Mourning the loss of the original blockbuster that used to flow through the month of May.
Does anybody remember what the month of May used to signal at the movies? For many, it used to mean the start of a time of year when the movies were at their most imaginative and creative. It was a time when every new release offered up different levels of escape and wonder through one-of-a-kind plots and visuals which excited movie lovers by showing them something they hadn’t seen before. It furthered a love for going to the movies and greatly set the tone for the many cinematic joys the summer promised to bring.
Nowadays, it means superheroes and sequels. It’s hard to recall a May which didn’t have a Marvel movie or animated film clamoring for the hard-earned dollars in many a theater-goer’s wallet. It’s understandable why this is the way things are these days. Hollywood is first and foremost a business driven by merchandising, audience interest, and shareholders expecting healthy returns. That’s why this May brings us another Guardians, Alien, and a remake of King Arthur which no one asked for.
The days of studio executives gambling and rolling the dice are nearly gone, and what a shame that is. For so long, May brought forth loads of original properties which were not only bold and novel, but above all else, worked. They left audiences inspired as well as invigorated and were made with the greatest of devotion. For the purpose of this editorial, I decided to venture back to three May releases from 1997 that signified what May at the movies was once like, all of which more than hold up to this very day.
It’s clear that Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery was made solely due to Mike Meyers’ loyal fan base, with plans for a franchise in absolutely no one’s mind. But the film was tongue-in-cheek with its attitude and rambunctious with its spirit. Beyond that, it was (and still is) genuinely funny with literally scene after scene bringing forth hilarity (“You shot me…you shot me right in the arm!”). With its star inhabiting two such hilariously goofy characters, everyone, critics and audiences, young and old, found something to laugh and love about Austin Powers. For some it was the take-off on the James Bond genre of spy movies that hooked them, while others got lost in the wild ’60s tributes and Austin’s own ideology. Regardless, the film proved full of enough comedic gold to be a breakout hit. The two sequels have had their own moments (the third in particular is funnier than most give it credit for), but nothing beats the first time we saw Austin try and seduce Vanessa by posing on his rotating bed, in what remains one of the funniest films of the decade.
No film in the summer of 1997 pushed the boundaries of the imagination more than The Fifth Element in terms of both storytelling scope and visual scale. The film kept Bruce Willis’s star burning bright while re-affirming Luc Besson’s status as a visionary filmmaker. The Fifth Element is many things, including a chase movie, a fairy tale, and an apocalyptic image of the future. What the film will most likely be remembered for, however, is its groundbreaking visual effects, which are still impressive even by today’s advanced standards. Besson’s film transported those who sat down in front of it into another world which pushed the imagination to the absolute limit and never retreated. This is the kind of film overflowing with a flair in its design and an ethos in its ideology which simply does not exist anymore. Besson still aims to wow audiences with each new film he makes, but none so far has matched the daring greatness of The Fifth Element.
A textbook example of when summer movie counter-programming works can be found in the still-pulsating Breakdown. This is just the sort of Hollywood thriller that has so much going for it: it’s involving, energetic, and never talks down to the audience. The film’s core strength, however, is its premise; it presents the audience with a true nightmare (having a loved one kidnapped and no one being able to help you) and takes off from there with turn after terrifying turn. Breakdown is a suspenser that never comes around anymore; the kind which gets the adrenaline going in audiences and takes them on a ride that features shades of both Duel and The Lady Vanisheswhile remaining its own story. The hallmark of a good thriller is whether or not the thrills still hit the mark on repeat viewings, and thanks to not only Kurt Russell’s trademark commitment as the film’s lead, but the movie’s manic vibes throughout, Breakdown remains a wild ride through and through.
While those films scored with those who saw them enough to be considered classics to this day (admittedly to varying degrees), that month 20 years ago was not without its disappointments. The comedies Father’s Day, Addicted to Love, and Gone Fishin’ were all original properties that critically or commercially tanked, showing that perhaps the well was running a bit dry. Yet none stunk as badly as the barely watchable The Lost World: Jurassic Park, May ‘97’s lone sequel. What was once considered the summer’s most anticipated film quickly became the most lambasted and (justly) criticized, despite turning a profit.
The following year’s varied lineup of Deep Impact, Les Miserables, Bulworth, and Hope Floats were all unique properties which catered to wildly different audiences and reaped various kinds of rewards for doing so. Meanwhile, Godzilla (released in the same month following a high-profile marketing campaign) made a nice bundle for the studio, but suffered from bad word of mouth. The remake instantly became the go-to movie to hate, yet signified a Hollywood which was starting to become hell-bent on seeing this trend of resurrecting former properties succeed no matter what.
Twenty years later, films like Austin Powers and Fifth Element have become the exception while the Godzillas have sadly become the norm. The original movie has been replaced by sure-fire properties with enough of a spin that mixes both familiarity and freshness (or so studios claim) in an effort to please every single kind of moviegoer out there. At least that’s certainly the case by the likes of the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and Baywatch (which still sounds like a bad joke).
The original movie has shown itself this month in the comedy Snatched. But one can argue that that film only exists as a product of Amy Schumer’s popularity, while also doing double duty as Goldie Hawn’s comeback vehicle. Nevertheless, Snatched remains the month’s only high profile non-franchise entry. There are other titles like the morality thriller The Dinner, which back in the day would have surely found its way into wide release, but in the Marvel age, must settle for arthouse status.
While there have certainly been a handful of recent original properties that have been chosen to kick off past summers, none have motivated studios nor audiences to take chances. Tomorrowland felt like a movie that never happened, while Aloha IS as bad as many claimed it to be. Even the original properties which do succeed on their way toward becoming franchises don’t inspire confidence thanks to shoddy scripts and one-joke plots, such as Neighbors and San Andreas. Finally, there are the times when studios will sloppily try and disguise an existing property as an original like in the case of Maleficent, which audiences readily bought.
Yet the last couple of years have proven that all is not lost when it comes to originality at the movies. In fact a number of titles have reflected that same kind of stand-alone storytelling of that same May 20 years ago more than some would think. Money Monster wonderfully echoed Breakdown’s counter-programming efforts by existing as an entertaining thriller, while Edge of Tomorrow instantly became a new sci-fi classic in a manner not unlike The Fifth Element, and Seth MacFarlane’s A Million Ways to Die in the West took cues from Austin Powers as it lovingly sent up the Western genre. While most one-of-a-kind efforts must now settle for cult classic status a la The Nice Guys, the landscape shows that there’s still a glimmer of hope out there. But this May begs the question: How much longer will it last?
