The Demise of the Blockbuster Film

Contemporary Summer Movies have Forgotten their Origins

Mar 11, 2008

Blockbuster films were once thoughtful, yet hugely entertaining additions to filmmaking, but now are insults to their origins.

When Steven Spielberg released Jaws in 1975 the movie going public were presented with a new phenomenon. Jaws is a highly accomplished piece of cinema that is intelligent in form, innovative cinematographically and brilliant in its approach. Not only is this film an example of why Spielberg is arguably the greatest film maker in history, it is also the first ever blockbuster. Jaws created the market for films that were released in the summer to queues of eager film fans and the general public alike. Cinema was hugely popular beforehand, but suddenly a film loomed over the horizon that captured the interest of the mass market. So much so, that this was the first film to reach the $100 million mark in ticket and rental sales.

What Spielberg's Jaws hit home was that the mass audience could be highly entertained without compromising quality in filmmaking. This film set the benchmark for summer films and also created a whole new approach to marketing and merchandise. This monster movie created a monster marketing machine that has been gaining strength and speed ever since.

Unfortunately, what has ensued in the past 33 years has been a demise in the magic of the blockbuster (genre). Spielberg highlighted his filmmaking skills magnificently in Jaws and after in ET, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Jurassic Park to name but a few. The 'popcorn movie' was a perfect medium for the mass market, but managed to please the critics as well. Contemporary blockbusters though, are moving further and further away from the quality once created.

Summer blockbusters are highly anticipated each year, but the measuring stick used against them appears to be in regards to the size of the budget and quality of the special effects. Innovative direction, script writing and editing are replaced with mediocrity in many recent releases. Transformers, Spiderman 3 and the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels are prime examples of the special effects over quality argument.

None could argue that special effects are at a standard now that amazes the public, but films like the ones mentioned fail to deliver on anything else that can make a film a wonderful piece of art. Most striking is how Jaws was made with very limited special effects (a shark that never worked), but succeeded in impressing critics and the public because of the entire product. Transformers has superb special effects, but fails in its direction, script writing, editing and cinematography. It is a film that refuses to meet the standards that were created thirty years previously.

The disappointment of critics and audiences in some cases shows at the box office, too. Spiderman 3 and The Golden Compass are two examples of big budget films with mediocre reviews and lacklustre box office.

There is hope though, with 2008 promising possible returns to the glorious heights of many years ago. The Dark Knight (dir, Christopher Nolan) and Iron Man (dir, Jon Favreau) anticipate new levels in the super hero genre. Each film takes a vastly different approach, but both promise quality filmmaking.

Not only this, but the master of the blockbuster genre, Steven Spielberg, returns with the fourth instalment of the Indiana Jones series. With such tantalising films in store, surely the tide has been turned.

The copyright of the article The Demise of the Blockbuster Film in Film/TV Industry is owned by Thomas Haward. Permission to republish The Demise of the Blockbuster Film in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.