The Wolverine (left), Man of
Steel (centre) and Pacific Rim
Things fall apart, the centre cannot hold. Big tentpole films
underperforming, box-office down 21.4 per cent from last year, adults deserting
cinemas in favour of TV aimed at
grown-ups, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas predicting a
meltdown are we heading for the Great Blockbuster Debacle of 2013?
Not being a studio executive, I couldn't care less about box-office. But I do
care about blockbusters, and this season's have been sub-par. Even those that
delivered, like Iron Man 3and Fast & Furious 6, trod old ground. Star Trek Into Darkness, a
sequel to a reboot, made me wish I were watching Star Trek II: The Wrath of
Khan. Man of Steel, another reboot, made me wish I were watching Superman II.
Pacific Rim made me wish I were watching Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla, and The
Wolverine made me think I was watching an 1980s ninja movie with Michael
Dudikoff.
The Lone Ranger hasn't yet opened in my town, so I still have that delight
and R.I.P.D. to come, but so far it has all been very déjà vu. I love the
blockbuster experience; there's nothing quite like settling down in front of a
70mm screen as part of an excited audience, all of us raring to see something
we've never seen before: a T-Rex chasing a jeep, perhaps, or the Titanic sinking
in anamorphic widescreen. The trouble is, these days we've already seen it all.
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