Are Steven Spielberg and George Lucas prescient? Or have they seen the rest of the summer’s blockbuster releases? The duo said at a USC unveiling this week that Hollywood would go through a drastic change after three or four blockbusters, costing $250 million or more, blew up in studios’ faces. So far, “Jack and the Beanstalk” would be number 1, a total disaster. “After Earth” would be number 2 on the list. It’s a total dud.
“Man of Steel” would be number 3, with a teetering 60% approval rating of critics and frankly, a mind numbing plot. Coming directly after are “World War Z,” “White House Down,” and “The Lone Ranger.” So far the only blockbusters that worked were “Iron Man 3” and “Star Trek: Into the Darkness.” I’ve seen “World War Z” and it’s pretty good after producers reshot at least half the film. The result is that movie actually makes sense and has a third act.
But the others are all problematic. “The Lone Ranger,” especially looms large, especially after Disney’s “John Carter” did so badly last year.
One thing Lucas said in his comments that I have to take issue with. He and Spielberg talked about “Lincoln” almost going to HBO and Lucas’s “Red Tails” not doing well. I’m a huge Lucas fan but “Red Tails” was a terrible movie. And it lost all its movie because of that. So I don’t think “Red Tails” can be considered part of the conversation.
