Several of modern entertainment’s lower-stakes debates revolve around the use of subtitles. In this particular case, we’re not aiming at the “subtitles vs. dubbed dialogue” debate that comes with watching international cinema and anime — we chose subtitles — or whether or not non-English-speaking movie characters need on-screen translations for their dialogue. No, this is more about the arguable necessity of subtitles to combat sound issues that crop up in modern-day TV shows and movies.
For instance, sitting back to watch an action movie at night, but being unable to let go of the remote because the dialogue seems to be at a 4 while car engines and explosions are in the 9-10 range, causing a see-saw yo-yo effect that has seemingly became more of a problematic issue in the streaming era. (Though streaming programming isn’t alone in such culpability.) Movie and TV fans got just as figuratively loud as on-screen explosions when sharing their biggest audio-related gripes within a particularly engaging Reddit thread, and I found myself agreeing with the vast majority of complaints.
One of the biggest blame-worthy elements is shoddy sound mixing where there’s a lack of general balance between extremes. Take these comments as examples:
- The sound mixing on alot of stuff is just so out of whack that you need it to hear characters without blasting sound effects and music in your living room – @cantstoptheCOLEtrain
- Me and my partner do it as well. The audio in films and TV can be so varying it gets annoying, the voices are really quiet, and then you get loud explosions and gunfire, at least with subtitles you can pick up whatever you might have missed without wondering what the fuck was just said. – @Jirachi720
- I use them because movies and television have decided that extreme volume changes are good – so this way I can keep volume settings lower, not get my ears blasted out by ignorant Hollywood producers and still follow the show. – @zgrizz
- I feel like the background noise is so loud on films and programmes these days that I can’t hear what they’re saying. Also, I’m usually eating crisps and can’t hear anything over that – @legomonsteruk
It’d be one thing if the vast majority of commenters were saying “I use subtitles because I adore language,” but that has very little to do with it where most people are concerned. To be sure, quite a few who chimed in shared that English is their second language, and that using subtitles for American movies can be helpful in picking up slang and casual speech. But no, “loud stuff being too loud, and quiet stuff being too quiet” is the gist.
Heaven forbid a piece of need-to-know exposition is uttered by a character doing anything but standing still in the vacuum of space, because anything that can make a sound effect will make a sound effect, and so often a movie or TV episode’s score will be blisteringly loud despite not competing with any other soundscapes. The Christopher Nolan movie Interstellar’s uneven audio is a particularly noteworthy example that bothered droves of viewers and not just audiophiles, with Tenet garnering some of the same complaints.
But it’s not just action and adventure movies where subtitles make things better. Comedies have also hit the point where audio mixes and ADR dialogue (recorded after filming) can completely step on jokes and timing. As addressed by a couple of comments below:
- Subtitles don’t just help with horrible sound mixing, they help me remember all the character’s names better and catch jokes or details you can barely hear or understand. – @macdennism
- Subtitles actually give more direct clues as to who is speaking let alone understanding what the heck they actually blurted out – @bluebirdisreal
Some commenters refered to times in shows and movies where an unseen character says or does something without making it clear who was involved, and how subtitles can often help in those cases, even if that help may actually be spoiling certain moments. (Or it might just be wrong altogether, as it went when Netflix subtitles semi-erroneously called Jerome Valeska “Joker” multiple times in a Season 4 episode of Gotham.
But then sometimes character-specific subtitles can help correct an error that someone has held onto for too long, with the below exchange as an amusing example.
- I remember the first time I watched Land Before Time with subtitles and realized the triceratops was named CERA not Sarah. – @KittenVicious
- Ok you just blew my mind! I always thought it was Sarah!🤯🤯 – @mimi082388
While not the same, it’s a similar kind of newer-media complaint to viewers miffed by the dark lighting in Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon (among other shows), where TV brightness adjustments are sometimes required so viewers can be sure of what they’re even looking at. Combine that with audio complaints, and it’s a wonder that such eps even make it to airing without anyone being wary of viewer blowback.
In closing: it’s not just you and your ears that are having problems. We’re all dealing with it, and we all think it sucks. The ball is bouncing extremely loudly in your court, Hollywood.