The Denzel Washington Dark R-Rated Crime Thriller Hidden Gem Being Forgotten
As stores like Best Buy announce that they are phasing out their physical media due to how widespread streaming is nowadays, we continue to see the potential dangers of this shift towards everything being digital. When streaming networks control what movies are available, it can be extremely difficult to find older titles that networks might not be giving priority to. In some cases, like 1998’s Fallen, starring Denzel Washington, they can be left with no modern way to watch them at all.
Denzel Washington In Fallen
Fallen is a supernatural crime thriller with a cast that was star-studded with some of the biggest names of the ‘90s. Denzel Washington is Philadelphia police detective John Hobbes. The film also featured John Goodman, who was still a rising prolific name thanks to his success on Roseanne.
It also has James Gandolfini right before his career would skyrocket from The Sopranos. Plus, Donald Sutherland is involved after having already become well-established from starring in movies like The Dirty Dozen and Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
Fallen Under The Radar
Fallen flew under the radar when it came out in the ‘90s, getting middling reviews and modest box office success.
However, reappraisal in recent years has brought people around to regard the movie as something of an underrated gem. It focuses on Denzel Washington’s character hunting what he learns is the fallen angel Azazel.
This supernatural entity can possess people simply by touching them and is using its powers to go on a killing spree to taunt the police. Washington’s character desperately tries to capture Azazel before it can slip away to remain hidden in plain sight, tormenting humanity forever.
Denzel Washington Buried Gem
Unfortunately, Fallen may become even more of a buried gem as it is now not even available on any streaming platforms. And with this being an older film, it was already unlikely to ever get a physical rerelease in 4k.
But that is even less likely now that so many retailers are deciding to phase out selling physical media altogether. That means even talented big name actors like Denzel Washington can see parts of their career fade from the public eye altogether.
Not Just Fallen
And it certainly is not just Fallen that is dealing with this problem. Many consumers have grown frustrated with the scarcity of movies they want to revisit not being easily available for streaming.
It has caused a growing movement of movie lovers who have returned to buying physical media to ensure they will have guaranteed access to the movies they enjoy, regardless of whether a streaming platform decides to no longer carry them.
No More Physical Copies?
However, with modern movies largely not even receiving physical releases anymore, it creates an alarming situation where the longevity of a movie to be enjoyed into the future becomes a huge question mark.
If this can happen to a movie with big names like Denzel Washington and James Gandolfini, then why not today’s A-listers like Leonardo DiCaprio or Anya Taylor-Joy?
A Fallen Wake Up Call
Projects that had hundreds of millions of dollars spent on them could simply slip out of the public’s grasp all because Netflix felt the streaming rights to it were no longer worth it.
It goes beyond just the convenience of watching movies, and into how do we have any certainty about the preservation of movies for generations to come?
Losing films like Fallen in this manner should be a wake up call for how bad things could get if a solution is not found to this problem.
