Do You Remember Blockbuster Video?

After a quick search, I discovered that there’s only one Blockbuster Video left, and it’s in Portland, Oregon. Blockbuster Video reached its peak back in 2004, which is roughly 18 years ago — which means, that there’s a whole new generation out there: Generation Alpha (no doubt living in their parent's basement), that, probably hasn’t even heard of Blockbuster Video. That being said, a fair amount of readers on Vocal might thus be pursuing this article and wondering: just what IS Blockbuster Video?

So, I’ll gladly tell you exactly what it is. But firstly, I shall lay the foundation for how profoundly Blockbuster Video impacted one particular generation — the Millennials (not to the exclusion of other generations, of course, such as early Generation Z who could also relate to this saga). But, if you can just imagine — just for a moment — that you’re still living at home with mom & pop (an awfully dreadful thing to ask of one, I know; but, please bear it), and there’s a bookshelf full of dusty books in the drawing-room. And, having waltzed on over to the shelf, you pick up a book — a book which was written, in like, the year 1787 (a random year, bearing no significance) — in fact, it’s so dang old, that as you crack open the front cover, you have to carefully support the spine (in order to read a line, or two, from the first chapter) — otherwise you fear the book will fall apart, right there, in your hands; only then, perhaps, after having survived all that time on the shelf, and only after you’ve read some of the contents of that book — only then, might you grasp the depth of the punch delivered in one epic blow by a single franchise: Blockbuster.

Blockbuster Video was a knockout. It smashed records.

But, for all intents and purposes, what you happen to perceive to be the great and long expanse of your life (at the mere age of 20 years for Gen. Z, or even less), well, it’s rather (truthfully), short and insignificant; for when one considers the entire spectrum of time from the beginning — a time when a single hominid roamed the Rift Valley, and then onwards to the Cradle of Civilization, the Great Pyramids, and beyond... well... it's the truth.

You see, the language of this book in your hand is archaic, but upon some reading, you find it’s also novel and correct writing, and you’re simply blown away — from the particular jokes and lingo of the era to the style and prose. After all, this generation of ours is currently debating the relevance of the 'full stop' following the end of a sentence; for reasons such as the profound emotional undertones that it can carry (such is the fragility of the mental health of our current society). And, in such a way, Blockbuster Video is now a relic; it’s a portal — to another era. Blockbuster will go down in history — as a keepsake; and as a defining hallmark of our time...

It will — just the same — fade away from existence. But nonetheless, it will leave a mark and go down in history as a sanctuary and a refuge... for the likes of both the VHS and DVD. These two devices (just like that extremely old book you picked off that dusty shelf) — are a means to view films and television shows, and they’re nearly extinct too. Today we browse the internet with a remote-control, and push buttons for mediums like Netflix. But, yesterday… well, yesterday, we drove to the good ol' Blockbuster — to walk the aisles; to pick up a V. H. S, or a DVD, from the shelf — yes we did! — Along with a bag of microwaveable popcorn, and, perhaps some licorice too.

And though the process of deciding on what movie to watch was much the same as it is today, the drive out to that local Blockbuster, however, may have burned just a few more fossil fuels than Justin Trudeau would've liked. The humanity! So let us toast, to Blockbuster! God Bless it! — A toast to an era of video stores in general, which were gathering places (just like that drawing-room, with the dusty old bookshelf), for the growing nuclear family.