Why is it not a shame to love blockbusters

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

It is foolish to consider mass cinema as the lot of narrow-minded people. This is an excellent and very promising art direction.

Until the mid-70s of the XX century, the term "blockbuster" did not denote any particular type of cinema. Initially, this was the name of the paintings that collected a large sum at the box office.

It was only with the release of Steven Spielberg's Jaws that blockbusters were singled out as a separate genre. Now this is the name for expensive large-scale films with famous actors, designed for the widest possible audience.

Now there are a lot of such films in cinemas, and they collect a huge box office. However, among movie lovers in recent years, the stereotype has grown more and more that it is a shame to love blockbusters. They say that these are stupid superficial films that only hinder the development of art and even dull.

The life hacker explains why this is not so and why it is possible and necessary to watch blockbusters.

This is a way to see other worlds

Most people dream of being in space or on other planets, being in the world of superheroes or pirates. And if earlier such fantasies could unfold only on the pages of books and in the imagination, now it is easy to see them on large screens.

Unlike many copyright projects, where the creators proceed from a limited budget, and therefore save on visual effects, filming locations and large-scale scenes, budgets and technologies when creating blockbusters allow you to very vividly show at least aliens, at least the underwater world.

They wanted to transfer the famous book "The Lord of the Rings" for a long time. But until the beginning of the XXI century, everything was limited only to animated versions, because it costs a lot of money to show many fantastic races and animals. But the Peter Jackson trilogy allowed all fans to see living elves and orcs.

Perhaps Avatar was retelling a story familiar from the days of Pocahontas. But James Cameron developed 3D technology, showing viewers the flora and fauna of a distant unfamiliar planet.

"Pirates of the Caribbean" may be naive, but the way they filmed sea battles will delight everyone who loved "Treasure Island" and other books about adventures at sea as a child.

Ready Player One seems to embody childhood dreams. Many favorite characters from films and games can be seen on the screen at once: King-Kong is trying to crush the car from the movie "Back to the Future", and Gundam is fighting next to the Steel Giant.

The same applies to real historical events. After all, documentary footage of past years is most often of very poor quality. And no one filmed many moments at all. But the Titanic showed the entourage of the famous liner. "Dunkirk" introduced a little better to the feelings of the soldiers during the famous rescue operation. And "Man on the Moon" made it possible to feel in the place of Neil Armstrong, who stepped onto the surface of the Earth's satellite.

And even the films from Marvel that have filled the screens are just a reflection of the massive popularity of comics, where everyone wants to feel in the place of a superhero who saves the world from evil.

Sometimes it's a tricky movie to think about

For some reason, it is generally accepted that blockbusters are a kind of gum, extremely stupid films that you don't need to think about. However, this is not at all the case. Excellent authors have been working on large-scale mass cinema for a long time, filming difficult and interesting subjects.

Wachowski's "Matrix" continues the ideas of classic cyberpunk and even makes one think about the illusory nature of the surrounding world, recalling the works of many philosophers.

Christopher Nolan, even filming comics about Batman, added modern realism to them, and references to the classics. For example, in The Dark Knight Rises, the characters quote whole paragraphs from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.

All the same Nolan in "Inception" tells a complex story built on the "logic of sleep", where the viewer himself has to guess what is real in the frame.

Zach Snyder brought Alan Moore's famous graphic novel The Keepers to the big screens. And this, too, is not at all a typical superhero story, where good always wins. The director understands the relativity of morality, and by the end it is completely unclear who should be considered the villain: the most principled hero puts the world on the brink of destruction, and the antagonist saves humanity.

Do not forget about the works of James Cameron and Luc Besson, who regularly raise the issue of the relationship between man and nature. If you watch the films "Avatar" and "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets" carefully, the ecological theme in them is obvious.

And in recent years, the line between blockbusters and auteur cinema has been completely erased. A striking example is James Gray's To the Stars. At first glance, this is just another picture about the search for aliens and space travel. But in reality - a complex drama about the relationship between father and son and loneliness.

And even among Fox's X-Men comic films, there is a touching Logan, a story of old age and tiredness.

And sometimes it's just great fun

But, of course, many blockbusters are really naive and even stupid. These are some movie comics, and various science fiction with comedy elements.

No one denies that there is no complexity and subtexts in Aquaman, and the slogan of the Fast and the Furious franchise in recent years should have been made the phrase “dementia and courage”. But this is precisely the essence of such tapes. They are needed so that viewers enjoy a beautiful picture and relax.

Of course, a complex auteur cinema is very good: it is watched carefully, and then the hidden meaning is discussed for hours. But if a fun company is gathered that wants to have fun, it is still better to go not to a new picture by Lars von Trier, but to Pirates of the Caribbean.

The difference between a sophisticated art house and funny attraction movies is about the same as between gourmet cuisine and a large serving of fries. The first, of course, is more sophisticated and aesthetic pleasure. But sometimes after work you just want to have a hearty and tasty meal.

And it is not even surprising that it is these films that give most of the rental. Many people prefer to watch author's projects at home, in silence, without distraction. And Ready Player One and Marvel tapes are filmed specifically for large screens, where you can feel the full scale and not hold back emotions in the company of the same fans.

After all, if you look closely, in the film "The Avengers: Endgame" the scene of the appearance of Spider-Man is filmed almost theatrically, with the expectation of the audience's reaction: there is a pause in it, probably for shouts and applause.

It's a way to experience other cinema and culture

It's no secret that we live in the postmodern era in art, when authors constantly quote the classics. Blockbusters don't exist in a cultural vacuum either. And viewers who are interested in a major premiere can get acquainted with other interesting films before or after watching.

A very recent example is Todd Phillips' Joker. Even before the release of the picture in wide distribution, the director repeatedly mentioned that his version rather refers not to comics or previous film adaptations, but to the early works of Martin Scorsese. And undoubtedly, the sensational "Joker" will surely make many watch "Taxi Driver" or "King of Comedy".

Or viewers may find out the name of some interesting director precisely because of his participation in major projects. So, after the film "Thor: Ragnarok" everyone started talking about Taika Waititi, who had shot several excellent comedies before.

If you look at the filmography of Robert Rodriguez, it is easy to see that he uses blockbusters for the whole family like "Spy Kids", then to film and promote his low-budget projects in the style of "Machete". Both he does well.

In addition, sequels of famous films of past years are now being released for mass distribution. Mad Max: Fury Road and Blade Runner 2049 have surely made young viewers familiar with the previous installments of these franchises, which were once very unusual experiments.

This is the development of cinema

Although many people say that blockbusters are killing real cinema, in fact, things are a little different.

To begin with, large-scale projects are developing the technologies of filming and special effects themselves. In 2001, specially for The Lord of the Rings, they came up with new software to simulate large-scale battles with hundreds of participants on a computer, and also created an incredibly lively Gollum.

In 2009, thanks to the grandiose idea of James Cameron, on the set of Avatar, facial expressions were captured in real time: the director immediately saw what the final image looked like. It is now easier for actors to play any fantasy creature, while maintaining the original features and movements.

Thanks to rejuvenation technologies, Captain Marvel saw young Robert Downey Jr. in Captain Marvel, and young Samuel L. Jackson in Captain Marvel.

That is, now one and the same actor can play his character in completely different periods of life, and this does not require a complex make-up that constrains facial expressions.

In addition, the cameras themselves are being improved. For example, "The Dark Knight" pushed the development and popularity of the IMAX format, which allows you to create a sharper image and increase the size of the picture for a more immersive viewing experience.

In addition, such large projects popularize various topics. The Lord of the Rings raised interest in fantasy, becoming the predecessor to Game of Thrones and many other films and TV series. And "Interstellar" recalled that it is difficult and serious to shoot about space.

There are also purely financial reasons. Blockbuster box office revenue provides high profits for studios and directors. And with this money, they then shoot more daring projects, without fear of failure.

Of course, not all blockbusters are good. There are also a lot of frankly slapdash projects. But this happens in any branch of art. However, there are also enough really interesting and high-quality films.

Therefore, blockbusters and mass cinema in general should not be considered the lot of narrow-minded people. This is a great and interesting direction that can and should be watched with pleasure.