Looks Are Only 16 MM Deep

Now here's a good debate. Which of these is more important in a movie, the movies look or the movies story? First of all I'm going to say I'm way more concerned with a movies story than its look, and here is why people:

Look with an Average or Terrible Storyline / Script!

Several movies have become famed for their look above everything else. The first example I want to use here is Tron.

http://www.videowrestling.com/img/tron.jpg

Now when this came out, it was considered revolutionary. People were thinking that this movie would break down barrier. Now to a certain extent, this film was ok, but did it live up to the hype? I'm afraid not. The film was average at best, and simply was just an excuse for us to all see some fancy graphics on the screen for a while. It has become one of those films we all remember very fondly, but then when re watching it we fall asleep, because the graphics no longer impress us and we see the film for what it is...a damp squid. Now on to the Star Wars Prequels:

http://www.star-wars-prequel.de/kinoplakat.jpg

I'm afraid that the Star Wars Prequels just had to go in to this category. If ever a set of movies were concerned more with look than storyline, when they promised to be so much the other way round, these are good contenders. Admittedly things did improve by the second prequel (and hopefully will further still with the third), however the sad fact of the matter is that none of the prequels so far have managed to top or equal any of the original movies in terms of storyline. Sure we have had some marvellous battles, and lightsaber fights, but so did the original trilogy. What this trilogy has lacked is both catchy and realistic dialogue (compare Yoda in the originals to this, and even he's not as good), and a storyline where we care about the galaxy at stake. Most of the main Jedi we have seen in these prequels has lacked humour, and are very stilted. Of course this is how Jedi were in those days, but even in the originals Obi Wan and Yoda both had humour and emotion in their dialogue. Ewan Mcgregors Obi Wan did improve slightly in Episode II, but he was about the only character in the movie that managed to stop being stilted, apart from the rare occassions that Padme or Anakin made a joke. The non Jedi characters are much the same, and all credit to Lucas for trying to make this trilogy "diffferent", and for trying to show that the Republic was a more peaceful and politically minded place, but in terms of entertainment and caring about the characters the prequel trilogy has failed. Some would say the political underlyings and Palpatines rise to power is a deeper story, and to that I say, yes. I however must also say that had Lucas wrote the script with a bit more "fun" and "emotion" added in to what we saw, then it could have helped to make the characters connect that much better. Sure, I like everyone am eager to see Revenge of the Sith, and to finally after all these years see Anakin turn to the Dark Side, but will I care as much for the fate of Padme as I did Leia, or be desperately waiting to see Obi Wan and Mace Windu be the heroes as much as I did Luke Skywalker and Han Solo? In the words of Star Wars itself "I have a bad feeling about this"... Next up we have Barberella:

http://barbarella.mon-oueb.com/posters/images/posters-01.jpg

 After finally seeing this so called "classic" a few days ago I was disappointed. Sure the movie looked great (in fact it looked a lot like Flash Gordon which would end up being made by the same producer), but was the storyline entertaining? I'm afraid not. Barbarella goes from one dodgy planet to another in this flick, and meets a bunch of weird characters who all act very badly. Apparently the universe was in danger, but did I care!?! Absolutely not! Did I dig all those trippy 60's outfits and lava lamp background effects? Sure they were great, but at the end of the day am I going to watch this over and over, I doubt it! Lastly for those who will say I'm just being mean at this and I shouldn't expect much because it is camp sci fi, I think you should check out Flash Gordon it does a similar inase storyline, but actually makes the movie entertaining with some great characters and script! Now on to the fantasy Legend:

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000063UR2.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

 Ah now this was just complete and utter style over substance. This movie was beautifully shot and directed by Ridley Scott, and the look we saw in this movie was no doubt some of the best fantasy effects / location / costume / make up work we had ever seen. They forgot one vital element though, and that was the story! The whole film centres around a young Tom Cruise trying to save his true love and rid the world of Darkness. This could have been epic, but instead we have damp acting by the main players (apart from Curry, the movies one saving grace), and some very slow sections where the camera just lingers on the set that looks like a Timotei advert! It's almost as if Ridley Scott said "You know what this film is just an art piece, so let's just treat it like one". We could have had deeper characterisation here, we could have had some more enthusiasm from Mia Sara and Cruise, we could have had some decent dialogue in the script, but instead we just end up with a beautiful looking film with one cool character played by Tim Curry and nothing else. Truly a missed opportunity if there ever was one... Now I know what you're all thinking, so far I have only picked on fantasy movies right? Well lets pick another movie where the look has become so well recognised it has transcended the movie itself and descended in to popular culture. This movie's images have appeared on girls handbags, and in coffee shops all over the world. I am of course talking about the romance Breakfast at Tiffany's:

http://www.moviepostershop.com/item_lrg/mov1492.jpg

Now I'm sorry if I'm going to offend anyone here, but this movie was plain dull. Yes Audrey Hepburn had an inconic look in it, and yes New York looked extremely pretty, and yes Cat being soaked in the rain, was oh so cute, but god damn it, this movie was about nothing! Me and Rob sat there and watched this so called classic and we just fell asleep. Bear in mind we're the insomniacs here! The film was so bad, that the most entertaining scene was Tiffany stealing a mask from a store. By the end of the movie I knew nothing more about any of the characters than I knew at the beginning. I didn't care if she got together with the guy, I didn't care about her cat, and I didn't laugh at the guy pretending to be Chinese! If you want to see Audrey Hepburn act and get touched emotionally and intellectually, watch My Fair Lady, if you want to have some fashion tips for the 50's / 60's period see this. Otherwise it has no use!

Movies With A Brilliant Storyline That Have Looks As A Bonus!

So now that we've had some examples of look but no story, lets go the polar opposite here, and suggest some Story But No Or Little Look examples that turned out pretty darn good! First up we have The Breakfast Club:

http://www2.bc.edu/~yanno/Breakfast%20Club.jpg

Now if ever there was a film that focussed on dialogue, characters, a story, then this is a good example. This film had virtually no redeeming features in look. Most of the film is set in a library, with no clever camera shots, iconic costumes, or sweeping backgrounds to stun the audience. All this film relies upon is your love and curiosity about these characters. Although the film is described as a comedy it is actually a deeply intelligent look at our typical stereotypes we see in a high school. We want to know exactly why Judd Nelson's Bender is so cocky, we are eager to find out just what is going on with Ally Sheedy's Alison, and we're geuinely tense when Anthony Michael Hall's Brian reveals what was in his locker. The film ends with the characters having developed, and us desperately wanting to see them some more. If John Hughes wanted to he could easily sell out and write a sequel script to this classic but he won't because he knows it can't be topped in terms of how the characters acted or are developed. If some of the movies above had tried to deepen their characters half as much as this movie, they may have been a lot better. Next up we have Cube:

http://www.eyz-kino.de/alt/filme/cube/poster.jpg

Again although this movie did have more of a look than the previous one, it was still not a revolutionary look. The whole film used just one set, but what set it apart was its story. Here was a film not where we wacthed it for the action or the cool effects (even though there were a couple of great shots in there), we watched this because first of all we wanted to know what the fuck is the cube?!? Then we got hooked in the characters, we didn't know who was going to survive and who wasn't. Characters developed as the film progressed, and we did not know who would turn what way. Lines were never corny in this movie, and for once we had some serious grown up sci fi which actually seemed realistic. Then we had the ending, which again left us gasping for more! Now another classic Reservoir Dogs:

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Some people may disagree with me here, and say surely this movie was as memorable for its violence, its camera angles, the suits the guys wear etc. Well just think of it this way, if this movie was made with out Tarantinos dialogue, and with out the characters being so deep, and without the cleverness of disjointed time zones in the storyline, and without the double crossing, and bonding we see between these criminals, but still with all that snazzy look, would it have been as good? I doubt it. The fact is that even though this film does have a certain iconic look, its a film where they didnt spend millions of dollars doing it. Tarantino never tried to distract you in the movie by creating a cool scene involving some tricky camera angles, instead he used these said tricky angles to make the scene even more intriging to what was already a strong script. At the heart of Tarantinos movie was a story and script that can be enjoyed and watched over and over. In short you may watch this movie because you have heard about the violence, and its one of those films where the look has gone down in history (even though it wasn't expensive), but what you remember from the movie more than anything is the story, the dialogue, and that powerful ending which focuses purely on Harvey Keitel and Tim Roth, and leaves us on the edge of our seats every time. So there we have it, I have now argued the case for look over film, and now I want to know what you guys think. Does anyone truly think that looks are THE most important thing in a movie, above any sense of an intelligent script, and storyline that is acted well by those involved. If so I want to know, and defend your case!