Media Criticism

I was reading one of The Onion’s AV Club lists about summer blockbusters the other day that made me think about the upcoming crop of bloated, overrated films. The article listed 18 summer blockbusters from the past that did not disappoint in terms of entertainment. A subsequent list discussed the potential ruin brought by the blockbuster class of 2008 including the Indiana Jones movie and Speed Racer.

Many people would equate The Onion with humorous headlines and irreverent articles that skewer annoying aspects of daily life. The AV Club has a fantastic website and provides great reviews and insights into the world of music, movies and books. The problem I have with both lists mentioned above is that critics have been lamenting (if not hoping) that summer blockbusters in past years would force change in the movie industry.

The massive amounts of money spent on Indiana Jones and other movies may be high in terms of raw numbers. A look at the production budgets of 1997’s Face/Off ($80 million USD), 1977’s Star Wars Episode IV ($11 million USD) and 1988’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit? ($70 million USD) shows that movie studios have been willing to fork over exorbitant amounts of money to feed the blockbuster machine. The last two movies listed here are comparable to most movies that will hit theaters this summer in terms of the branding and merchandising associated with the films.

I guess I am trying to say that this summer will not be the season where movies miraculously change from shallow cash cows into pieces of art. There will not be one summer where films change; rather, consumer tastes over proceeding years will dictate the types of movies that will be shown on local screens. I look forward to ignoring the hype, listening to good radio, watching old movies and hoping that other consumers choose other forms of entertainment this summer. I am not alone in saying that my entertainment budget cannot afford more lukewarm films like X-Men 3 and Spiderman 2.