Matt Damon has criticised Netflix for encouraging filmmakers to dumb down their work, arguing that the streaming giant's data-driven approach leads to repetitive plot explanations designed for distracted viewers. Speaking on The Joe Rogan Experience, Damon contrasted the immersive experience of watching a film in an IMAX theatre—which he likened to 'going to church'—with the fragmented attention typical of home viewing.
Damon claimed that Netflix advises directors to include an early action set piece and to reiterate the plot 'three or four times' because audiences are often on their phones. He warned that this approach 'will really start to infringe on how we're telling these stories.' The actor made these comments while promoting his own Netflix film, The Rip, a $100m cop thriller co-starring Ben Affleck.
The critique highlights a broader trend in streaming-era filmmaking, where complex narratives are often slowed down for viewers. The last season of Stranger Things was cited as a prime example, with characters laboriously explaining upcoming events—a technique described as 'the storytelling equivalent of watching a pub bore demonstrate the offside rule with beermats.'
However, Netflix's vast viewing data suggests that many viewers do indeed multitask, justifying the streamer's approach. While exceptions exist for Oscar-bait films, the default mode is spoonfeeding. Damon's comments come ahead of his starring role in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, a theatrical blockbuster expected to be complex and hugely successful, giving him a strong platform to criticise streaming norms.
