Club 50 Wrap-Up: 2007

Years Completed:
1989 | 1995 | 2001 | 2003 | 2007 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013

Ah, the summer of sequels. This was the first summer that I really tracked what was coming out closely. It was a huge summer for sequels. 10 of the 12 sequels on the list were summer movies. Oddly, 6 of those were third installments (Hollywood loves a trilogy). So far, 14 of the movies that year have had sequels (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen), continuations (The Bourne Legacy), or reboots (The Amazing Spider-Man).

It wasn't a particularly great year for Oscar nominees as only 3 of the 5 nominees made the top 50: eventual winner No Country for Old Men, Juno, and barely Atonement). Granted, Michael Clayton (#55) and There Will Be Blood (#66) weren't far off.

I think the most remarkable thing about the year was how the studios found a way to be a little more experimental with a lot of safe choices. There's a PG-13 Die Hard movie. MGM does a Halloween remake and gives it to an unconventional filmmaker like Rob Zombie. Paramount makes a movie about the original epic, Beowulf but shoots it in a strange style. Disney nearly bites the hand that feeds it with Enchanted. I Am Legend is a blockbuster with virtually no cast. The Simpsons finally make a movie a decade past their cultural apex. Ratatouille and Meet the Robinsons were quietly fantastic, despite looking a little too strange to hit big. We're so used to 300 now, that we forget how it was a gamble to use that distinct Zach Snyder visual style on a big budget, unproven property at the time. These were all calculated risks, but not really that risky. Hell, could Seth Rogen really headline a movie (Knocked Up)? Is a return to fat suits really all it would take to make an Eddie Murphy movie profitable again (Norbit)? Does the Jerry Seinfeld brand carry any value still (Bee Movie)? Not all the answers were "yes" but it's easy to see how the studios didn't look at them as gambles.
The more I think about it, I'd really like to dig into this year a little more some time.

To wind down each year as I complete them, I'm going to hand out a few superlatives or anecdotal awards to highlight some of the highs and lows of the year's top 50 box office earners.

First Seen: The Da Vinci Code

It's hard to remember a time when it would take me until May to see a movie in theaters. I can't say I'm surprised by how quickly this has been forgotten. It was nice to see Audrey Tautou show up in an American movie though.

Last Seen: TMNT

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles just about top the list of things from my childhood that I shouldn't try to investigate too deeply. Some things are sturdy and hold up well (E.T., Star Wars, Disney animated movies). Others were probably only so good because I was young. It's why I'll never hunt down more episodes of The Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog. After the new live action movie last year and finally seeing this, I realize there's not much to this franchise. It's the same story on repeat, hitting the exact same beats each time.

Happiest Surprise: Meet the Robinsons

In terms of movies that exceeded my expectations, this is the best I can think of for the high grossing ones. There's Ocean's Thirteen redeeming the series after a disappointing second outing. Transformers really shouldn't've been as enjoyable as it was (just look at the sequels). Rataouille was another case of Pixar working magic out of a less appealing concept. Meet the Robinsons though, is at a different level. It was a gem in the middle of a very unremarkable period for Disney Animation. As a result, it's been largely overlooked. So, when I got around to watching it, it blew me away.

Biggest Disappointment: Spider-Man 3

It's not that it was awful. I still like it more than either of the Andrew Garfield movies. The issue is that it's overstuffed (Venom should've be a villain for a fourth movie, not forced into this) and too much of the campiness that worked so well in Spider-Man 2 dipped into outright silliness. This was one of the few high expectation movies I had for that year and it fell way short of any of them.

Looked Better Then: 300

It was tough to pick between this and Juno. Juno was so acutely aware that it was a quirky indie movie that it hurts to watch at times. It had some great performances, specifically Ellen Page, which keep it elevated above what it probably should be. 300, however, is a movie that launched a thousand imitators. The quotes have largely become jokes and the recent sequel hasn't helped combat the notion that the movie did one thing well (It looked cool) and nothing else.

Looks Better Now: Ratatouille

I was tempted to put The Bourne Ultimatum here since it's the most fondly remembered of the Bourne movies (although, ironically enough, I don't remember it at all. Was Julia Stiles in that one?). Instead, I'll stick with Rataouille. It's still pretty remarkable that this made $200 million in the box office. It's yet another reminder of how much better Pixar is at things than the rest of us.

Favorite: Superbad

This is my second favorite movie of all time. Of course it's going to be my favorite for this year. I could go on and on and on about all the things I love about this movie. I won't, but just know that I could and happily would.

2nd Favorite: Knocked Up

Remember when you didn't know who Seth Rogen was? Me neither. Blame this movie (and kind of Superbad too). This is such a ridiculously good cast. It's also the first case of Judd Apatow not knowing how to cut down the length of his movies. But when they're this funny, why would you?

3rd Favorite: Meet the Robinsons

It doesn't even matter that I knew what the "twist" was within the first couple minutes. This is an unbelievably sweet movie and one of the most optimistic movies I've ever seen. One of the finest things to come out of Disney Animation studios.

Honorable Mention:

Transformers

I love the hell out of this movie. It's big. It's fun. It's funny. This is all the things that Michael Bay does right. It's a shame all the sequels have been so lackluster.

Enchanted

Amy Adams IS a Disney Princess. This still might be her best role yet. Ok, it's not. That's because she's so great in general though, not because she isn't delightful in Enchanted.

Ratatouille

This, followed by Wall-E followed by Up might be Pixar's best run of movies yet, which is saying a lot.

Ocean's Thirteen

Twelve got way too big. Thirteen brought the series back to what it did best: robbing casinos. Throw in Al Pacino and what's there to complain about?

Least Favorite: Ghost Rider

This was a bad year creatively for Marvel. I could've easily gone with the massively disappointing Spider-Man 3 or the painfully dull Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. I settled on Ghost Rider for just being laughably bad. Nic Cage was miscast. The CGI has aged horribly. The story is gibberish. This is a no good Marvel movie.