When was the last time you seriously heard somebody say “Bye Felicia?” For me it was this morning watching the first trailer for The Emoji Movie, but before that I think it was probably sometime in the summer. For the most part, the meme is dead.
The Emoji Movie is looking to revive it, and most likely other memes, and that’s kind of the issue with movies trying to stay trendy in today’s fast-paced world. Memes come and go faster than people can often keep up, and movies take a long time produce.
By leveraging this dead meme, The Emoji Movie is bringing attention to itself to be ridiculed for its lack of understanding. But that’s not really a fault of the movie itself, but the disconnect between old media and new media.
Outside of stale memes, The Emoji Movie looks like it’s throwing it in with this first look. The movie looks like a cross between Inside Out and Wreck-It Ralph, but it feels less like homage and more like a cheap imitation.
In its defense, the animation style does capture the look of emoji pretty well, but there’s not a whole lot to be excited for once the film hits theatres on July 28.
🙂