Mike's Musings: The Best Worlds

I've found that the best movies take place in worlds so immerse that I wish I could touch the screen and get sucked into it.  I love movies that just seem to whisper "Explore Me!"  Not all movies have this quality, even the good ones (as much as I like "Saving Private Ryan," it's a movie I'd rather experience from a safe distance).  Believe it or not, "Brotherhood of the Wolf" will not be appearing on this list.  It's a great movie, but due to the nature of the story, the world it inhabits isn't as inventive or expansive.

So here are the five movies (or in most cases, franchises) that I would love to visit and explore...

5. Heat: This may seem like an odd entry for this list, since it takes place in our reality, but let me explain.  Not only is everyone (based on the evidence) intelligent, thoughtful and unique, Michael Mann created a vision of Los Angeles that is vividly realized.  I got a sense of how his LA worked and how segment of society lived.  Not many movies can make that claim.

4. Star Trek: A no brainer.  I'm a huge sci-fi buff, and the colorful crew of Pine's Captain Kirk and Quinto's Spock is a group of people that I'd love to hang out and go on adventures with.  The world that Gene Roddenbery and J.J. Abrams created is terrifically appealing, and the exporation-themed nature of the story appeals to me deeply.

3. Harry Potter.  I've been a Harry Potter fan ever since I picked up the first book.  Admittedly, the first book was a little slow going at first, but it wasn't long before I got hooked (actually, I didn't read it from cover to cover until the second time I opened the pages).  But J.K. Rowling created a secret, magical world that was quirky, weird and meticulously created.  I remember talking to people and wishing that I'd get a letter from Hogwarts and having debates about this character and that.  The films aren't as imaginative, but they're still entertaining enough that it's a pleasure to see them brought to life.

2. The Lord of the Rings:  I couldn't get through the books by J.R.R. Tolkien, but I was entranced by Peter Jackson's vision from frame one.  Like Rowling, Jackson didn't settle on merely telling the story, but bringing Tolkien's world to life.  Anyone who watches the movies will see that this is a place of life, history and depth.  Jackson finds the perfect note in creating Middle Earth.  There's always stuff going off screen that has nothing to do with the story, and I want to see it all!

1. Star Wars:  Is there really any contest?  George Lucas created a world of infinite expanse and potential.  It's gorgeously imagined and a feast for the eyes.  This is one of the reasons why I'm excited for the "Star Wars" sequels: there's so much of the world that Lucas didn't get a chance to explore.  While I was disappointed that Disney got their hands on LucasFilm considering what they did to "John Carter" and "The Lone Ranger," I was relieved when they picked Kathleen Kennedy, one of the smartest people in Hollywood (and frequent collaborator of Steven Spielberg) to run it.  I cannot wait!

Comments

  1. venomAugust 27, 2014 at 1:52 PM

    Meh, I think Star Wars and LOTR are pretty overrated(especially the latter).

    ReplyDelete

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