What makes a good movie good? Although this is a subjective question, I’m guessing there’s a true art to good filmmaking.
I’ve thought about some of my favorite movies, and wondered what is it about them that makes them good. What is it about a bad movie that makes it bad? Why is it that Hollywood is remaking more classics rather than creating new films? (Profit motive, I’m certain.)
I took two Spielberg movies as a starting point. Jurassic Park v. Raiders of the Lost Ark. (He directed both.) I’ve used an American grading scale of A for excellent, and F for failure.
For me, Jurassic Park was a C-/D+ movie. The dinosaurs were great, but the characters were dull and two dimensional. In Raiders of the Lost Ark, the characters are more lively and colorful. The movie had a much better story, and all of the action coordinated well within the story. I’d give Raiders an A.
Thinking more about Spielberg movies, I thought about characters, and the actors that play them.
At the time of its release, I liked ET. Watching its rerelease, I found it dull. Cute kids, cute alien, but something was missing. (Probably the fact that I’m not a kid anymore may have something to do with it.) In 1982, I’d have given it an A, today, I’d give it a C.
Schindler’s List was a great movie. Easily an A+ film, but it was so sad and depressing. So sad in fact, I’ll never watch it again. In a similar vein, Saving Private Ryan was a good film, but it didn’t carry the emotional impact or weight of Schindler’s List. (The opening battle scene depicting D-Day is probably the most realistic battlefield scenario I’ve seen on film.) I’d give it a B/B-.
Although, grading movies is subjective and personal, I think there’s something to what makes a movie good.
A good director, good actors, good story, action, fun, and something that speaks to a person, personally.
Overall, I’d say the quality of movies today stink. They’re more into pandering to market demographics and remakes than in making anything of quality these days. (Although, you get the rare good movie. The Lord of the Rings trilogy rocked.)
