While I think that overall the trend of only the best surviving the test of time is true, I do think there is at least some truth in that story efficiency seems to have taken a hit in the last ten-ish years.

This isn't a blanket statement that ALL films have this problem or that ALL films are somehow worse, simply that there is a trend that at least has an effect on the overall average, specifically in big budget Hollywood features.

I think it mostly has come with the acceptance of longer films -- which I think is overall a good thing! Just that writers haven't yet adapted to working with this new limit. In the 80s and 90s, the 90-110 minute film was a pretty hard rule for major Hollywood films. This meant it was just necessary for scripts to abandon anything that was superfluous to the central plot. There was an A plot, and if you were good, something of a B-plot.

With the two and a half-three hour films of today, instead of expanding on the A and B plots and making them deeper, I think a lot of writers fill the space by adding C, D and sometimes E plots, making the film feel bizarrely rushed, despite its longer run time. Characters seem flimsier, and story movement happens at a breakneck pace, even though you're watching a near three hour film.

And again, I'm not advocating for shorter films. As someone who is a huge fan of long, deep narratives, I'm all for sitting down for an epic. My issue is more that: 1) not all films need that runtime 2) instead of using that extra run time to develop or deepen a narrative, Hollywood seems to use it like space to be filled. The A and B plots are just as short if not even shorter than they were in 90 minute films.

I think this is makes an 'overall' dip in quality in film, but it's mostly from having a new 'toy' in the toolbox that hasn't yet been refined in its use. Kinda like how CGI came along and there was a good chunk of time in the early aughts where films overused it because it was new and shiny and we didn't yet have a good grasp on how to use it tastefully.

If you want to see what I mean, just compare a bad or meh action film from 2018 to a bad or meh action film from 1995. The latter will almost assuredly have a tighter script, even if it's silly or ridiculous in other ways.