What Makes a Movie Great?

movie-screenThere are movies, and then there are great movies. Sometimes these great movies are predicted to be great and live up to their expectations, and other times and underdog will come out of nowhere and make a giant name for itself.

There’s a lot that separates a great movie from a mediocre movie or even a bad movie. So how do you know if a movie is going to be worth your time? The following information will help you decide.

The actors.

There are certain actors that do a magnificent job on screen, and if the movie you’re about to see has a great actor, then it’s likely that the movie will be great. Seasoned actors can portray a variety of roles brilliantly, and they may make the movie more believable and more entertaining.

The story.

It seems as if screenwriters are becoming lazy and not coming up with new and creative stories of their own. Instead, movie sequels are being made or the same stories are being made under a different title. If the story is the same as movies past, then it’s not going to be good. But if a movie comes out with a different and unique story, then it’s more likely that it will be a great movie.

The technology.

When movie studios use great technology to create their movies, then it has the ability to be a great movie. Great action scenes, brilliant 3D effects or any other technology innovation that was used to create the movie can make it stand out from others of its kind and make it great. Avatar was a great movie because of the creativity of 3D.

The emotion.

Along with the actors, the story and the technology, another factor that makes a story great is the emotion that it makes you feel. If a movie can make you feel something so passionately, whether it’s love, hate, frustration or any other emotion, it’s a sign of a great movie. Movies are meant to make you feel, and if you don’t feel anything, especially passionately, then the movie is nothing to write home about.

The ratings.

Although movie ratings are just a matter of opinion, there is still something to be said about a movie that receives great reviews from everyone who saw it. A movie that can inspire reviewers to write about how brilliant the story and the acting were and how it instilled emotions in them and touched on a subject so creatively is something that separates the great movies from the mediocre. When the majority (if not all) of the movie reviews you read are phenomenal, there’s a very good chance that you will also think the movie is great.

Ultimately you get to decide whether or not you think a movie was great, and the way you decide this is by determining if the movie lived up to your own expectations and standards and passed the bar you have set.

Julie Myers is a freelance writer who often writes movie reviews.  She recently wrote about some great family movies about dogs.