Today I found myself thinking about big budget studio movies (intended blockbusters). Typically if I am anywhere on the ‘it’s ok’ to ‘I hated it’ track I will hear “why can’t you just turn your brain off and like the movie?”. The answer is that I can turn my brain off- kind of.
I can be entertained by a stupid movie. For example, Furious 7 I gave a B and that is a definite turn your brain off movie. Fast and Furious Tokyo Drift on the other hand would get a D and I was not able to turn my brain off for that one. What’s the difference?
I don’t know…
Why did Amazing Spiderman 2 drive me nuts but Guardians of the Galaxy dazzled me? On an individual level I can explain it. AS2 was cluttered, poorly written and felt like it wasn’t trying to make a good movie just preparing for the sequel. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone were pretty good but I found Jaimie Fox to be unconvincing as a villain and nothing else engaged me in the story.
Guardians in contrast is about a group of vigilantes who each have a backstory that is interesting, with good writing, small nods and puzzle pieces to the MCU, great music, and likable characters. It has a lot of smaller roles that are done very well with great actors like John C. Reilly, Glen Close and Benicio Del Torro. I also loved Gamora and Nebulla and felt their stories had real heart (as well as Starlord and his mother). It was something new and different and very funny too. For me it had enough layers to not be a ‘turn off your brain’ movie but again a space opera adventure mystery.
I don’t want to get too bogged down on individual movies but that’s just an example of why one version I could enjoy and another didn’t work.
I know a lot of the turn off your brain movies I don’t like don’t deliver what they are promising. Lone Ranger for instance was sold as a fun Western movie . We knew the show and wanted something like Mask of Zorro with Antonio Banderas. Instead we got a tedious story of unlikable characters arguing. It’s also insanely long and the attempts at humor fall flat. It was a brutal time at the movies.
Furious 7 on the other hand worked because it has likable characters, it never stops with the silly action and the humor works. It never takes itself too seriously. In contrast, the Transformers movies have action that is supposed to be epic but feels plodding, terrible dialogue, unlikable characters, pointless explosions and it feels so long. It wears out my patience.
I think the key is the pacing, likable actors, new special effects, and not too much that is cringe-worthy. I can ignore some bad dialogue or plot holes but give me bad dialogue, plot holes and be 3 hours long you are pushing it. I could ignore a lame romance or cliched character but give me lame romance, cliched characters and boring special effects or bad dialogue forget it.
A movie like Jurassic World has just enough of the likable aspects for me to give it a pass but not enough for me to LOVE it like some people.
It’s like I have some kind of scale in my brain where I tick off good things and bad things and overall I walk away either liking it, thinking its ok, or loving it. Here’s what I came up with:
That’s the best I can think of to explain why some movies work for me and others don’t. It can have the silliness. It can have items on both sides of this chart but when it tips the balance on the left side and not enough of the right it’s a problem.
So I’m not really turning off my brain but ignoring my brain. I’m certainly aware of all the bad things in a movie. My brain knows the flaws of a film (no perfect movie) but there’s enough good things to still be entertained, even enamored with a movie.
What do you guys think? Can you turn off your brain for a movie? What’s the factor in allowing that to happen and not? What would you have on your chart? What’s a turn off your brain movie you like and one you hated?
Reblogged this on Smilingldsgirl's Weblog and commented:
Can you turn your brain off for a movie? An essay I wrote on the movie blog you guys should check out.
For me, I think it boils down to intentions. What is the intention of the movie, of the filmmakers? If it’s obvious that they are intending to make a “good” movie, but I can blatantly see that they’re failing at it, then I get annoyed/upset with the movie.
If they know that their movie is bad and are intending to make it a movie that’s not even going to be considered for an Academy Award, rather just making a movie for the audience to have fun with, then I can enjoy it (if I like the movie).
The hard part is that it’s hard to judge intentions. As a rule, I never judge people’s intentions, but I do allow myself to judge a movie’s intentions. For the most part, I think I judge them well, but one can never know.
Yeah I think that is a definite factor but then again some of the worst movies ever made people thought they were making Oscar movies like every M Night Shyamalan. He thinks he’s brilliant and the movies are masterpieces….and they are the worst. Same with George Lucas.
I just know movies that others say ‘turn off your brain’ sometimes I can and sometimes I can’t. Maybe I’m just in a good mood on those days? 🙂
Yeah, that’s my point. If someone is making a movie with the intention of it being an Oscar-caliber movie and I clearly feel that it’s so below that, then I’ll get upset with the movie.
That totally makes sense. I agree.
I know what you are saying though about the movies intentions. It is good to ask the question ‘is it doing what it set out to do?’. Like if it is a family comedy is it doing a good job being a family comedy or is it too scary or whatever.
But there does seem to be a particular type of movie that people say ‘can’t you just turn off your brain?’ and my response is- it depends. I can if there is enough on the plus side of that chart I made up. Like with Furious 7 there was enough charismatic stars, crazy stunts and humor for me to turn off the brain during the insane plot. So it is up to the movie if I can turn my brain off or not. 🙂
Well, I personally feel that the intention of a movie like Furious 7 is to entertain and have its audience turn their heads off, so it’s doing exactly what it intended to do, so I don’t have a problem with it.
yeah but sometimes I can do it and other times I can’t. Like Fast and Furious Tokyo Drift is terrible. It’s not even fun entertaining. So sometimes I can, sometimes I can’t. Sometimes the ‘turn your brain off’ is an excuse for a bad lazy movie. Other times it is a legitimately fun movie with an engaging cast, good stunts, good laugh etc. It has to have something to draw me in. Turning off your brain can only take you so far in enjoying a movie.
What’s a movie you know is dopey and stupid but you ‘turn off your brain’ and like?
Hmm…The Mortal Instruments probably.
Cool. Havent seen that one. Two recent ones for me would be Furious 7 and Jupiter Ascending. They were over the top enough to make me laugh. They were in on the joke and I had fun with them.
I disagree on Guardians I didn`t like it at all…. Can`t understand the fuss
You’ll have a pal in my friend Kirksroom who comments on this blog. 😉
But try not to get too caught up in the examples I am using and think about the broader point. We all have those movies that we can ignore the flaws and others that it drives us crazy. We are all told ‘why can’ t you just turn off your brain and enjoy the movie’. Sometimes we can, sometimes we can’t. That’s what I was trying to say using examples from my life.
I know some people don’t like Guardians but I think I explained why I liked it in the post so would just be repeating myself.
What’s a movie that you ‘turn your brain off’ and enjoy?