Christopher Nolan's "Inception," starring Leonardo DiCaprio and opening Friday, is a truly atypical Hollywood summer blockbuster. In the early buzz surrounding the film, critics seem to agree that "Inception" works both as entertainment and an intelligent work of art -- it's a film with as many ideas as thrills. It appears to be proof that not all big-budget summer movies have to be mind-numbing, crass and/or the cinematic equivalent of fireworks.
Why are most big-budget summer movies so dumb? Well, these movies are ridiculously expensive, and the studios want a substantial return on their investment, so they try to cater to the broadest audience possible -- usually resulting in the movie's IQ taking a nosedive to Stupidville.
In 2010, this practice actually seems to be hurting the box office. Yeah, "Iron Man 2" made truckloads of cash (in other shocking news, rain is wet), as did the fourth "Shrek" movie (no more, please) and the third entry in the "Twilight" series (long-term life goal: avoid these movies at all costs). But "Sex and the City 2," "Robin Hood," "Marmaduke," "Prince of Persia," "The A-Team," "Knight and Day" and "The Last Airbender" have all underperformed, not to mention the tepid reviews most of them received. Maybe we're finally getting sick of just being marketed to rather than being told a thought-provoking story. The sole bright spot thus far this summer has been the wonderful "Toy Story 3," but Pixar is the most trusted studio in the game right now, the exception that proves the rule.
A movie like "Inception" comes about rarely: It's an original story, not based off a preexisting property, and has been a brewing passion project for its filmmaker, with a reported $200 million budget. All moviegoers should be excited about it, especially if they're sick of the mindless entertainment usually reserved for this most humid and AC-addled time of year.
How in the wide world of sports does a smart summer blockbuster ever get made? The answer is complex, but besides pure luck and circumstances, mostly it happens for similar reasons to how "Inception" came to fruition.
"The Dark Knight," Nolan's previous film, is the third-highest domestic grossing film of all time at $533 million, behind James Cameron's juggernauts "Titanic" and "Avatar." That sequel to Nolan's "Batman Begins" was so popular that Warner Bros. essentially gave him an open checkbook to make the film he always wanted. Nolan chose to make a movie exploring science-fiction elements of dreams (as in, the ability to enter someone else's) and the very notion of ideas (planting or stealing them from a person's subconscious).
Now "Inception" is upon us, and audiences will hopefully flock to the film to vote yes on smart summer movies. Dumb fun can be just that -- dumb fun. And that's fine. But it doesn't have to be the norm. Here are 12 other strong examples of smart summer blockbusters (not counting 1999's "The Matrix," which came out in March), beginning with the granddaddy of them all -- "Jaws," the film responsible for what we now know as the summer movie season.
Smart blockbusters like these are few and far between. Only a select few directors have been able to make these movies -- those who had the clout and passion to see their visions through while overcoming studio interference.
