VR is using similar techniques to achieve higher framerates with things like Asynchronous Spacewarp.
It's not typically used in non-VR games due to the artifacts that it produces, but I expect that will change as these techniques are improved, and as displays which accept higher refresh rates are more widespread. Most TVs are still limited to 60Hz inputs - though that is hopefully going to change starting next year.
It only looks that way because you're used to going to the theater and having films look a certain way.
Once you spend enough time with it, you will adapt and find 24 FPS movies difficult to watch without interpolation.
24 FPS is very broken on current displays. Motion doesn't look like it was supposed to, and yet cinephiles claim that it's how things were intended to be seen.
Not really. The "soap opera effect" is the smoothness of converting it to a high framerate.
Anything you do to lessen that means it's not going to be as effective.
My Sony TV has "Standard" and "Smooth" Motionflow options along with several other modes.
Standard interpolates to half the framerate of Smooth so there's less "soap opera effect", but also more motion blur and more judder. Panning shots are smoother than 24p but not completely fluid like the Smooth mode.
"Soap Opera Effect" is just a term for smooth motion. I've seen a lot of people on AV sites which complain about the "soap opera effect" from natively high framerate video sources too. They're luddites who like the awful juddering motion of 24p on a flicker-free 120Hz flat panel.
I care a lot about having an accurately calibrated picture, and have been buying calibration hardware since before it started to become affordable. I'll still use the highest amount of motion smoothing possible though.
People aren't going to like it if you go round to their place and complain or start changing picture settings without asking. It's not how things are supposed to look, but some people like having everything be really bright and vibrant, more than they care about being accurate to the source. It's not your TV, and it won't kill you to watch it like that for a couple of hours.
Some displays actually do a good job of making things more vibrant while not ruining skintones and making people look like they're sunburnt. (that display pictured is not one of them)
I posted two video examples earlier. Here they are again:
Assorted clips from 3 films. (Leon, something else, and Gladiator)
Deadpool title sequence
Make sure you're watching them at 60 FPS.
Animation is often done at far lower rates than even 24 FPS, it benefits greatly from motion interpolation/smoothing. Panning shots are particularly bad.
Here's a short comparison: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ku9l0I-lcY
