Summer blockbusters lacking in originality
Sara Carr
Issue date: 9/5/07 Section: Arts & Society
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In a summer movie line up bloated with sequels, large-scale blockbusters, threequels, and action heroes; one truth does remain, and that is the fact that these films felt recycled and tired. It seems that Hollywood was so desperate to make up for lost earnings after the disappointing sales from 2005 and 2006 that they decided to take no true risks with new characters or ideas. They may have succeeded in the financial front, but the actual quality of most of the major studio offerings were severely lacking.
If you start with the film offerings from May, one would find that the two major hits were "Spiderman 3" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," (which also happened to be the third film in the series.) Both films were too plot heavy with too many characters, too many action sequences, and not enough of a solid story to keep the audience interested. I will admit that I expected "At World's End" to be a bomb after the garbage that was "Pirates of the Caribbean 2." But I was genuinely shocked by the mess that was "Spiderman 3."
The first film developed likeable characters and a well-developed villain. Thus the audience cared about the fates of the people on the screen and the story was an easy one to follow. Then the second film only built upon the strong foundations of the first with a perfectly cast Alfred Molina as Doc Ock. The film had emotion and some of the best action sequences on film. So, I expected the same if not better storytelling for the third film and I was left with bad acting, an emo-kid as the "bad" Spiderman and Kirsten Dunst singing not one but two songs badly. This is not to mention the overload poorly developed villains; yes, there were three villains this time. After watching a film with this much to keep up with, you felt exhausted and bored at the same time. It's quite strange really.
Then the month of June brought us "Evan Almighty," "Ocean's Thirteen," and "Ratatouille". When you consider the three movies you only add one point for a good movie with Ratatouille; a sweet film about the joys of cooking and following your dreams. Yes it is a Disney film, but it was original by all definitions and it earned your attention with characters like Remy, a mouse with a dream of becoming a master chef in the food capital of Paris. It doesn't sound promising but the film delivers both laughs and heart.
If you start with the film offerings from May, one would find that the two major hits were "Spiderman 3" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," (which also happened to be the third film in the series.) Both films were too plot heavy with too many characters, too many action sequences, and not enough of a solid story to keep the audience interested. I will admit that I expected "At World's End" to be a bomb after the garbage that was "Pirates of the Caribbean 2." But I was genuinely shocked by the mess that was "Spiderman 3."
The first film developed likeable characters and a well-developed villain. Thus the audience cared about the fates of the people on the screen and the story was an easy one to follow. Then the second film only built upon the strong foundations of the first with a perfectly cast Alfred Molina as Doc Ock. The film had emotion and some of the best action sequences on film. So, I expected the same if not better storytelling for the third film and I was left with bad acting, an emo-kid as the "bad" Spiderman and Kirsten Dunst singing not one but two songs badly. This is not to mention the overload poorly developed villains; yes, there were three villains this time. After watching a film with this much to keep up with, you felt exhausted and bored at the same time. It's quite strange really.
Then the month of June brought us "Evan Almighty," "Ocean's Thirteen," and "Ratatouille". When you consider the three movies you only add one point for a good movie with Ratatouille; a sweet film about the joys of cooking and following your dreams. Yes it is a Disney film, but it was original by all definitions and it earned your attention with characters like Remy, a mouse with a dream of becoming a master chef in the food capital of Paris. It doesn't sound promising but the film delivers both laughs and heart.
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