Many viewers who subscribe to Netflix and Prime Video have observed a peculiar alteration in several of their beloved films. While it may be aggravating, there is a logical explanation for this change.
The “original”version of Lilo and Stitch gained widespread attention last week after an X/Twitter post shared two side-by-side clips. One clip depicted Lilo emerging from a tumble dryer, while the other showed her crawling out of a cabinet in an edited version.
Although there are additional factors to consider, the main point remains: streaming services have the ability to modify and censor movies as they deem necessary. This could be due to a larger cultural issue, such as the removal of Michael Jackson’s episode from The Simpsons on Disney Plus, or it could be related to technical reasons.
If you were to watch John Wick on Netflix, you would notice that the stylized subtitles have been substituted with regular captions. Similarly, when streaming The Royal Tenenbaums on Prime Video, the on-screen text has been replaced with subpar closed captioning, as one user astutely pointed out.
I rented The Royal Tenenbaums on @PrimeVideo last night, and inexplicably, a large amount of the iconic on-screen text has been removed and replaced with shitty closed captioning. This has got to be some kind of violation of an editing contract, right? Why even do this? pic.twitter.com/8EpvBKW1Dx
— John Bickerstaff 🏳️🌈 (@Bitterstaff) August 25, 2024
Similarly, Kill Bill faces the same problem, as it appears that Netflix requires viewers to manually activate subtitles in order to understand Hattori Hanzo’s dialogue, instead of having them automatically available.
Despite causing frustration among subscribers, there is a straightforward explanation for why custom subtitles are frequently removed: it simplifies the process of distributing the movie in different regions.
The phrase “localization”is the official term, however, it refers to the process of removing on-screen text that may conflict with standard subtitles in order to facilitate streaming of movies in different countries. Studios typically provide textless versions of their films for this purpose.
i was showing someone john wick for the first time and noticed the stylized subtitles weren’t showing up. turns out @netflix got rid of them! attached is the netflix version, the netflix version when you enable subs, and then what it’s supposed to look like (rented from prime). pic.twitter.com/dM5kuhNZ3r
— zach silberberg (@zachsilberberg) February 25, 2024
According to another user’s explanation, textless versions are necessary when submitting content to streamers for localization in other regions. However, this can be frustrating when it takes away from the original version. Additionally, the purpose of textless versions is to recreate the effect, not just add subtitles, but this is rarely done.
To put it differently, although it aims to be more inclusive, it can still be frustrating when it compromises the artistic integrity of a film. One user complained that some people prioritize cost-saving over maintaining the quality of localized versions.
Another person added, “It’s unbelievable how the streaming era is finding new and creative ways to ruin movies. We made a mistake by relying on technology for media. We should have continued with the DVD/BluRay market because eventually, original works will be forgotten and no one will know what has been lost.”A third individual chimed in, “We need to take responsibility for trusting technology too much. We should have kept the DVD/BluRay market alive because eventually, we will lose track of the original works.”
Meanwhile, take a look at other new movies that are available for viewing this month.
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