Masking the Destructive Force of a Dying Climate: Reflections on the Portrayal of ‘Environment' in Hollywood in the 2010s using The Lorax, Interstellar, and Avengers: Infinity War

Abstract

This study provides reflections on the extent to which the environment is present in three Hollywood films from the 2010s that were all received well, scoring high profits at the box office and receiving good reviews from professional critics and audience alike. Using the theories of ecocriticism in ecocinema and ecomusicology, The Lorax, Interstellar, and Avengers: Infinity War were analyzed on the basis of their textual, visual, and auditory elements and how these connect the films to nature and to the issues of the environment that they present, in comparison with other films distributed around the same time that discuss the environment in some way. The findings of this study indicate that Hollywood’s stance on the environment has not changed much, but the increasing obscuring of the ecocritical message in films suggests that we are heading to an era where the environment is no longer openly discussed in blockbuster productions.