A Blockbuster vs. A Great Film

A Blockbuster vs. a Great Film

A Blog by

Mitchell A. Quondam

Blockbuster:
Released during the summer
Is hyped all year
Trailers feature mainly explosions and action scenes
Less emphasis on story & writing
Big this summer, but forgotten about by next summer

Examples of Blockbusters
Transformers 1-3
Independence Day
Godzilla 1998
GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra
The A-Team 2010
Some of the Harry Potter films
The Hurt Locker (won an Oscar, then just vanished)
Terminator Salvation
Phantom Menace
Avengers (beginning to show its holes)
Sam Raimi Spider-Man Trilogy


Great Film
Well written, by someone who can write intense dialogue
Emotionally investing film, with a story people will remember
Uniqueness, not just the typical blockbuster action film
Good actors, not models, “tough guys” or athletes/pro wrestlers pretending to act
Characters with depth
Memorable lines
Will be remembered and re-watched for years

Examples of Great Films
Toy Story 1-3
Dark Knight (Dark Knight Rises is still on the fence for me)
Titanic
Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Empire Strikes Back
Avatar (Although it is on the fence for sure)
Jurassic Park 1
Terminator 2
The Godfather 1&2
Pulp Fiction