2005 Summer Movie Summary ... So Far

 

Are We Becoming Lost in Translation?

Summer is upon us. This is the time for the purely entertaining, low-substance movies that are for the most part, highly aesthetic fluff. This is fine. This is what summer movie-going is all about – watching flicks with great special effects and fantastic manifestations of the imagination. In short, it is a time to just have fun.

 

However, there is a disturbing trend in the film industry that is extremely evident in this summer’s offerings. Not one of the big summer films is original. Settle down, film nerds. I don’t mean that the presentation is unoriginal. After all, every possible movie formula has been done – presentation is all that is left that can be original. What I’m referring to here is that all the summer films are either an adaptation, a sequel/prequel, a remake, or worse yet, some combination of these genres.

 

I do appreciate each of them, at least when they are done well. It is great to see a new interpretation on an old favorite or to see a book’s pages come to life on the screen.

 

I only hope that we aren’t losing something in the process. I hope that we will choose to read the book from which a film is adapted, rather than cease reading. I hope that we will watch the original film from which a new movie has sprung, rather than dismiss it as archaic. I even hope that we choose to read the comics from which a movie has been made, even if only to see if there are any major differences between the comic and the film. And of course, I hope we choose to see all of the films in a series of films to which a sequel has been added.

 

If we don’t do these things, I fear that we lose a bit of culture, even if it’s only pop culture. We may lose some perspective in only knowing part of the history of a film. But above all, I fear we may be losing our own imagination.

 

There is a need to create fantasies to escape from the harshness of reality on occasion and to ultimately see our dreams fulfilled. If we do not create these ourselves, but instead watch what someone else has envisioned, what will happen to our consciousness? I think that we may become increasingly content to use fantasies more as an escape, and less as a vehicle to attain our deepest desires.

 

It could be argued that any movie is just watching someone else’s ideas. It may be that we’ve already lost a lot of our imagination and that is why there are so few original scripts. I think the latter is more attributable to a desire for profit, but that does not reflect a positive trend, either. I find it sad when money is the greater goal over sharing an idea or artistic expression. Whatever the case, my aim here is not to present a definitive answer, but only to ponder the phenomenon and hope you, the reader, will do the same.

 

So please, enjoy the summer fluff. But also, make an effort to expand your horizons. Rent Tim Burton’s Batman and compare its darkness to the prequel’s. Watch all of Romero’s Dead series, paying particular attention to the social subtext. Listen to the original radio broadcast of Wells’ War of the Worlds and relish the panic it caused, admiring the awesome power and equally awesome danger of mass media. Seek out all of Stan Lee’s comics and enjoy the depth he puts into his characters, including relevant societal themes.

 

Then toss it all away and create your own fantasies. Perhaps write your own original screenplay. If you’re lucky, Hillary Swank will agree to get beaten to death in your movie and you can take home the Oscar.

 

Details	Batman Begins	Land of the Dead	War of the Worlds	Fantastic Four
Type of Film	Comic Book Adaptation/Prequel	Sequel	Book Adaptation/Remake	Comic Book Adaptation/Remake
Plot Summary	The backstory detailing how Batman becomes who he is	Survival in the time after the Night, Dawn and Day of the Dead	Aliens invade Earth with intentions of destroying all humans (video game reference intended)	A cosmic storm alters the DNA of five scientists, allowing them to become four superheroes and one evil villain
Good Points	Director Nolan (Memento) gives the series a much-needed darkness   Great performances by Bale and Cillian Murphy as the sadistic Dr. Crane (no relation to Frasier or Niles)	Romero on-board as writer/director   Excellent performance by Leguizamo   Cameos from Tom Savini (horror movie make-up legend), Simon Pegg & Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead)	Lots of stuff gets blowed up, but unfortunately this does not include Mr. Cruise	Great special effects   Astounding replica of Brooklyn Bridge   Good storyline   Excellent characterizations & on-screen chemistry   Humorous
Bad Points	Katie Holmes   Maybe a bit too dark for a comic book flick	Plot progression a little too quick – not enough story	Tom Cruise   The usual action-flick, summer blockbuster plot holes	It ends
Grade	B	A-	B-	A+

Movies reviewed:

 

Title: Batman Begins

Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes

Written by: Bob Kane (characters), David S. Goyer & Christopher Nolan

(screenplay)

Directed by: Christopher Nolan

 

Title: Land of the Dead

Starring: Simon Baker, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper, Asia Argento

Written and Directed by: George A. Romero

 

Title: War of the Worlds

Starring: Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Justin Chatwin, Tim Robbins

Written by: H. G. Wells (novel), Josh Friedman & David Koepp (screenplay)

Directed by: Steven Spielberg

 

Title: Fantastic Four

Starring: Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, Julian

McMahon

Written by: Michael France & Mark Frost (story), Jack Kirby & Stan Lee (comic

book & characters)

Directed by: Tim Story

 

 

Taryn can be reached at tas75@comcast.net .

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