Technology and Evolution of Cinema

In Corrigan's article, he seems to be in a state of despair at the current films being created. He states that the creation of special effects have primarily enacted a change in the way that films are shown, yet the narratives of these films are ultimately the same (or inferior) to films created prior to the crutch of technology. The "fetishizing" of the film styles puts people into a comfortable state where they can go to the movie theater, and expect to see something that will be generally pleasing to them.
While I think that this viewpoint is certainly interesting, and perhaps correct in some ways I am not convinced that it completely represents the current state of mainstream filmmaking. Certainly many films do fit into similar basic narratives, but this seems bound to happen as similarites are impossible to avoid. And I will admit that many films do rely on a set audience, appealing to them with explosions and movie stars. But even with these films being created, what about the mainstream movies that do represent innovation? It seems to me that Corrigan didn't mention the benifits that technology has on constructing new experiences and ways of seeing things. New stylistic devices and effects do create a new way of seeing things, and there are innovative plot lines even in the blockbuster class. Cookie cutter movies may be the norm, but I dont think cinema has been negativly affected by heightened technology.