The two highest-grossing movies in the United States from 2009 were “Avatar” and “Transformers 2.” The special effects and the anticipation before both films helped propel these films to earn hundreds of millions of dollars. Much of the media coverage about both films (especially “Avatar”) focused on their special effects rather than their stories. With that in mind, one of the unfortunate legacies of 2009 at the movies may be that strong stories and great characters are seen as no match for visual excitement at the box office.
At the end of December 2009, Yahoo compiled a list of the top grossing movies of the year domestically. (Because the list came out in December, “Transformers 2” is featured as the highest grossing movie of the year, rather than “Avatar.”) The Yahoo list featured four sequels, one franchise revival (“Star Trek”), and one James Cameron movie about a planet with blue aliens on it. That latter film, along with “Transformers 2,” will not likely be remembered for its story or its characters, a disappointing realization for moviegoers who want great stories to go along with grand special effects.
“Avatar” may be beloved by some movie critics but few could argue that the story of that movie and its cliched characters and plot are as great as its visual effects. “Transformers 2,”on the other hand, had some good visual effects but its story was boring and many critics hated it, for good reason. It was a really bad film.
Compare those two films to the top two films of 2008: “The Dark Knight” and “Iron Man.” At the end of 2008, Yahoo compiled a list of the top ten movies of that year with “The Dark Knight” emerging as the top domestic motion picture of the year. The two top-grossing movies in the United States in 2008 and 2009 all feature a lot of special effects. However, one of the main differences between the top two movies of 2008 and 2009 are the stories (or lack thereof).
Both “Iron Man” and “The Dark Knight” had good stories to go along with their special effects. “Iron Man” was about an unlikely superhero with a lot of personality who made himself into a hero after being held hostage. “The Dark Knight” was about the Caped Crusader fighting against a monstrous villain, played by Academy Award winner Heath Ledger. Both of those films had special effects but those were used to supplement their strong stories, rather than replace them. Along with the special effects, “Iron Man” received recognition for its appealing story and Robert Downey Jr.’s performance in it. Likewise, “The Dark Knight” was known for its great story and Ledger’s grand performance in it.
This is not to say that all of 2009 highest-grossing films lacked good stories. Although I have not seen “Ice Age 3” or “Twilight: New Moon,” I do know that a lot of the top grossing movies on the Yahoo list for 2009 had far better stories than the disappointing “Avatar” or “Transformers 2.” “The Blind Side” had an inspiring story about a family that takes care of a complete stranger and helps him succeed both in sports and in his life. “The Hangover” had a fun story about a group of guys who wake up in Vegas and then try to figure out what transpired the night before. Lastly, “Up” had a fantastic storyline about a man trying to make up for lost opportunities in life by moving his house to his and his wife’s dream vacation spot.
Each of those movies had good stories and strong characters going for them. “Avatar” and “Transformers 2” did not.
It is no surprise that bad movies ended up of the top ten list of the highest-grossing movies of 2009. Look at “Hancock” as one of the higest grossing movies of 2008. That was an awful movie that did well at the box office. However, 2009 was a year when movies with great special effects proved that they can seriously overcome far better entertainment with stronger stories and better characters.
It is still too early in 2010 to determine if people at the box office are going to prefer mindless entertainment like “Transformers 2,” bad storylines accompanied by great special effects like in “Avatar” or movies that have great stories, strong performances and grand special effects like “The Dark Knight.” I am definitely hoping for the latter as sitting through another movie like “Transformers 2” sounds like a terrible way to spend part of the new year.