What Makes a Great Movie…An Opinion Piece
Okay…Let me set this straight. I do not have a recipe for a great movie. This article is not about that.
Neither is this article trying to convince the reader nor is it in any way trying to limit the definition of a great movie. It is the writer’s opinion on what makes a great movie.
And what qualifies the writer to assert this topic? Well, really not much, except the fact that I, the writer, like millions of others, love movies and appreciate the art behind bringing to life, characters and stories, that speak to us in unique ways.
The one thing that I believe makes me a slightly better contender to write on this subject is the fact that I can appreciate a wide range of subjects and keep an open mind regarding genres. I understand that there is a wide range of audiences and while something might not appeal to critics, they may be adored and cherished by many others.
Take the curious case of the ultimate cult movie Fight Club. Before its release, the studio executives at Fox were concerned about the very essence of the movie. The film opened to modest earnings and was considered the ultimate anti date movie. The film is part of movie folklore today and affected a generation of movie watchers and had a huge cultural impact. Fun fact: it led Silicon Valley execs to start a fight club of their own. (Of course, it was soon shut down by the authorities)
The late ’90s saw the rise of the NRI in Hindi movies with lavish homes and helipads and designer dresses while the last decade has seen the rise of the “realistic” genre. For purpose of brevity, I would like to come straight to the point..what, according to me, makes a great movie.
- Transport: I judge a movie by its ability to transmit me, the viewer, mentally and emotionally, and place me right amongst the characters. The ability of a movie to transmit the audience from the thoughts of his daily life and surrounding to a different world, the world on the screen, is the capital trait of a great movie.
- Transform: A great movie may transform the views or life of the viewer. Countless people claim their lives or views were transformed with a movie like Rocky or Rang De Basanti or a Lagaan. Great movies touch a deep spot in the viewer and inspire or motivate them to transform.
- Always moving forward: A common trait of great movies is that every scene, every sequence continually takes the story ahead. Many filmmakers make the mistake of holding on to a shot, an expression for too long. It’s a fine line but often, it’s the filmmaker’s proclivity to hold on to a good shot for a little too long that makes a film boring. The brilliant Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray was a master in holding a shot while the story moved along. Copolla is another one who comes to mind.
- Execution: Too many critics bias their opinion with their personal beliefs. Cinema is an expression and different types of cinema cater to different sensibilities. It’s the execution that matters in such cases. Be it slapstick comedy or an action movie, it’s the execution that decides it for me. In such cases, it is important to not compare different styles of movies if you want to objectively judge a movie.
- Stays with you: A great movie stays with you, long after you have watched it. I recently watched Kesari and I could not get the fight scene at the end out of my head for a long time. Funnily, I did not watch the movie when it came out, based on some review. A big mistake, since I loved it when I finally watched it. Movies like The Godfather, Rocky, Tombstone, Guide, Shutter Island, Bahubali, and many such wonderful movies stayed with me long after I watched the movie.
These are some aspects that make a movie truly great. The movies I have mentioned here are just a tiny fraction of a list of great movies and from the top of my head.
Art is subjective and the elitist attitude in critics lacks objective evaluation.
Every individual interprets art in their own way. The points above are just my parameters to judge a movie. And I am completely okay if you disagree.
