Kym:
We're taking a break from our normal setup this week, partially because the last couple movie's we've seen were....
Rob:
Not very memorable.
Kym:
That isn't to say they were bad. For example...
Kym:
Captain America was a lot of fun! There was plenty of action, great special effects, and setting the whole thing during WW2 made it far more unique than the average superhero movie.
Rob:
For you ladies out there, I bet the hunky Captain didn't hurt either. The main problem with the movie was that it really didn't take any risks. The whole thing plays out exactly as you'd expect it to, without any real groundbreaking or shocking moments. You can pretty much guess how everything goes from the trailer alone.
Kym:
You can't really blame Marvel for being careful with this entry. The last thing they need is one of their super hero movies to bomb before the Avengers movie comes out. All in all, I have no complaints, but it just doesn't 'wow' me in the same way most of the other Marvel movies do.
Rob:
How could they screw up a movie about Cowboys and Aliens, starring two huge Hollywood actors? Well...they didn't, actually. It's a very good movie, but all things considered, it's just a fairly typical Western, only with a really huge budget. It makes you wonder if they would have been better off having the whole thing take place in modern day, instead of a 150ish years ago.
Kym:
Harrison Ford did a great job in a very tough role to pull off, but Daniel Craig on the other hand just seemed sort of out of place. Making a British actor a western cowboy was a very questionable choice for the movie.
Rob:
What the average movie viewer wanted was a campy science fiction story set in the old west. What they got was a dead serious western that included sci-fi elements. The creators missed the mark, lost out on a lot of audiences, and wound up with a movie that was good, but at the same time, not particularly noteworthy. Aside from some impressive looking aliens.
Kym:
Anyway, with that out of the way, this week we're going to go over some of our all time favorite Summer Blockbusters, which we consider to be a genre in itself. Sure, these movies may at their heart be sci-fi, fantasy, horror, or an action flick, but what really defines these movies are all the things we associate with 'Blockbuster Movies'.
Rob:
Big budgets, big name stars, ear shattering explosions, rocking sound tracks, simple themes, no more than a PG-13 rating, mid-summer release date, and a complete and utter lack of strong female characters.
Kym:
That's ri...wait, what? What do actresses have to do with it?
Rob:
A trademark of huge summer blockbusters has become, over time, the complete and utter absence of any strong female characters. They may have a positive attitude, and be good characters in their own right, but mark my words, by the last act they'll be trapped and powerless, praying for their 'man' to come save them.
Kym:
I'm going to stop you right there, love. Last thing we need is another rant like last time's.
Rob:
Transformers is a perfect example though! The female characters act strong and tough, but by the end they're face down on the ground, desperately needing to be rescued.
Kym:
Sigh...shouldn't I be the one making this sort of argument? Oh well, let's move on to what does and does not count as a Blockbuster. Some examples of movies that do count as Summer Blockbusters are Jaws (the original Summer Blockbuster), Aliens, Transformers, the Terminator movies, Star Trek...
Rob:
The 2009 one. Despite most Star Trek movies being 'geeky' niche movies, they really designed the recent Star Trek to be a crowd pleasing, big budget blockbuster...which is ultimately the best definition of a Summer Blockbuster. It's a movie that's specifically 'designed' to be a Summer Blockbuster. From start to finish, it had to be designed with profits and mass appeal in mind, more so than anything else.
Kym:
Again, this doesn't mean they're inferior to other types of movies. It just means that ultimately, the creators have different goals when creating these movies than they do with normal films. Moving on to examples of movies that may have been 'big' and 'came out in the summer', but aren't really Summer Blockbusters: Unforgiven...
Rob:
It was a great movie that was commercially successful, and came out during the summer, but it's obvious that they didn't intend it to be a movie for everyone.
Kym:
Most superhero movies and movies based on book series don't count either, as they're usually meant to appeal mainly to the fans of the heroes and/or books. Again, they often come out during the summer, with big budgets, but they're not first and foremost a Blockbuster movie. They're first and foremost an adaptation.
Rob:
Finally, most kids movies don't count, because they follow the same pattern of release and presentation regardless of what time of the year they're released.
Kym:
And so, without further ado, here are our top 3 Summer Blockbuster movies of all time!
Kym:
Will Smith really made the movie. Although it still would have had the great special effects and action, it just wouldn't have been the same without him trash talking with aliens.
Rob:
You know what it would have been? '2012'. That's right, this movie was one John Cusack away from disaster.
Kym:
*Shudder* It's scary to think about. Another thing that really made the movie great were the weird and scary aliens, which were a far cry from the little gray men we were all used to before that, or the pure CGI monsters that are popular now (and are far less convincing, all things considered).
Rob:
Sure, the movie was far from flawless. Some of the plot holes were fairly large (some, like how they hacked an alien computer, were answered in deleted scenes), it dragged at some points, and the plane to plane combat at the end wasn't nearly as impressive as most of the other special effects, but it was still a lot of fun, and you have to give props for Pullman, with his ridiculously patriotic speech at the end.
Kym: That's our #3 favorite. #2 is...
Kym:
Sure, most or all the movie is ridiculously over the top, complete with machine guns mounted on lunar rovers, but it was still a LOT of fun, with great special effects, many hilarious characters, numerous amazing scenes in real life NASA locations, and great performances from all the actors involved. That's not even mentioning the legendary soundtrack! I bet you can hear it now, can't you?
Rob:
I don't wanna close my eyeeeeeeeeeeees...I don't wanna fall asleep...
Kym:
They also added a few tragic moments to add to the suspense. All in all, all the elements combined together really well, and we're left with one of the most enjoyable Summer Blockbusters of all time!
Rob:
I go craaaaaaaaaaazy...craaaaaaaaazy...
Kym:
Wait, I don't remember that Aerosmith song being in the movie.
Rob:
Sorry, I got thinking about Liv Tyler, and my mind sort of wandered.
Kym:
Sigh...
Rob:
On that note, her performance in this movie reinforces my 'weak women in Summer Blockbusters' hypothesis. At the start she's a strong, independent woman, but by the end she's spending all her time praying that the all male crew (aside from the female pilot who doesn't actually do anything) will save her, while she's not simultaneously pining for her fiance, or crying over daddy.
Kym:
A lot of your 'prime examples' are Michael Bay movies, dear. I'm not quite sure if this is a symptom of Summer Blockbusters, or just a bad habit of Michael Bay. Anyway, let's move on to our #1 Summer Blockbuster of all time:
Rob:
It may not have been the first true Summer Blockbuster, but it was the first 'modern mega blockbuster' that really guaranteed we'd have one Blockbuster to watch every summer until the end of time, followed by their numerous inferior sequels. Since it came out, movies and home defense have never been the same.
Kym:
Home defense?
Rob:
For anyone who grew up in the 90's, making sure your home is 'Velociraptor-proof' is a necessity.
Kym:
Anyway, Jurassic Park really set the bar for all other Blockbusters that came after it. With a high budget, great special effects, a hot cast (for the time), a bombastic soundtrack, ear-rending THX sound...
Rob:
and an all but useless female lead, this is ultra-violent PG-13 action at its best! The formula has been often imitated, but no other Summer Blockbuster has truly been the 'complete package' that Jurassic Park was.
Kym:
I just realized, Jeff Goldblum was in both our #3 and #1 pick. For an actor that's made fun of more than he's praised, he sure shows up a lot in some of our favorite movies.
Rob:
I think it just goes to show how bad of a reputation that most Summer Blockbusters have with critics and 'serious' movie lovers. Personally, I say that if you're watching a movie, and you enjoy it, then it's a good movie. Alright, maybe in ways it's less like fine cinema and more like porn, but at least it's GOOD porn.
Kym:
'Wonderful' analogy you have there, dear. So anyway, I guess what we're trying to say is that it's worth giving a lot of these old Summer Blockbusters a second look. You'd be surprised how well many of them hold up, even by today's standards. Don't forget the popcorn!
Rob:
And don't forget the Goldblum.
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