot of people.

* ''HighlanderIITheQuickening'' started a DorkAge from which the ''Franchise/{{Highlander}}'' film series would [[FranchiseKiller never recover]]. [[Series/{{Highlander}} The TV series]] did all right for a time, until the end of the fifth season alienated many fans by introducing a demonic entity into the series (when no previous episodes foreshadowed it, or implied that such things existed in the ''Highlander'' universe), and [[DroppedABridgeOnHim killing off a popular character abruptly and anticlimactically]] in an IdiotPlot.

* ''Franchise/StarWars'', due to an UnpleasableFanbase and having so many different projects going at one time, goes into a constant rotation of dork ages. In the mainstream stuff ''ThePhantomMenace'' and ''AttackOfTheClones'' were lackluster in how they were received. It was when ''StarWarsCloneWars'' re-established a cool factor that the franchise has managed to recover. Even still, many people feel over-saturated in the [[MerchandiseDriven merchandise]], which led to a CriticalBacklash against ''StarWarsTheCloneWars''. However, that show appears to have [[GrowingTheBeard grown the beard]] in Season 2, so hope springs eternal.
** There's also a true "Dark Age" between 1986 (when the comic [[MarvelStarWars published by Marvel]], and the animated series ''[[ThoseTwoGuys Droids]]'' and ''[[TheScrappy Ewoks]]'' were finished) and 1991 (when ''[[TheThrawnTrilogy Heir to the Empire]]'' was published). GeorgeLucas was uninterested in making new films, and both merchandise and the ExpandedUniverse stalled (notable during the period are only the ''Star Tours'' ride at Disney, the Star Wars RPG... [[TheParody and]] ''Film/{{Spaceballs}}'').

** For a long time, the TimothyDalton Bond movies were seen as a DorkAge, with ''Film/LicenceToKill'' being [[DarkerAndEdgier so gory and violent]] that many felt it barely resembled a Bond film. Nowadays, however, the Dalton movies are seen as prototypes for the Creator/DanielCraig era, having had the bad luck of hitting about [[BornInTheWrongCentury twenty years too early]]. In addition, the Bond that Dalton portrays is much closer to the Bond that IanFleming wrote: a stone killer and a womanizer with a hinted-at lust for violence. (Well, okay, all the Bonds are womanizers, but whereas Connery is the archetypal Bond-As-Playa and Roger Moore's just... well... Roger Moore, Dalton comes across as a sexual predator.)

* Mae West lost a good chunk of her sex appeal when the HaysCode was imposed, but her movies remained passable. ''Myra Breckinridge'' and ''Sextette'', made after she was convinced to come out of retirement in old age, are not.

* The DisneyAnimatedCanon has seen at least two Dork Ages. The first happened between the late 1960s and the early 1980s due to the death of Walt Disney, and ended with the DisneyRenaissance, while the second happened just recently, starting in the early 2000s. In the case of the latter era, the only true non-{{Pixar}} successes released at that time were ''TheEmperorsNewGroove'', ''LiloAndStitch'', ''Disney/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'', and ''Disney/{{Tangled}}''. There were also two [[CultClassic Cult Classics]]: ''AtlantisTheLostEmpire'' and ''TreasurePlanet''.
* Some argue the MarxBrothers went through this after their switch to MGM. Zeppo got tired of acting and the studio forced the brothers to go from completely anarchic RapidFireComedy to more good-natured characters helping out a forgettable romantic lead between increasingly tedious musical numbers (Groucho called ''The Big Store'''s "Tenement Symphony" "[[CreatorBacklash the most godawful thing I'd ever heard]]"). Granted, there was still plenty of [[CrowningMomentOfFunny CMOF]], it was just more restrained than during their years at Paramount.

* Depending on your opinion, either ''{{Alien 3}}'' or ''AlienResurrection''. While in popular culture, ''Alien 3'' is considered the turning point of the franchise, many fans of the franchise appreciate the Assembly Cut's character drama ([[RecycledINSPACE with an Alien...]]) approach, leading some to believe that the latter example is true turning point. To support its quasi-popularity, many fans saw ''Alien 3'' as a return to the themes and atmosphere of the first film, where the second was a subverted gung-ho action flick.
* ''Franchise/TheCrow'' pretty much went into one after people realized that there was money to be made after [[Film/TheCrow the first film]] was successful. ''TheCrowCityOfAngels'' was poorly received by most, not helped by the fact that Dimension [[ExecutiveMeddling cut out at least 20 minutes]] worth of {{character development}} and important plot points, causing the film to feel rather disjointed at times. ''TheCrowSalvation'' was considered a definite improvement, while most people see ''TheCrowWickedPrayer'' as SoOkayItsAverage. And now there's a remake in the works, and most people have ''very'' low expectations for how it will turn out.

* EddieMurphy had one starting with his 1989 flop ''HarlemNights'' that lasted into the [[TheNineties early-mid '90s]], with many unsuccessful movies including ''The Distinguished Gentleman'', ''BeverlyHillsCop III'', and ''VampireInBrooklyn'' (all of which he has since disowned), before he made his comeback with his 1996 remake of ''TheNuttyProfessor''. He entered another one in the 2000s, where, with the exception of the ''{{Shrek}}'' movies and ''{{Dreamgirls}}'', his films like ''TheAdventuresOfPlutoNash'', ''TheHauntedMansion'', ''{{Norbit}}'', ''MeetDave'' and ''Imagine That'' were all massive failures (''Pluto Nash'' has become one of Hollywood's biggest flops, and many feel ''Norbit'' torpedoed Murphy's Oscar hopes with ''Dreamgirls''). He got praised for starring in 2011's ''TowerHeist'', but his 2012 follow-up ''A Thousand Words'' (although it was filmed in 2008) was universally panned, receiving a [[RottenTomatoes Tomatometer]] score of ''0%'', so only time will tell whether he'll recover.

* The Roger Moore Film/JamesBond era is usually considered a DorkAge among Bond fans. Plots became weaker and campier, with more focus on gadgets and locations than characterization or action. Although this era did have its highlights (''Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe'') it also had its dark abysses (''Film/AViewToAKill'', ''Film/{{Moonraker}})''. ''Film/TheManWithTheGoldenGun'' is a BaseBreaker, with some considering it on par with ''Moonraker'' and other fans feeling it to be Moore's equivalent to ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}'' and much better than made out to be. ''For Your Eyes Only'' is unique in that it was a Roger Moore Bond film without gadgetry -- it was given a mixed reception in 1981, but thirty years later, even fans who didn't like Roger Moore seem to like it.\\
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For music fans, on the other hand, the Roger Moore era is most often fondly looked at as the golden age of Bond themes, from "Nobody Does it Better" (Music/CarlySimon) to "Live and Let Die" (Music/PaulMcCartney and Music/{{Wings}}) to "A View to a Kill" (Music/DuranDuran).

* The ''Hellraiser'' franchise has seen this, with ''Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth'' being universally ignored, although there is more debate over ''Hellraiser: Bloodline'', which is either seen as at least a good step back to the spirit of the first two films or as just ''Hellraiser in Space.'' Interestingly, the franchise's own creator CliveBarker has put both movies in a Dork Age on his own. His ''Hellraiser'' comics for Boom Studios serve as a direct sequel series to the first two movies, but so far have completely brushed aside the continuity from the other sequels.

* The Hellraiser franchise has seen this, with ''Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth'' being universally ignored, although there is more debate over ''Hellraiser: Bloodline'', which is either seen as at least a good step back to the spirit of the first two films or as just ''Hellraiser in Space.'' Interestingly, the franchise's own creator CliveBarker has put both movies in a Dork Age on his own. His ''Hellraiser'' comics for Boom Studios serve as a direct sequel series to the first two movies, but so far have completely brushed aside the continuity from the other sequels.

* The ''{{Godzilla}}'' movies are claimed to have undergone a dork age during TheSeventies, though one is hard pressed to explain exactly ''how'' the '70s flicks were any sillier than the films that preceded them, given that Godzilla was already [[KingKongvsGodzilla setting Kong's crotch on fire]], [[MothravsGodzilla drunkenly tripping over buildings]], [[GhidorahTheThreeHeadedMonster chatting up a storm with Mothra and Rodan]], [[InvasionOfAstroMonster dancing in outer space]], [[EbirahHorrorOfTheDeep playing volleyrock with a giant shrimp]], [[SonOfGodzilla adopting a child]] and [[AllMonstersAttack teaching said child how to deal with bullies]] during the '60s.

* The Roger Moore Film/JamesBond era is usually considered a DorkAge among Bond fans. Plots became weaker and campier, with more focus on gadgets and locations than characterization or action. Although this era did have its highlights (''Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe'') it also had its dark abysses (''Film/AViewToAKill'', ''Film/{{Moonraker}})''. ''Film/TheManWithTheGoldenGun'' is a BaseBreaker, with some considering it on par with ''Moonraker'' and other fans feeling it to be Moore's equivalent to ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}'' and much better than made out to be.\\

** Then there's the straight-to-video sequels. Well, [[YMMV]], but generally when ''Hellraiser'' fans recommend the series to someone they're usually only talking about the first two films - and ''maybe'', ''possibly'' ''Hellraiser: Bloodline.''

* The ''{{Godzilla}}'' movies are claimed to have undergone a dork age during TheSeventies, though one is hard pressed to explain exactly ''how'' the '70s flicks were any sillier than the films that preceded them, given that Godzilla was already [[KingKongvsGodzilla setting Kong's crotch on fire]], [[MothravsGodzilla drunkenly tripping over buildings]], [[GhidorahtheThreeHeadedMonster chatting up a storm with Mothra and Rodan]], [[InvasionOfAstroMonster dancing in outer space]], [[EbirahHorrorOfTheDeep playing volleyrock with a giant shrimp]], [[SonOfGodzilla adopting a child]] and [[AllMonstersAttack teaching said child how to deal with bullies]] during the '60s.

* The ''{{Godzilla}}'' movies are claimed to have undergone a dork age during TheSeventies, though one is hard pressed to explain exactly ''how'' the '70s flicks were any sillier than the films that preceded them, given that Godzilla was already setting Kong's crotch on fire, chatting up a storm with Mothra and Rodan, playing volleyrock, dancing in outer space and adopting a child during the '60s.

** For a long time, the TimothyDalton Bond movies were seen as a DorkAge, with ''Film/LicenceToKill'' being [[DarkerAndEdgier so gory and violent]] that many felt it barely resembled a Bond film. Nowadays, however, the Dalton movies are seen as prototypes for the DanielCraig era, having had the bad luck of hitting about [[BornInTheWrongCentury twenty years too early]]. In addition, the Bond that Dalton portrays is much closer to the Bond that IanFleming wrote: a stone killer and a womanizer with a hinted-at lust for violence. (Well, okay, all the Bonds are womanizers, but whereas Connery is the archetypal Bond-As-Playa and Roger Moore's just... well... Roger Moore, Dalton comes across as a sexual predator.)

* ''Franchise/{{Friday the 13th}}'' lost its edge around [[Film/JasonGoesToHellTheFinalFriday the ninth film]], when Jason turned out to be a demonic entity capable of {{body surf}}ing. In terms of actual horror, the subsequent film, where he [[Film/JasonX went to space]], marked the lowest point in the decline (though some claim that film to be SoBadItsGood).
* The ''Film/{{Halloween}}'' series had the extremely poorly explained Curse of Thorn storyline from the fifth and sixth films, which tried to tie Michael to prophecies, an ancient cult and the like.

* ''Film/{{Friday the 13th}}'' lost its edge around [[JasonGoesToHell the ninth film]], when Jason turned out to be a demonic entity capable of {{body surf}}ing. In terms of actual horror, the subsequent film, where he [[RecycledInSpace went to space]], marked the lowest point in the decline (though some claim that film to be SoBadItsGood).

* ''Film/{{Batman}}'' was in it deep during the late '90s. TimBurton left the franchise, as did leading actor MichaelKeaton. ExecutiveMeddling caused ''Film/BatmanForever'' to be campier and more [[MerchandiseDriven toyetic]] than its predecessors. Following that film, the new lead actor Val Kilmer left as well, and then the camp factor went UpToEleven and we got ''Film/BatmanAndRobin''. That so-called "film" killed the Batman movie franchise for eight years until ''BatmanBegins'' came out.

* ''HighlanderIITheQuickening'' started a DorkAge from which the ''Highlander'' film series would (arguably) [[FranchiseKiller never recover]]. The TV series did all right for a time, until the end of the fifth season alienated many fans by introducing a demonic entity into the series (when no previous episodes foreshadowed it, or implied that such things existed in the ''Highlander'' universe), and [[DroppedABridgeOnHim killing off a popular character abruptly and anticlimactically]] in an IdiotPlot.

* ''StarWars'', due to an UnpleasableFanbase and having so many different projects going at one time, goes into a constant rotation of dork ages. In the mainstream stuff ''ThePhantomMenace'' and ''AttackOfTheClones'' were lackluster in how they were received. It was when ''StarWarsCloneWars'' re-established a cool factor that the franchise has managed to recover. Even still, many people feel over-saturated in the [[MerchandiseDriven merchandise]], which led to a CriticalBacklash against ''StarWarsTheCloneWars''. However, that show appears to have [[GrowingTheBeard grown the beard]] in Season 2, so hope springs eternal.

* Depending on your opinion, either ''Film/{{Alien}} 3'' or ''Film/{{Alien}}: Resurrection''. While in popular culture, ''Alien 3'' is considered the turning point of the franchise, many fans of the franchise appreciate the Assembly Cut's character drama ([[RecycledINSPACE with an Alien...]]) approach, leading some to believe that the latter example is true turning point. To support its quasi-popularity, many fans saw ''Alien 3'' as a return to the themes and atmosphere of the first film, where the second was a subverted gung-ho action flick.

* EddieMurphy had one starting with his 1989 flop ''HarlemNights'' that lasted into the [[TheNineties early-mid '90s]], with many unsuccessful movies including ''The Distinguished Gentleman'', ''BeverlyHillsCop III'', and ''VampireInBrooklyn'' (all of which he has since disowned), before he made his comeback with his 1996 remake of ''TheNuttyProfessor''. He entered another one in the 2000s, where, with the exception of the ''{{Shrek}}'' movies and ''{{Dreamgirls}}'', his films like ''TheAdventuresOfPlutoNash'', ''TheHauntedMansion'', ''{{Norbit}}'', ''MeetDave'' and ''Imagine That'' were all massive failures (''Pluto Nash'' has become one of Hollywood's biggest flops, and many feel ''Norbit'' torpedoed Murphy's Oscar hopes with ''Dreamgirls''). He got praised for starring in 2011's ''TowerHeist'', but his 2012 follow-up ''A Thousand Words'' was universally panned, receiving a [[RottenTomatoes Tomatometer]] score of ''0%'', so only time will tell whether he'll recover.

* The DisneyAnimatedCanon has seen at least two Dork Ages. The first happened between the late 1960s and the early 1980s due to the death of Walt Disney, and ended with the DisneyRenaissance, while the second happened just recently, starting in the early 2000s. In the case of the latter era, the only true non-{{Pixar}} successes released at that time were ''LiloAndStitch'', ''Disney/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'', and ''Disney/{{Tangled}}''. There were also two [[CultClassic Cult Classics]]: ''TheEmperorsNewGroove'' and ''TreasurePlanet''.

* ''Franchise/TheCrow'' pretty much went into one after people realized that there was money to be made after [[Film/TheCrow the first film]] was successful. ''TheCrowCityOfAngels'' was poorly received by most, not helped by the fact that Dimension [[ExecutiveMeddling cut out at least 20 minutes]] worth of {{character development}} and important plot points, causing the film to feel rather disjointed at times. ''TheCrow:Salvation'' was considered a definite improvement, while most people see ''TheCrowWickedPrayer'' as SoOkayItsAverage. And now there's a remake in the works, and most people have ''very'' low expectations for how it will turn out.

* ''TheCrow'' pretty much went into one after people realized that there was money to be made after the first film was successful. ''City Of Angels'' was poorly received by most, not helped by the fact that Dimension [[ExecutiveMeddling cut out at least 20 minutes]] worth of {{character development}} and important plot points, causing the film to feel rather disjointed at times. ''Crow: Salvation'' was considered a definite improvement, while most people see ''Wicked Prayer'' as SoOkayItsAverage. And now there's a remake in the works, and most people have ''very'' low expectations for how it will turn out.
* ''Film/{{Friday the 13th}}'' lost its edge around the ninth film, when Jason turned out to be a demonic entity capable of {{body surf}}ing. In terms of actual horror, the subsequent film, where he [[RecycledInSpace went to space]], marked the lowest point in the decline (though some claim that film to be SoBadItsGood).

* The DisneyAnimatedCanon has seen at least two Dork Ages. The first happened between the late 1960s and the early 1980s due to the death of Walt Disney, and ended with the DisneyRenaissance, while the second happened just recently, starting in the early 2000s. In the case of the latter era, the only true non-{{Pixar}} successes released at that time were ''LiloAndStitch'', ''Disney/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'', and ''Disney/{{Tangled}}''.

* The Roger Moore Film/JamesBond era is usually considered a DorkAge among Bond fans. Plots became weaker and campier, with more focus on gadgets and locations than characterization or action. Although this era did have its highlights (''Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe'') it also had its dark abysses (''Film/TheManWithTheGoldenGun'', ''Film/{{Moonraker}})''. ''Film/TheManWithTheGoldenGun'' is a BaseBreaker, with some considering it on par with ''Moonraker'' and other fans feeling it to be Moore's equivalent to ''Film/{{Goldfinger}} and much better than made out to be.\\

** There's also a true "Dark Age" between 1986 (when the comic [[MarvelStarWars published by Marvel]], and the animated series ''[[ThoseTwoGuys Droids]]'' and ''[[TheScrappy Ewoks]]'' were finished) and 1991 (when ''[[TheThrawnTrilogy Heir to the Empire]]'' was published). GeorgeLucas was uninterested in making new films, and both merchandise and the ExpandedUniverse stalled (notable during the period are only the ''Star Tours'' ride at Disney, the Star Wars RPG... [[TheParody and]] ''{{Spaceballs}}'').

* ''{{Highlander}} II'' started a DorkAge from which the ''Highlander'' film series would (arguably) [[FranchiseKiller never recover]]. The TV series did all right for a time, until the end of the fifth season alienated many fans by introducing a demonic entity into the series (when no previous episodes foreshadowed it, or implied that such things existed in the ''Highlander'' universe), and [[DroppedABridgeOnHim killing off a popular character abruptly and anticlimactically]] in an IdiotPlot.