The Weird Self-Awareness of Branded Content

Lately there have been an influx of self-aware movies that are filled with product placement. The Jurassic World movie makes a statement about naming a dinosaur Pepsisaourus at the same time, there is a quaint and frequently out of place promotion of Coca-Cola, Starbucks, Mercedes, Samsung, and even Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville. Tomorrowland is a movie that is a statement about corporate greed and the ability of people to guide their destiny in spite of it and spark a change in the world. However, the movie is a giant Disney ad which builds up hype for the park and for the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens movie. Are the self-awareness of these movies compromised by the incessant product placements? Not necessarily. The fact that there are product placement doesn't disturb the narrative and the enjoyment of the movie in any manner. Tomorrowland is still a meh, okay-isn movie with or without the placements. Jurassic World is still a greatly enjoyable nostalgic piece. The first Jurassic Park movie was also filled with branded content, even from Jolt Cola if any still remembers it existed, but it is a timeless classic. The Twilight Zone and Flintstone series tried to sell all brands of cigarettes, yet they are undeniable part of American culture. Product placement has always been the backbone of Hollywood, it is the role of the filmmakers to learn to cope with it without compromising a bit of the story and audience enjoyment.