Most blockbusters are fantasy or science fiction. There's "Warcraft", "Star Wars", the Ninja Turtles sequel and many others. These kinds of experiences are valuable, because they show situations that don't happen in real life. A lot of money is put into these productions, but they make a lot of money and command a lot of attention.
That isn't to say that small films have less merit. Many of them are looked upon even more favorably. It's interesting to note that when these movies work, they do it by being true to life. Independent movies don't have CGI budgets, but ultimately, that's not what we go to see.
Classic Movie Trailers: Clerks (1994)
In my opinion, there are two types of fictional entertainment. Escape fiction takes us to another time or place; some of the settings are more plausible than others, but the rules of this reality need not apply. Investigative fiction shows life under a microscope; it illuminates the human world, rather than distract from it.
These stories appeal to us in different ways. In Escape, we want to excite our imaginations. If we want to watch something that's more down to earth, we're searching for situations we can relate to.
That isn't to say that superhero epics aren't relatable. "Spider-Man" opened with a very human story. We don't fight super villains or swing on webs, but we do get bullied, we do scrape for cash and we have trouble talking to a secret crush. Despite all of these very common elements, the fantasy part of the story is the main attraction.
When we sit down with "Clerks", it shows us the familiar. The situation is ordinary, even if the plot points aren't. We've all been called in to work plenty of times, but we don't have the days that Dante has. Maybe you've had weird customers and everything goes wrong, but really, we don't have the days that Dante has.
How many girlfriends are so loving and so brutal? How many best friends are painfully irresponsible? How many drug dealers walk into your shop? Are they just as funny in your neighborhood?
Of course, there is Dante himself, and that man has a pair of ball bearings. In a pinch, he'll let anybody fill in, and he also has the gall to throw a party on the roof. For things to go seriously, terribly wrong, you need a guy to take on ridiculous risks. So if you want to cook up a recipe for disaster, hire Dante and enjoy the epic failure.
The focus of "Clerks" is everyday life, and that's the main attraction we're paying for. Still, it aims to be a little over the top, which is the reason why it's as good as it is. A fantasy needs to ground itself and relate to the audience, but a worldly comedy needs to push the boundaries. Each type of fiction serves what audiences want, so they do use the same ingredients, at vastly different quantities.
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@ChannelSeals
See: "Clerks" on Netflix!
Next week: "2001: A Space Odyssey"
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