I value the actual meaning and connotation of it. I do not simply consider a movie that makes a huge amount of money a blockbuster.
To me, a blockbuster is a movie that is commercially successful but is also able to permeate into the culture of the time.
David Fincher’s “The Social Network” made about $500 million less than the 2008 “Indiana Jones” reboot.
“The Social Network” was a blockbuster — “Indiana Jones” was not. The difference is “The Social Network” is remembered and was ultimately the most relevant film of 2010.
Good luck finding anyone who really remembers what happened in “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.”
To get to the point, a certain movie called “Interstellar” comes out this weekend, and it will definitely be a big deal. There may and likely will be better movies in 2014, but I would guess “Interstellar” will be the biggest.
Why? That is likely because of the incredible parts that make it up.
The director
Christopher Nolan is the current king of the blockbusters I just described. He also co-wrote and directed “Interstellar.”
Nolan may get the most credit for his track record with bringing intelligence back to big-time films. He started with the small indie flick “Memento” and has worked his way up to epic achievements such as the “Dark Knight” trilogy and “Inception.”
He has the commendable ability to make large-scale projects with ambitious premises but ground them with real smarts and nearly tangible emotions.
It never feels like he is making massive movies just because he wants to be a guy making big-money movies.
To me, it seems like he is a talent that wants to make the best movies possible that say something, and the bigger the budget he has, the bigger the stage he can set to explore a certain idea.
He isn’t Oliver Stone looking to set an agenda, but his movies have an outlook and can be philosophical. He makes movies that you talk about with people, movies about which everyone has an opinion.
He makes films that are commercially very successful and become a part of the culture. He makes blockbusters.
The stars
It is no secret what a stretch Matthew McConaughey has had.
It is pretty cool watching someone grow into one of the biggest stars of our time right in front of our eyes.
After a decade of making cute movies that likely would be the centerpiece of a young couple’s date night, a movement known as the “the McConaissance” began.
It started with the 2011-12 films “Killer Joe,” “The Paperboy” and “Magic Mike.” He was accepting parts in some small but good films where he was taking on challenging roles that were not part of his usual persona.
He took over in 2013 with a great performance in the indie movie “Mud” and, more importantly, his Oscar-winning turn as a homophobic Texas man with AIDS in the 1980s in “Dallas Buyers Club.”
His transformation became permanently cemented with his absurdly awesome performance in the HBO show “True Detective.”
McConaughey has become a superstar.
His co-star is America’s sweetheart, Anne Hathaway.
Hathaway has been steadily killing it since her breakout in “The Princess Diaries” in 2001. She has always balanced her choices with a combination of movies that will make money and make people smile and movies that will show off her real acting chops.
The mixture of Nolan, McConaughey and Hathaway is one that provides “Interstellar” with an exciting mesh of ridiculous talent but also three people at the height of their popularity and relevance.
“Interstellar,” at least on paper, is a film that has the ability to be a truly great movie but also one everyone wants to see.
“Interstellar” is going to be a blockbuster.
