Regarding "cheaper and dumber", I had heard an NPR story about movies way back when, maybe the 90s, that said that grade B movies were more the rule because the market was in Asia and all they demanded was a) nonstop action and (b) a known quantity. Thus, franchise movies with stupid stories because action flicks don't need stories.
That things start looking the same is no surprise, because, IMO, quality story telling aren't the goal, profit is.
Regarding "cheaper and dumber", I had heard an NPR story about movies way back when, maybe the 90s, that said that grade B movies were more the rule because the market was in Asia and all they demanded was a) nonstop action and (b) a known quantity. Thus, franchise movies with stupid stories because action flicks don't need stories.
That things start looking the same is no surprise, because, IMO, quality story telling aren't the goal, profit is.