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Epic truly is to small!May 13 '05 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line I love the epic, so you can imagine how much I love these movies! Ah the epic. How sweet those words are to me. I love epics. Very few things combine the greatness of Drama and the greatness of action so well. Not only that, it appeals to that wonderful little bone in my body that just loves big battles and lots of large, dirty men charging at each other. They're great films. But some epics simply really suck. The awfulness of Heaven's Gate and Alexander are now legend in the film industry. But the good ones…. ah, the good ones are among the best films ever made. So here they are. My top ten list of all time favorite epics. 10Spartacus: Ah, Spartacus. One of the first true epics ever done. This story centers on a Greek Slave named Spartacus. He is forced to become a Gladiator against his will, and is abused in nearly every way possible. Soon, he decides to lead a heroic rebellion against the Roman oppressors. Ah now that is a great concept for a great movie. Spartacus is a complicated, but passionate man that we cannot but love. The battles are cool, and definitely get the blood roiling. And Kubrick's beautiful and perfect direction gives it just the masterful touches. A great film that should be talked about for ages to come. 9Excalibur: Easily the best movie ever made on the life of that great historical figure, Arthur of Camelot. This movie details his rise to power, as King Uther dies and the kingdom is thrown in to chaos, only to be saved by the young King's ascension to the throne. It then details Arthur's fall from power and grace, as he searches for the Holy Grail, and the sins of his past come back to haunt him. Original and artistic, it might be too much for some people. And that's a pity because it truly is a fantastic movie. A very creative look at Arthur, yet still faithful to the excellent source material. Great film. 8Empire Strikes Back : This epic movie falls under the Sci Fi category also, but I felt it just needed to be included. My list would not be complete without it. This film is about young Luke Skywalker as he struggles against the evil Galactic Empire, and his own internal struggles against the growing temptation of darkness. Great, geeky action sequences that are plain popcorn eating fun are just half the movie. There is also fantastic internal and spiritual that grounds the movie in everyday themes and worries. The special effects still look stunning today, and the dialogue remains fresh. And the best part is that it ends with a real shocker of an ending (though it is sadly very well known today), that sets itself right up for a sequel. A must see. 7Princess Mononoke: All right, all right. It's animated I know. But I don't care. It deserves to be on the list. This is the masterpiece of animation, the best thing to ever come out of it. The main character is a prince who is cursed with a hatred that will eat him alive. He journeys west to see what is the cause, only to find that hatred and war are prevalent in all of Japan, not just his soul. This beautiful movie has it all. Great action sequences. Fantastic Japanese music. Stunning animation by Hayao Miyazaki. But above all, like most great films, it is really the characters and the plot that drives it foreword and makes it something more. No one I know has ever said anything but praise about this movie, and my god, does it deserve it. 6: Paths of Glory : Not really an epic, but I have no choice. It needs to be here. This film is about French soldiers fighting on the western front during W.W.1. An attack on the nefarious Ant hill goes awry, and someone needs to take the blame. The French General in charge decides to have three members of the brave men charged for cowardice, under penalty of death. This film features only one, particularly long battle. However, it is the film's analysis of war and warfare that makes it great. The film shows the fruitlessness of it, and waste. It shows that in the end, most wars are fought by foolish men who will throw away the lives with ease of those who have nothing to gain by battle. A masterpiece. 5 Kingdom of Heaven : This film was only recently released, so I may take some heat for including it so high on the list. But it deserves it. This film is excellent. Young Balian sets of on a quest to the Holy Land in order to find spiritual and moral fulfillment in the so-called "Kingdom of Heaven". What he finds instead is war, religious strife, and a beautiful king rotting away from leprosy. This film is very complex and difficult to analyze, but is great all the way through. The characters are very complex, and some, like the King of the Holy Land, are fascinating. The plot really makes you think, and saddens you. And the battle sequences are stunning to look at, and sparkle of realism. And the acting from Jeremy Irons, Liam Neeson, and even Orlando Bloom is all phenomenal. 4: The Lord of the Rings-The Fellowship of the Ring: No surprise there. What list would be complete without it? This movie is the tale of young Frodo Baggins. He lives a good life in a hobbit hole, with all the comforts he could want. Then, one day, his friend Gandalf comes and tells him that he has the ring of power, and that if he does not act the world will be destroyed. This great film really relies heavily on the great script. The dialogue is deep, heartwarming and tragic. Lines like "All you need to do is decide what to do with the time that is given to you." are hopeful and lovely. The battles are also as epic as they come, with a huge one so mammoth the first time I saw it I thought I was going mad. And the acting, oh, don’t even get me started. Everyone does such a great job; it is difficult to put into words. Excellent. 3:The Lion in Winter : This epic/drama is one of the most powerful and intelligent history films ever done. Set in the 1100's during the reign of Henry II, it details how he rose to power, and then realized only after the cost that it brings. He wants to love his sons, and wants them to love him. But love of family and a lifetime of power are difficult things to balance. This film features some of the most complex characters ever to be included on cinema. When Richard the Lionhearted, Henry's son and not yet King says, "I would have begged. I would have crawled. I would have done anything!" to his father asking for his love, it is unbearably powerful. Also features great performances by O'Toole and his supporting cast. A movie for all the ages 2:Braveheart : How Mel Gibson, having directed one film before this, could do one this good, is beyond me. This is the story of William Wallace, a medieval Scottish patriot, who wants nothing more than to live in peace. When his wife is killed, he raises a rebellion to free his country from the grip of the tyrannical English and their King Edward I (Longshanks). This film is a gripping and unbelievably powerful tale about humanity and the desire to live free. The dialogue is fantastic, and the acting to deliver it is even better. Mel Gibson delivers a phenomenal performance as the complex Wallace. And the music, a mix of traditional Celtic instruments, is hauntingly beautiful. And the battles…bloody and very realistic, it must have been what Medieval warfare was really like. Above all I will never forget this one line "And dying in your beds, many years from now; Would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to then, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here so we may tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom!" And now, the number one film… 1:The Lord of the Rings-The Return of the King: Well duh. What else would you expect. Tied with Titanic and Ben Hur for the most Academy Awards ever, this film deserves every single one of them. It is a monumental achievement, taking one of the largest and most well loved books of all time, and wrapping it up perfectly. Frodo is now nearly entirely corrupted by the Ring. He marches still to Mordor to destroy it, but the Ring hisses ever louder in his ears. All around him, the world is falling to the shadow. Sauron, the Dark Lord, moves to strike the city of Minas Tirith, the heart of men, in the most spectacular and huge and amazing battle in cinematic history. The final chapter in the Lord of the Rings is easily, in my mind, the best one. It wraps up the monumental story perfectly, and is not afraid to deal with the dark subject matter. This film holds back no punches, and watching the innocent Frodo move ever deeper into temptation is horrifying. But it is also beautiful, and shows that even in the most horrible and infested places, still there is beauty, and still there is hope. With great music, great acting, phenomenal special effects, and a story second to none, the Return of the King, is a very worthy number 1. Not on the List: King Arthur-Bloated, long and very boring. Not nearly worthy of Arthur's name. Troy-Mediocre extreme. Not to good, not to bad. Really just nothing. Ben Hur-Good, but not great good. And the special effects, even by the times, are pretty bad.  |
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