Westerns dominated Hollywood in the past century, from the big screen to television, but in recent years, it has been hard to find a film within that genre. That isn’t to say there haven’t been any modern Western films released; Django Unchained, The Revenant, and The Power of the Dog are some that audiences consider classics in their own right. The Western genre has many attributes that modern audiences love, but regardless, releases have dwindled.
In a similar vein to the dwindling amount of period dramas, the rose-tinted glasses around these eras of history has effected their popularity. As more and more people grappled with the reality of life within the Wild West, it became harder for people to romanticize and idealize living the life of an outlaw. Additionally, the rampant racism, classism, and misogyny at the time would make it hard for minority audiences to enjoy westerns, especially those that ignored or reinforced those harmful stereotypes.
Modern westerns do a better job at addressing those issues, but not every story is perfect. This has led to Neo-Westerns rising in popularity, where the style and values of the classic western genre are put into stories set in the modern-day, like No Country For Old Men, and even a more supernatural angle like the movie Logan.
The popularity of the Neo-Western shows that this genre doesn’t have to be limited to the genre’s conventions. For Westerners to exist in the modern age, they need to wrestle with and dismantle the romanticization of the past and its black-and-white morality. Genre-blending and settings outside the typical Wild West setting will bring more variety.
