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Friday 17 August 2012, 12:10
Every summer the cinemas are full of big dumb movies - but it wasn't always that way and it doesn't have to be in the future. What are the best and worst summer blockbusters since Jaws?
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Comment number 1.
Barney Cremin17th August 2012 - 16:26
Best - Speed. One of the cheapest blockbusters and still one of the best. managing to combine thrills, a great villian and even keanu isn't that bad.
Worst - Lost in Space. Boring, Stupid and Annoying. Gary Oldman WHY??
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Comment number 2.
ScottFromTO17th August 2012 - 16:36
With apologies to Mark, my favourite blockbusters are the original Star Wars trilogy, in particular The Empire Strikes Back. There are plenty of other essays out there as to why these films are great, so to simplify: The universe feels real and looks amazing, the characters are likable, and the story is engaging. The later trilogy (worst blockbusters ever) is the exact opposite.
However I should like to add a counterpoint to Mark's assertion that the films "dumbed down science fiction": Star Wars is not science fiction, it's fantasy that happens to be set in space. Later film studios made this mistake and made films that did dumb down science fiction, but blaming Star Wars for this mess is like blaming Saving Private Ryan for 2008's abominable Rambo movie.
(Sorry, I've been waiting awhile to get that out of system.)
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Comment number 3.
Mechagodzilla17th August 2012 - 16:41
I absolutely stand behind the first Iron Man movie. I know the Dr K has a problem with Robert Downey Jr., but the fact that Marvel took a frankly B-List hero that few outside the comic world were familiar with and took it seriously enough to turn it into one of the most enjoyable films of 2008 was really something special. “Iron Man” is also still fun to watch today.
“Godzilla” was the worst summer blockbuster ever! I was a huge fan of the Godzilla movies growing up (couldn’t you tell) and that schlock-king Roland Emmerich would turn Japan’s favorite indestructible, radioactive, city-leveler into an impish, evasive, T-Rex-or-whatever completely missed the point. A once great allegory was reduced to a simplistic creature flick. For shame!
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Comment number 4.
FilmPundit17th August 2012 - 16:49
My favorite summer blockbuster is by far Toy Story 3. It's a film that appeals to all ages and left me with a heavy heart walking out of the cinema. It's definitely among the ten best animated films ever made.
The worst blockbuster I've been to is The Expendables. Rather than talk about why it was so bad, I'll leave you with this statement: I envy my friends who saw Eat Pray Love on the same day.
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Comment number 5.
serGO17th August 2012 - 16:50
Best - The Dark Knight
Worst - Transformers 2
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Comments 5 of 143