In 1975, Steven Spielberg released Jaws, a suspenseful tale of a terrifying shark that terrorises Amity Island, which boasted one of the most chillingly recognisable theme tunes ever (from composer John Williams, a Spielberg regular). Star Wars followed in 1977, with Indiana Jones joining the fray in 1981. Spielberg exerted great control over this early period of family-orientated, fun entertainment, which focussed on the good guys triumphing over evil no matter what.
The trend continued during the 90s with films like Jurassic Park (once again Spielberg) in 1993, but this time the villain was man-made, perhaps reflecting concerns that with genetic experimentation, which gathered steam throughout the 80s and 90s, humanity was flawed and could reach too far. Then 1997’s Titanic proved that commercially successful films could also win Oscars, taking home 11 including Best Picture and Director, sparking an engagement with history that would continue with the likes of Gladiator three years later.
“…nowadays, superhero behemoths like Avengers Assemble dominate our screens, making the humble viewer fear that money is what matters to the industry.”
But money reared its head with 1999’s Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, the first in George Lucas’ poorly-received but lucrative prequel trilogy, and nowadays, superhero behemoths like Avengers Assemble dominate our screens, making the humble viewer fear that money is what matters to the industry. Michael Bay is perhaps the world leader in dollar-powered Big Dumb Unoriginal Filmmaking, and over time has given us such crash-bang-wallop fests as Armageddon, Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, describing his approach as “f***ing the frame”. We can only hope that such a style, along with all the monotony, ah, departs the landscape very soon.
However, mercifully, there is still room for genuine inventiveness and intelligence in the blockbuster. This is no more so than in the films of Christopher Nolan, who has been perfecting his signature blend of action and ideas over many years now, with great commercial and critical success, from the reinvigorated Batman of 2005 to the likes of Inception and 2014’s Interstellar.
“However, mercifully, there is still room for genuine inventiveness and intelligence in the blockbuster.”
And ultimately Nolan’s way may have initially led to existing franchises becoming more thoughtful – see the introspective thrills of the Bourne series and the rejuvenation of James Bond with 2006’s Casino Royale, its quasi-sequel Quantum of Solace and 2012’s Skyfall. A more recent addition to the subtle blockbuster school is Neill Blomkamp, who uses stricken backgrounds and sci-fi trappings to comment on the modern world, whilst adding just enough escapism for his films to qualify as blockbusters, as with 2009’s Apartheid-haunted District 9.
Going against type is increasingly important, though. The above Bond film Quantum of Solace was labelled a misfire by some but at least tried to be different with its emotion-driven plot, and may be remembered more favourably with time. Similarly Blomkamp’s Elysium, which he has recently criticised, is an intriguing enough mix of thoughtfulness and action, and by no means a failure. In another surprising move, the often-wayward Wachowskis siblings’ adaptation of ambitious novel Cloud Atlas was a thought-provoking blockbuster. So we should always be prepared to take a chance and expect the unexpected, even with the often predictable, often technology-driven films of today*.
“Going against type is increasingly important, though.”
With certain directors still going strong (good evening, Mr Bay), there will always be big-hitting silly action films that rake in the dough, but with a number of original spirits around, the blockbuster is in safe hands (for now).
*The emergence of technology in blockbusters, however, most notably with Avatar, was perhaps entirely predictable, and proof that CGI doesn’t necessarily equal a good story.
Alex Nicholson
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