SUMMER BLOCKBUSTER CLASSIC COMPARISONS

Welcome to the tenth in our now occasional series of Classic Comparisions. Our current selection repesents SUMMER BLOCKBUSTERS and has been chosen by our newest Site Assistant Pat Pilon. As always, to access comparisons for any of the films, just click on the cover art.

	1. JAWS (1975 - US Gross $69.7m) The grand-daddy of all summer blockbusters, the making of this movie is as as good as the movie itself. The sequels really bite (sorry, bad pun) but this one is a classic. Steven Spielberg directed this movie of a group of men trying to capture a shark terrorising a beach and his career took off. Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw are great together and the famous line 'You're gonna need a bigger boat' has been referenced endlessly. The movie is great fun, with nice comedy and tons of suspense. It's an unforgettable movie and still the best killer shark movie ever made!		2. STAR WARS - A NEW HOPE (1977 - US Gross $215.5m) No one expected this rather small space opera to be the phenomenon it turned out to be. This, chronologically, may not be how the story started, but the saga started with Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader right here. The philosophical, political and social repercussions of movie have been analysed and discussed to no end, but, for me, it's a great piece of cinema. The special effects are very well done, the dogfights are exciting and the action is great. It's a fun serial made into a movie.
	3. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981 - US Gross $230.3m after 1982 re-release) Again, director Steven Spielberg finds himself in here with the first part of the Indiana Jones series. Harrison Ford is great as the archaeologist trying to find the Lost Ark of the covenant. Having to deal with Nazi's, traps and giant rolling boulders is just in a day's work for him. The movie starts off with a great action piece and never slows down, sporting great effects, funny moments and one hell of an ending. Mr. Spielberg knows how to make a fun adventure movie and with the help of producer George Lucas, Phil Kaufman and Lawrence Kasdan, this movie is no exception.		4. BATMAN (1989 - US Gross $251.2m) Tim Burton's dark, visual style was the perfect choice for Batman's dark, bleak world. With Michael Keaton, Kim Basinger and Jack Nicholson, the movie is a great piece of gothic cinema. Gotham City and its band of characters are brought to great life in this movie and the bleak cynicism of this world is brought forth by Mr. Burton's great direction. The action is great and I don't know anybody who saw the movie that didn't want the batmobile. It's a fun, mature comic book movie great for everybody to watch.
	5. TERMINATOR 2 - JUDGEMENT DAY (1991 - US Gross $204.8m) After a 7-year gap people were, to say the least, enthusiastic about the Terminator's return and this time he's a good guy! With a big budget and a massive scale, director James Cameron crafted a sequel superior to its predecessor in every way. The story is deeper, yet more intimate and more emotional. The action is bigger, better and more spectacular. James Cameron went insane when making this movie, pulling out all the stops, with the then-cutting-edge computer effects work. The result is one of the best action movies ever. The R1 and R3 UE would be the best choice.		6. POLICE STORY 3 - SUPERCOP (1992 - Hong Kong Gross $4.2m) In 1985, Jackie Chan directed the classic 'Police Story'. In 1992, the third part came out, which meant that he had to top his two previous parts in terms of action and scope. The movie turned out to be one of the highest-grossing of the year. There's no CGI in here, but that doesn't mean it's not exciting. The stunts are all real and are insane. With the help of Michelle Yeoh (in her comeback movie), Jackie Chan must track down and stop a drug smuggler. Of course, this leads the pair to tons of exciting sequences, including a heart-stopping car chase. The R0 HK IVL box set is the best option.
	7. JURASSIC PARK (1993 - US Gross $357.1m) Once again Steven Spielberg directs a giant monster movie, only this time he brought back T-Rexes, velociraptors and brontosauruses. Based on the book by Michael Crichton, the movie involves scientists on a remote island resurrecting the pre-historic beasts, who then don't appreciate what has been done and go on a rampage. It's a marvel to watch with stunning special effects that hold up even today. The sense of wonder and grandeur of the dinosaurs are brought to life wonderfully, with exciting action.		8. BAD BOYS (1995 - US Gross $65.8m) Michael Bay burst onto the scene with this loud, relatively small (for him, anyway) action movie starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. The pair have a great chemistry together as they protect a witness to a murder while trying to find out who stole a whole lot of drugs. With plenty of laughs from the leads, helped out by the cute-as-a-button Tea Leoni, the movie is slick with plenty of stylized action. It's fast-paced, a lot of fun to watch and is much better than the overblown sequel. For a debut, Michael Bay didn't do such a bad job.
	9. INDEPENDENCE DAY (1996 - US Gross $306.1m) Say what you will about the movie, but you have to admit the action is great. Will Smith (again) leads a band of humans in the fight against malicious alien attackers in this update of 'War of the Worlds'. Jeff Goldblum is the highlight as the bumbling scientist trying to find a solution. The action sequences are exciting and plentiful with incredibly complex aerial battles. The plot and dialogue may not be the best and the gung-ho patriotism could have been dropped, but if you're deaf to those things, this is a nice ride.		10. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE (1996 - US Gross $181m) Tom Cruise brought the TV show to the big screen with the help of director Brian De Palma in this twisty, turny, almost undecipherable plot. Luckily, it grabs your attention and never lets go. The intriguing plot concerns a mole and a list of undercover agents. Beyond that, it's your guess, but what's for sure is the movie is well made with a lot of tight action, including some nifty wire acrobatics. The two sequels are also great in their own right and this is a quality series that's worth watching. The new R1 CE is the best choice here.
	11. THE ROCK (1996 - US Gross $134m) Again, Michael Bay finds himself on the list, but his time it's for his best movie. Nicholas Cage, Sean Connery and Ed Harris highlight the capable cast. Cage and Connery have to save a hostage while trying to stop Harris from deploying a chemical weapon on San Francisco. The pair have to go to Alcatraz, and that's where the fun starts. The chemistry between Cage and Connery is great and Michael Bay is on the ball, his style being utilised perfectly for the tone of the movie. From start to finish, this is an action fan's dream. The R1 Criterion Collection and R2 CE DVDs are the best releases.		12. MEN IN BLACK (1997 - US Gross $250.1m) Once again, Will Smith stars in a great summer movie. Barry Sonnenfeld directs this tale of an organisation keeping the world safe from intergalactic war. When an important alien dies, it's up to two agents to find the one thing that can bring peace to the world...for the time being. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are great together as the rookie and the veteran. The special effects are very cartoon-like but they only add to the light, fun tone of the movie. The R1 DE is the best release.
	13. THE MATRIX (1999 - US Gross $171.4m) In 1999, two brothers brought a project to the screen and it wowed everybody. The revolutionary special effects and the fantastic action sequences made the movie a modern classic, all while having a message about the veil of reality. The two sequels didn't live up to expectations, but the first part made millions think. What is the Matrix? The answer now is well-known, but it doesn't take away from the influence this movie has had. It's thoughtful, exciting and brought cyberpunk chic to the mainstream.		14. THE MUMMY (1999 - US Gross $155.2m) Director Stephen Sommers has a particular soft spot for The Mummy. Dracula, he said, is romantic and Frankenstein is sympathetic. The Mummy, however, is just scary. His passion for the story shows through in this light but incredibly entertaining action/adventure in the desert staring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz. They're paid to find a particular artefact, which, when found, creates all sorts of problem. The great effects work add to the grandeur and excitement of Egypt. From start to finish, a fun movie! Any 2-disc UE is best.
	15. X-MEN (2000 - US Gross $157.3m) This movie started the superhero movie craze (well, for Marvel, anyway). This is not the best in the X-Men series, but it's a great start, introducing the characters and easing the audience into the saga. Director Bryan Singer took great care at crafting a movie out of a comic book with so much history behind it. He took the right storyline for the arc he wanted to create and the results are great. Hong Kong action director Corey Yuen was brought in to create the wonderful action scenes and the effects work complements the story and characters very nicely. The R1 X-MEN 1.5 is the best choice.		16. PEARL HARBOR (2001 - US Gross $198.5m) Director Michael Bay's overblown, overlong ode to the day that lived in infamy may not be the best movie with the best script, but when talking about blockbusters, there's no denying the action is great. Once the bombing starts, tons of gunfire, aerial and naval battles make a nice action movie. Mr. Bay's stylish direction came in handy when handling the more visceral moments of war, guaranteeing the PG-13 rating. The signature shot of the camera following a bomb from the airplane to its target is a stunner. The big, bombastic action scenes make this movie worth watching. The R1 Director's Cut is the way to go.
	17. SHAOLIN SOCCER (2001 - Hong Kong Gross $7.4m) A wildly popular movie, this is a great combination of cartoony special effects and goofy storytelling. Stephen Chow plays a kung fu master who wants to bring the teachings of kung fu to the people. Soccer, he decides, is his medium. The characters are mostly goofy, the training is silly and the games are unrealistic. The movie, however, is tons of fun, as it presents very funny comedy with exciting soccer games. Stephen Chow wanted to bring the ideals of kung fu to the people, and, it seems, he succeeded. The Korean R0 UE is the best choice.		18. RETURNER (2002 - Japan Gross unavailable) This Japanese movie stars Anne Suzuki, who's sent back from the future to stop aliens from invading Earth. She enlists the help of Takeshi Kaneshiro to help stop the invasion. Great action set pieces punctuate a simple but endearing friendship between the two would-be defenders. Director Takashi Yamazaki acts as his own special effects supervisor and the results are stunning, with the bleak future being realistic and the over-the-top action sequences in the present being very excting and enthusiastic, all with a wink here and there. The R2 Japanese LE is the best choice.
	19. THE HOST (2006 - South Korea Gross approx $67.4m) Blockbusters come from everywhere, as this South Korean movie shows. The mega-budget Korean flick broke tons of box-office records, becoming the highest-grossing movie ever in South Korea. Not only that, it's actually really, really good! The story concerns the efforts of a dad trying to rescue his daughter, who's been kidnapped by a slithery monster roaming the Han River in Seoul. With a terrific and intelligent script, the movie is more than a mere creature feature, talking about cover-ups, environmental hazards and failure of a system to protect its people. The R3 LE is the best option.		20. SUPERMAN RETURNS (2006 - US Gross $200m) The return of the series came with more of a thud than a bang with this Bryan Singer-directed movie. The movie, however, is the epitome of what has become the summer blockbuster: franchise movie, tons of special effects and a ridiculously high budget. It's a good movie, though, with Clark Kent coming back to Metropolis after a 5-year absence. Lex Luthor is back to his old tricks, getting his hands on a piece of kryptonite to stop Superman. Mr. Singer take his time with this movie, slowly building up the story until the great finale.

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