We've all seen them, the Superman’s, the Spiderman’s and the Saw’s, so what do you think about them? If you’re like me you may feel like you’ve seen it all before. Are Hollywood movies of today becoming mundane with their storylines? Let me give you an example of two movie franchises: First movie- A regular person obtains supernatural powers through unexplained methods. Hero discovers new powers and has a frustrating time either finding acceptance or a place for himself in society. Something tragic happens such as a death or life changing event that causes the hero to look into his or herself. After self realization the hero becomes a “hero” by stopping evil and helping those in need. Then there is a love interest of the hero that may or may not be returned. Then there is an antagonist with a seemingly maniacal plan at conquest. There is a conflict in which the hero must make a decision to save others or save the girl. Hero’s choice reflects on who he is inside and he manages to save both. Hero thwarts antagonists plan and all is well. Second Movie- Similar formula to the first movie except that the hero comes to point in his life where he no longer wants to be a hero in order to carry on a relationship with his love interest. Due to the city being in peril, the hero must return to his role as hero and protect the city. At some point in the story line the hero’s true identity is revealed to the girl and this brings the two closer. Through extraordinary measures, the hero manages to defeat the antagonist again and bring the city back to peace. Although this is a rather simple formula do you recognize it? Superman 1 and 2 and Spiderman 1 and 2 followed this formula almost to a tee. (There some obvious slight differences) So how do movies released in 1978 and 1980 and 2002 and 2004 respectively have such a similar plot? We have seen the same movie formulas time and time again and yet we continue to enjoy them. Look at the list of top 250 movie of all time and look at the top 5: The Shawshank Redemption, The GodFather, The GodFather 2, The Good The Bad The Ugly and Pulp Fiction. (http://www.imdb.com/chart/top) If you’ve seen them what do they all have in common? I would argue the formula is the least they have in common. All of these movies have compelling storylines and acting and deserve the spot they hold. So what about Avatar?
The movie avatar is a huge blockbuster that now holds the record for highest grossing movie of all time (http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=avatar.htm). However many say that outside of cinematography, the movie doesn’t offer anything different. So why is it #1? Do any of you remember Pocahontas? Avatar and Pocahontas share a very similar plot and formula and we seem to love them both. After watching it myself I’ll admit I was impressed with the cinematography but nothing else really stood out to me.
Perhaps people like what their use to. People are usually resistant to change so to introduce a completely different plot or formula to a movie may come with negativity. In the end formulas are used because they work and they bring consistently bring in money and as we’ve heard before, if it’s not broken why fix it. So with the Oscars coming up does Avatar deserve the numerous awards it’s nominated for (http://www.mahalo.com/oscars-2010)? If you ask me, I’d say no.
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