Admiral and the New Historical Epics

I recently enjoyed watching the Dutch movie Admiral on Netflix. In its home country, it was originally titled Michiel de Ruyter, a name likely unknown outside of the Netherlands and military history circles. Given my interest in the subject, I had some familiarity with de Ruyter's story, so I was excited that a dramatization was so readily accessible to me. Being able to watch it was the result of an intersection between two technologically driven trends.

The Search for Distraction Options

This may put be in the minority of adults, but I like Cars.  The movie.  Yes that one.  I admit I liked the story even when it's world building and internal logic seemed incomprehensible.  I only liked it more when I realized it was really about driverless cars who take on human characteristics and adopt human culture as a way to assuage their guilt and emotionally hollow cores for wiping out their creators in an apocalyptic war.

But mostly these days, I like Cars because it is the one non-terrible, non-grating entertainment I can put on the screen that will keep the kids from destroying the house in their boredom.  Still waiting for dinner to get made?  Put on Cars.  Left bunny behind at school?  Put on Cars.  Kids fighting over toys?  Put on Cars.  Amazingly, they never get sick of it.  As an adult, on the other hand, I was really hoping for another reliable "go to" pick.  Sadly, out of the many, many, many other TV, movie and internet options, none of them could captivate as much as Cars.