A shorter version of the following article appeared in the May issue of the Martlet.
Summer Blockbusters 101
by Matt Grady
It's May and the summer blockbuster season has begun with the release of Mission: Impossible III. Looking for relief from the heat, crowds will flock to air-conditioned theatres, two-fist a bladder-burster-sized drink and butter-drenched popcorn, and bask in the on-screen explosions instead. Check your brain at the door and prepare to be immersed in a visual/aural feast of all-star casts, car chases, choreographed fights, jaw-dropping visual effects, surround sound and general mayhem.
On the menu for summer 2006 are The Da Vinci Code, Poseidon, X3, Superman Returns, Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and Miami Vice. Will they make their mark on US box-office history? Let's take a look at competition from years passed. To level the playing field, grosses have been adjusted for inflation (i.e. the average movie ticket in the US cost $2.05 in 1975 and $6.40 today). No dramas, straight comedies or animated films were considered, despite their summertime diversion appeal.
The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
Shot back-to-back with The Matrix Revolutions, Reloaded features elaborate fight scenes interspersed with wry pop-philosophy ramblings. DVD scene selection suits the film well - skip ahead to the freeway chase.
Credits: Written and directed by The Wachowski Brothers. Starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss and Hugo Weaving.
Academy Awards: none
Adjusted Gross: $298 million
Trivia: The role of The Architect was written for Sean Connery, who turned it down because he couldn't understand the concept of the movie.
Top Gun (1986)
Hotshot fighter pilot learns discipline from his superiors and how to open his heart by his female instructor. Cue jump cuts of F-14 flybys and dogfights with a theatre-shaking rock score, and you've got yourself a Jerry Bruckheimer production. The big winner: your local Air Force recruiter.
Credits: Directed by Tony Scott. Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. Starring Tom Cruise, Anthony Edwards, Val Kilmer and Meg Ryan.
Academy Awards: original song ("Take My Breath Away")
Adjusted Gross: $304 million
Trivia: Bryan Adams declined an offer for his song "Only the Strong Survive" to appear on the soundtrack because he felt the film glorified war.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
A cyborg is sent back in time to protect the future leader of humanity against a shape-shifting robot with an affinity for stabbing weapons. The volatile action and story pace are as unrelenting as the Terminators themselves. Arnie's shining moment.
Credits: Directed, produced and co-written by James Cameron. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong and Robert Patrick.
Academy Awards: visual effects, sound effects, make-up and sound
Adjusted Gross: $311 million
Trivia: Held the world record for highest opening-weekend gross of an R-rated film until The Matrix Reloaded.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Johnny Depp hams it up amongst swashbucklers, lavish sailing ship sets and CGI ghost pirates. Great fun. The jury's out on who's prettier – Keira Knightley
or Orlando Bloom.
Credits: Directed by Gore Verbinski. Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. Starring Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley and Geoffrey Rush.
Academy Awards: none
Adjusted Gross: $324 million
Trivia: Michael Keaton, Jim Carrey and Christopher Walken were considered for the role of Jack Sparrow.
Men in Black (1997)
Will Smith keeps Earth's galactic immigrant population in check with one-liners and shiny weapons. Seasoned MIB agent and straight man Tommy Lee Jones shows Smith the ropes. Sci-fi comedy with production design and special effects to spare.
Credits: Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld. Executive produced by Steven Spielberg. Starring Will Simth and Tommy Lee Jones.
Academy Awards: make-up
Adjusted Gross: $349 million
Trivia: David Schwimmer and Clint Eastwood were offered the roles of Agents J and K respectively.
Twister (1996)
It's a thrill-seekers' paradise as tornado chasers speed through the Midwest in their pursuit to understand the nature of the beast. Along with Dante's Peak and Volcano, 1996-97 saw a rebirth of the '70s disaster movie, updated with CGI.
Credits: Directed Jan de Bont. Produced and co-written by Michael Crichton. Executive produced by Steven Spielberg. Starring Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Academy Awards: visual effects and sound
Adjusted Gross: $350 million
Trivia: Lois Smith's character is shown reading Dante's Inferno. In the book, a tornado in the second circle of Hell punishes people ruled by Lust.
Back to the Future (1985)
Fleeing terrorists, Michael J. Fox travels back to 1955 in a DeLorean. When his teenage mother develops a crush on him, his entire existence is threatened. That is, unless he can set her up with his dorky teenage father before returning somehow to 1985. But the local bully and time paradoxes aplenty stand in his way. A fun ride for all.
Credits: Directed and co-written by Robert Zemeckis. Executive produced by Steven Spielberg. Starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson and Crispin Glover.
Academy Awards: sound effects editing
Adjusted Gross: $377 million
Trivia: Corey "I Wear My Sunglasses At Night" Hart was asked to screen test for the role of Marty.
Batman (1989)
Memories of Adam West in tights duking it out with colourful, campy villains are laid to rest in Tim Burton's dark, gothic vision of Gotham City and the Caped Crusader. Jack Nicholson steals the show as the sinister, maniacal Joker. Excellent companion piece to Batman Begins.
Credits: Directed by Tim Burton. Starring Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson and Kim Basinger.
Academy Awards: art direction-set decoration
Adjusted Gross: $402 million
Trivia: In an earlier version of the script, the Flying Graysons, a family of trapeze artists, perform in the Joker's parade. Dick Grayson later becomes Robin.
Ghostbusters (1984)
A team of Saturday Night Live and SCTV alumni posing as bumbling ghost hunters must save New York City from the undead and a Godzilla-sized Marshmallow Man. Who ya gonna call? Sci-fi comedy goodness from the director of Meatballs and Stripes.
Credits: Directed and produced by Ivan Reitman. Starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis.
Academy Awards: visual effects and original song (Ray Parker Jr.)
Adjusted Gross: $436 million (original release)
Trivia: Huey Lewis and the News turned down an offer to write and record the theme song.
Independence Day (1996)
A laughable B-movie infused with a $75-million budget, in which the world's major cities are obliterated by invading aliens and it's up to America to save humanity. Only in Hollywood can you teach a biplane pilot to fly an F-18 fighter jet in a matter of hours. Fun to contrast/compare with Spielberg's War of the Worlds.
Credits: Directed and co-written by Roland Emmerich. Starring Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman and Randy Quaid.
Academy Awards: visual effects.
Adjusted Gross: $443 million
Trivia: In the original ending, Randy Quaid's character flies his crop duster, fitted with a missile, into the alien ship.
Jaws (1975)
Thar be rubber sharks in these here waters! Spielberg's second feature film became Hollywood's first summer blockbuster. Jaws does for ocean swimming what Psycho did for motel showering. John William's tense, crescendoing score coupled with the Shark Cam as it closes in on hapless victims makes for a terrifying experience. Close-ups of the problematic, animatronic shark are fortunately avoided till the climax.
Credits: Directed by Steven Spielberg. Starring Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw.
Academy Awards: film editing, original score (John Williams) and sound
Adjusted Gross: $819 million
Trivia: The plausibility of Jaws's explosive end was debunked on a recent episode of MythBusters.
Star Wars (1977)
The ultimate blockbuster film, with nary a Jar Jar in sight. A space-fantasy with roots in mythology, westerns and Saturday matinee serials, set in a lived-in universe populated with rogue aliens, lively droids, noble warriors and sinister villains. Add to that explosive space battles and a rousing John Williams score, and you have a movie experience that ran in theatres for over a year! That's simply unheard of today, where the transition from theatre to DVD is often less than six months.
Credits: Written and directed by George Lucas. Starring Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness and Peter Cushing.
Academy Awards: costume design, visual effects, film editing, original score (John Williams) and sound
Adjusted Gross: $865 million (original release)
Trivia: Christopher Walkin and Al Pacino were considered for the role of Han Solo. Say hello to my little friend, Jabba!
