Blockbusters Marathon: An Introduction

Guardians of the Galaxy, directed by James Gunn

The summer of 2014 was filled with tentpole releases that pummeled the audience into submission. There’s a tipping point where few people have the willingness to keep up with all the big films. These blockbusters start to feel too familiar, and even the more unique movies get lost in the shuffle. Which of these year’s examples will stand the test of time? It’s a tricky question to answer in late September. This was a busy summer beyond the film world, so I wasn’t able to catch most of the studios’ big-budget releases. The benefit is having a wealth of possibilities to explore at home this fall. The reputations of these selections vary widely, so it will be interesting to see which ones surprise me.

Why spend time on blockbusters? Is there anything left to say about them? There are hundreds of reviews on IMDB, and I do wonder if anyone will still care about these films. On the other hand, the extra months bring additional context to the analysis. It allows me to explore why audiences shied away from certain films and adored others. I’ll discuss the themes and form in each choice while taking a different approach to the review. Did the marketing hurt its chances? It will be interesting to watch so many of the year’s major releases within a short period of time. I hope my senses can take all the action.

If you’d like to follow along, here is the marathon schedule for the upcoming weeks:

The Amazing Spider-man 2 (9/29)
Guardians of the Galaxy (10/6)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (10/13)
Edge of Tomorrow (10/20)

I will try to add others within these weeks like Godzilla and X-Men: Days of Future Past if time allows. One title that won’t make the list is Transformers: Age of Extinction. My interest has limits, even when you’re talking about action-packed blockbusters. I’ll update this page with links as the series progresses. If there’s one major studio film that deserves my attention, I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

Comments

  1. This looks like fun. I'm glad you chose not to see Transformers because I'm sure you would hate it and wouldn't survive that film. I can't watch any of Bay's recent films at all because they make sick.

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    1. I watched the first Transformers film and thought it was alright, but nothing has compelled me to see the others. Life is too short. I am looking forward to this marathon, though.

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  2. Still catching up on blockbusters, myself. I did watch TASM2 and Winter Soldier. Hopefully, I'll get to see the other two shortly. Unfortunately, I probably will also have to watch the latest Transformers. The wife and kids are huge fans of he franchise. Woe is me.

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    1. I'm sure there are worse films you can watch this year than Transformers 4. If nothing else, I doubt it will be slow or dull. I feel like I should be pretty good with the year's blockbusters after this marathon. I'm rolling through my list and also just picked up Godzilla from the library. Now I just need to find time to watch them.

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  3. I'm still playing catch up on the blockbusters. Downsides of not living in England anymore. Ah well! Looking forward to this series.

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    1. Thanks. I've gone a long way to go, though I have now watched Guardians and Captain America. The benefit is having so many big films that I haven't seen yet; there's never a shortage of movies out there to catch.

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