What is a great movie? Is a great movie an entertaining thrill ride despite the strength of the overall story?
Can a movie be great if the story is a plateau without a lot of rising or descending action? How about if the movie has excellent acting, great set design, excellent cinematography, and a well matched soundtrack, but there really is no conclusion or payoff for the audience? Can a film be great if the director does not push boundaries or if the writing does not challenge the audience to look for hidden meaning?
When telling a story, characters can be static or dynamic. Many films incorporate character development and give you, the audience, the opportunity to grow with the character and get to know them. Some films explore their time period while in others it is just an inconsequential detail. Conflict can be complicated or simple and sometimes it is really not explored in detail. The conflict just is.
Knowing that the definition of a great film is subjective, there is really a lot to consider when deciding which films are truly great or just great, good, or mediocre entertainment. There are minute details that can be important to one audience member or irrelevant to another. For instance. what if the stage and scene props do not hold positions during filming? An example of this is a piece of furniture or some other object is moved during the process of making the film and is not in the same place as a scene progresses during the shoot. Did the time change during the scene and was told out of chronological order or did the stage assistants accidentally move props they shouldn't have? Maybe this is an unimportant detail, but it can affect the audience understanding what they are witnessing.
Here are some other points of contention to consider:
Did the costumes match the time period?
Was the film told in a realistic, plausible way or was it purely fantasy?
Was the movie fun?
Were the spectacular special effects accompanied by equally executed timing?
Were the jokes funny?
Too many one liners?
When telling a story, characters can be static or dynamic. Many films incorporate character development and give you, the audience, the opportunity to grow with the character and get to know them. Some films explore their time period while in others it is just an inconsequential detail. Conflict can be complicated or simple and sometimes it is really not explored in detail. The conflict just is.
Knowing that the definition of a great film is subjective, there is really a lot to consider when deciding which films are truly great or just great, good, or mediocre entertainment. There are minute details that can be important to one audience member or irrelevant to another. For instance. what if the stage and scene props do not hold positions during filming? An example of this is a piece of furniture or some other object is moved during the process of making the film and is not in the same place as a scene progresses during the shoot. Did the time change during the scene and was told out of chronological order or did the stage assistants accidentally move props they shouldn't have? Maybe this is an unimportant detail, but it can affect the audience understanding what they are witnessing.
Here are some other points of contention to consider:
Did the costumes match the time period?
Was the film told in a realistic, plausible way or was it purely fantasy?
Was the movie fun?
Were the spectacular special effects accompanied by equally executed timing?
Were the jokes funny?
Too many one liners?
Media
Was the film viewed via projection on a large screen? Did the medium display in high resolution? Monochrome vs in color? Stereoscoping or a mixture of live action and animation?
Ultimately, was the film presented in a format that allowed the story to be told in an effective or meaningful way? Hopefully by answering these questions, the review will tell you whether or not this is a film worth exploring.
Ultimately, was the film presented in a format that allowed the story to be told in an effective or meaningful way? Hopefully by answering these questions, the review will tell you whether or not this is a film worth exploring.
