The Movie Industry

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What are You Looking At?

Oh, those were the days.

Remember high school? Oh, high school. A world without subject-by-numbers, p-sets, all-nighters, or worries. There wasn't much of anything to do, period. The most exciting thing that could happen to you in high school was probably go to a keg party-er, did I say keg? You know I meant cake, and going to the big premiere of "Spider-man." Friday night at the movies with your buds was a sure-fire way to pass two or three hours of your endless free time. What else did you have to do? Fill out the MIT application?

Most teenagers, myself included, probably look at movies as entertainment, rather than as art, and most directors will confirm this. The movie industry has capitalized on this "entertainment" view of movies.

More than ever, the movies industry is dominated by blockbusters and, to many's dismay, sequels to previous blockbusters. According to the website of the Motion Pictures Association of America (MPAA), from 1999 to 2002, the average theatrical cost of an MPAA film rose over 80%. Over this 3-year period, a whopping 25 out of the top 50 highest grossing movies in the American film history were produced, all of which made over 200 million dollars. Among these blockbusters were "Spider-man," "Finding Nemo," and "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace."

We all know why "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace" exploded at the box office. But why did the other two gross over $340 million each? Because they were thought-provoking? Hardly. "Spider-man" has the tired old theme of damsel-in-distress-as-hero-saves-the-day. "Finding Nemo" finds a rebellious fish wandering off into an adventure as his parent desperately searches for him (can you say underwater Home Alone?). What makes these movies such great sellers is their entertainment value. The high use of Computer Generated Images (CGI) allowed for effects never before seen in cinematic history (c'mon, when have you ever seen such a realistic-looking talking fish as the ones in "Finding Nemo"?).

This is the dilemma of the blockbuster movies like "Finding Nemo" and "Spider-man." While they were said to have paved the way for the CGI movement in the film industry, creating unbelievably realistic cartoon characters and environments, their entertainment value is just that-the incredible graphics. These movies catch consumers' eyes by featuring something new and flashy. While the plot is the side dish to these movies, a terrible plot could still be a hit with great graphics and the right marketing techniques.

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