Best Blockbuster Showdown!

[Hunter Rider]

Here it is, the final 4! The Winners of the 80's, 90's, 2000's and 2010's polls face off in the battle of the blockbusters, which decade will come out on top? Get voting folks!

@Mandon Knight @Iceman @DarthSkywalker @Spider-Fan

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[Iceman]

Well this is going to be tough! I must have missed the voting for some of these.

I would rule out Mad Max first (a long way behind the others for me). I obviously totally love the other 3 but I think B2tF might be next for the chopping block.

 

[MadderMaximus]

Going with JP, because it just feels so huge, still, along with the gobs of money. TDK is my favorite of the bunch, but JP is like the benchmark blockbusters aim to be.

 

[3rdstone]

I just watched Fury Road on the telly, and made a huge rant how great it is. Now, I'm quite certain that lots of members here were kids and grew up during the Jurassic Park hype in the early 90s. Hence why I think Jurassic Park will win this.

But seriously, I need to defend my awesome slightly past high school adventure at the cinema: Back To The Future!

I need som help here, guys, but hasn't BTTF brought more pop cultural references than any of the other participants..? De Lorean was known as a quite crappy car made in Ireland, but after BTTF all of sudden De Loreans were cool and expensive (if you'd ever want one).

 

[Batmannerism]

My favorite of these films is TDK, as far as blockbusters go it's epic and had a lasting impact on on me - 10 years later it's still sets the standard.

However, Jurassic Park was a quantum leap in cgi as part of filmmaking, a great moviegoing experience and an absolute smash at the box office. Of the films on the poll it deserves top spot.

TBH and IMO the film I think is probably the greatest of all blockbusters isn't on the poll, Star Wars 1977 - it changed moviemaking, and gave rise to a film series that's lasted over 40 years and became an ingrained part of Western culture.

Nobody born after 1990 is going to know who Marty McFly is, but they'll recognise Darth Vader instantly.

 

[Micromind]

JP.

 

[Mandon Knight]

I'm going to have to go on purely my love for the film within the four, and that goes

1) BTTF
2) JP
3) TDK
4) MM : FR

and so, (deep breath)….BTTF gets my vote. Singularly, the most 'fun' any one film has any right to be, to me of the four, it's the most 'perfect' composed film.

 

[Hunter Rider]

I'm torn between BTTF and Jurassic Park.

 

[StarLord]

Tough one, but I have to go with...

 

[redfirebird2008]

Slight edge for Back to the Future over Jurassic Park for me.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

I wasn't old enough to see the first run of Star Wars (and the 70s aren't on this poll anyways), so the biggest blockbuster that I ever experienced was Jurassic Park. CGI had been around before that, but what JP was able to do was the real game changer in how Hollywood worked. I was obsessed with that movie back in the day. I'd watch it every day after school and I must have read the book a dozen times.

 

[Hunter Rider]

I voted for Jurassic Park, arguably my favourite cinema going experience ever and the definition of the term blockbuster, it was ground breaking at the time and holds up to this day.

All 4 of these are top quality films that all have something exceptional about them.

 

[Spider-Fan]

Jurassic Park for me. To this day, still one of my favorite movies ever

 

[Mandon Knight]

HR, please do a 70's vote after this one, it's the film decade that deserves your fine treatment, thank you sir.

 

[CJ]

Back to the Future gets my vote.

 

[Spider-Fan]

HR, please do a 70's vote after this one, it's the film decade that deserves your fine treatment, thank you sir.

Spoiler alert: Star Wars wins in a landslide over Jaws.

 

[Mandon Knight]

Spoiler alert: Star Wars wins in a landslide over Jaws.

Hi I'm Close Encounters or The Godfather or GF II

 

[Spider-Fan]

Hi I'm Close Encounters or The Godfather or GF II

I am not sure if The Godfather would be considered a blockbuster off hand. At least in regards to budget. It made tons of money, sure. But I am not sure it qualifies on the budget front. Would have to look up its relative cost to other 70s movies. Close Encounters, sure that is. Star Wars wins.

EDIT - Budget was $6 mil in 70s money. To put that in perspective, Jaws was $7 mil, The Exorcist was $12 mil, Star Wars was $11 mil, and Superman was $55 mil (though that filmed 2 movies at once). So if we consider Jaws a blockbuster, then I would say The Godfather counts. I have a feeling Star Wars would still win a poll on here, though.

 

[Hunter Rider]

HR, please do a 70's vote after this one, it's the film decade that deserves your fine treatment, thank you sir.

Good idea, I maybe should have done the 70's first to fit in with the rest but the aesthetic of that decade is quite different so perhaps it's better as a stand alone.

I am not sure if The Godfather would be considered a blockbuster off hand. At least in regards to budget. It made tons of money, sure. But I am not sure it qualifies on the budget front. Would have to look up its relative cost to other 70s movies. Close Encounters, sure that is. Star Wars wins.

EDIT - Budget was $6 mil in 70s money. To put that in perspective, Jaws was $7 mil, The Exorcist was $12 mil, Star Wars was $11 mil, and Superman was $55 mil (though that filmed 2 movies at once). So if we consider Jaws a blockbuster, then I would say The Godfather counts. I have a feeling Star Wars would still win a poll on here, though.

Superman The Movie and Superman II were filmed at the same time?

 

[Hunter Rider]

The poll is closed and the T-Rex reigns supreme as King of the Blockbusters!

 

[Mandon Knight]

Yep, Supes 78 and Supes II were filmed back-to-back and it's what caused so much umbridge between Donner and the producers, that decision was the beginning of the end on their working relationship sadly.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

They were filmed at the same time, but much of Superman II ended up getting reshot some time later. Donner never actually finished what he wanted to shoot of Superman II since he was fired right after he finished up editing the first film. Donner and the Salkinds had clashed over numerous issues from the budget to the tone of the films. Donner claims that the final straw was the Salkinds ordering him to remove Marlon Brando from SMII in order to save money. The Salkinds tried to get away with paying Brando for one film since his scenes were all from the same shoot, and then use the material for two films. Brando found out, rightfully demanded he get paid for both films, and the Salkinds canned him. Donner sided with Brando and was fired too. Several members of the cast and crew walked out over it, some never returning for reshoots (most notably Gene Hackman, who had to be replaced by a double in all scenes shot by new director Richard Lester, so you only see him from a distance or from the back). Because of guild rules Lester had to reshoot a good portion of the film to qualify for the director's credit. This is best seen in the final battle between Superman and Kryptonians (both in Metropolis and the Fortress), which is very different between the versions mostly for this reason. There are also some altered versions of some previous scenes (for example, Donner's scene of Lois jumping out the window of the Daily Planet hoping for Clark to save her was replaced by a similar scene with her going into the Niagara River). There were a few scenes Donner never had time to shoot before he got fired. Most notably the scene in the hotel where Lois finally does get her proof that Clark is Superman. The Donner Cut uses screentest footage to piece together that scene (which I much prefer to the Lester version). The scene where Superman saves the kid from going over Niagara Falls is another notable scene Donner didn't get around to.

 

[childeroland]

Back to the Future.

 

[Hunter Rider]

@Mandon Knight @Kahran Ramsus

Thanks for the info guys, I knew there was a Donner cut of Superman II but I didn't know he'd filmed it at the same time as Superman The Movie, or the part about Gene Hackman. I hadn't heard of blocxkbusters being shot back to back until LOTR and The Matrix sequels.

 

[Mandon Knight]

@Mandon Knight @Kahran Ramsus

Thanks for the info guys, I knew there was a Donner cut of Superman II but I didn't know he'd filmed it at the same time as Superman The Movie, or the part about Gene Hackman. I hadn't heard of blocxkbusters being shot back to back until The Matrix sequels.

It's also why Margot Kidder's hardly in III, she'd fallen out so badly with them that in support of Donner, although 'contractually obliged' to be in III she refused to star in much of the film and so that's how the whole Lois on leave thing happened and why it focuses on Lana for so much of the film in the return back to Smallville, they needed a way to get round Kidder refused to be in so much.