Blockbusters Reboot Analysis

The importance of representation on various media platforms amounts to an on-going struggle with socially marginalized groups and the dominant cultures – within this hegemony the characters on offer are largely white and heterosexual with only few exceptions here and there. With some network shows trying to normalize having people of colour in prominent roles, and displaying natural and neutral queer romances, we are narrowing the gap between these marginalized groups and equal representation, but there is still a lot of ground to cover. Stuart Hall’s take on cultural struggle offers us a great template, through which we can look at these power relations and see their significance in the lives of the marginalized. As a case example this essay uses Sony’s 2016 blockbuster, Ghostbusters reboot directed by Paul Feig, starring Kristen Wiig, Melissa …show more content…
11). This comes to show in the constant give and take between these opposing forces. The demand for queer visibility in Ghostbusters, and other Hollywood blockbusters, is a battleground of conflicting ideologies. Over the years the queer fans have managed to gain ground, one recent example being Star Trek Beyond and their inclusion of their first portrayal of a gay character in the series, Hikaru Sulu. But by granting a side character this sexual identity outside the binary does not offer much for the queer audiences, as their identities still do not get to take a prominent role in big productions. This demonstrates the constant negotiation between dominant ideology and the periphery cultures – the dominant ideology is incorporating small aspects of the opposing ideologies in order to cover more masses within its sphere while still holding the