Most Mindblowing/Ambitious films ever made

[redhawk23]

but is it only ambitious if he were to profit from it by having already produced sequels for it (or other similar scaled 3d films) before the release of avatar?

or is it simply just pioneering?

What does profit have to do with the ambition of it? I'm not sure I understand the question.

 

[November Rain]

putting a big scale expensive project together in order to get a huge return back in those days must have been a real big risk taker and an ambitious project to put together, especially at the scale they did it at.

then again i'm looking at this question from a production to execution to revenue point of view.

in the same way i could say water world was an ambitious film.

 

[redhawk23]

Waterworld was ambitious but I'd also say it got bloated.

 

[Rocketman]

Regardless of its hate, Waterworld is an ambitious film, and I actually love that movie.

 

[Electrofarce]

My picks for mind blowing movies:

-Blade Runner (self explanatory)
-American Psycho (Bale as Patrick Bateman and the lines)
-Lost Highway (complicated direction, story wise)

I agree with these choises, but some of the films you mentioned were just expensive (Green Lantern, Thor) and didn't really have any new technology as oppose to Avatar or even the upcoming Adventures of TinTin.

 

[DyeLorean]

Glad to see so much love for 2001: A Space Odyssey. It's one of my favorite movies ever, I don't think there's gonna be something as big in scope, in themes. It just touches every possible interesting subject the human being can think of. Life, death, the universe, technology, etc
I'm gonna also add Memento (in it's story-telling technique), Inception, Avatar (only as a technical achievement).

 

[LOBO3315a]

If Avatar's story had been as groundbreaking as the techincal achievements, I'd probably have included it in my list.

 

[redhawk23]

A great many of these movies are groundbreaking for different reasons but not for every element in them. Why then is it only a problem for Avatar? I'm not defending avatar, I'm just wondering. The original star wars is no more original in terms of story than Avatar is, yet no one ever complains about it.

 

[Spider-Fan83]

Regardless of its hate, Waterworld is an ambitious film, and I actually love that movie.

yes, Waterworld, was on my list of movie to mention here as well... was surprise it hadn't been listed....

another movie I am surprised hasn't been mentioned yet, which was on list (an a personal favorite of my) The Fifth Element

most of the other movies I had in mind have been mentioned already

 

[elgaz]

There might be another thread for this but I could not find it.

Anyways list some of those films that just left you completely awestruck. The real mind numbers.

Mine would go as follows:

1. Enter the Void (my all time favorite movie. like nothing i’ve ever
experienced)

2. Memento

3. The Fountain

4. Inland Empire (Took me 5 watches, and then I finally understood it. Insanely weird movie.)

5. A Scanner Darkly

6. Franklyn (Underrrated to death, but fantastic)

7. The Machnist

8. Brazil

9. The Man from Earth

10. Watchmen (Another underrated gem)

I IMDB'd all your films (that I hadn't seen before) and Man from Earth sounded appealing, so downloaded it last night and watched it. Wow.

For a film which basically takes place in one room the whole time, and with fairly obvious low budget values, it's certainly thought provoking.

 

[LOBO3315a]

A great many of these movies are groundbreaking for different reasons but not for every element in them. Why then is it only a problem for Avatar? I'm not defending avatar, I'm just wondering. The original star wars is no more original in terms of story than Avatar is, yet no one ever complains about it.

I'm not really sure there was a story that was similar to Star Wars: A New Hope. Kid from podunk, learns he can control a mysterious force, and defeats the baddest guy in the galaxy while making new friends and saving his sister?

Avatar's story is almost a carbon copy of Dances With Wolves and Fern Gully.
Why would I go to the theater to go see something I've all ready seen?

 

[redhawk23]

A New Hope follows beat for beat the Hero's Journy story arc from dozens of stories and legends, as identified by Joseph Campbell and read by George Lucas. The characters in new hope are all just archetypes. Well used archetypes, but archetypes all the same.

 

[Iceman]

I forgot to add Irreversible to my list. It may be one of the most disturbing movies I've seen, but it is truly a masterpeice both technically and stylistically.

There is a particular scene involving a fire extinguisher (if you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about) that is very gruesome, but it displays some of the best digital effects I've ever seen in a film.

Very gruesome and that film is definitely disturbing!

In OP are you looking for mindblowing/ambitious as in the most original/challenging pyschologically or are you also including films of a general grand scale.

 

[Electrofarce]

I IMDB'd all your films (that I hadn't seen before) and Man from Earth sounded appealing, so downloaded it last night and watched it. Wow.

For a film which basically takes place in one room the whole time, and with fairly obvious low budget values, it's certainly thought provoking.

Glad you enjoyed it! Yeah, what a surprise that film was.