By “game changer,” I simply mean you walked out of the movie thinking, “Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever experienced anything like that before.” Could be special effects, could be a particular style, or plot line, or writing, etc.
I’ve asked this question to a lot of friends, and all had similar answers. I’ll give the list in the first comment, but I want you to have a chance to think of your own.
The movies that came up the most:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Star Wars
Jurassic Park
The Matrix
Pulp Fiction
Saving Private Ryan
Also considered:
Spider-Man into the Spiderverse
Braveheart
Toy Story
Twister
Titanic
Avatar
In terms of effects, probably only Matrix and Avatar come to mind. I was too young when Star Wars came out to think of it in those terms. Maybe Terminator 2.
Avatar was astounding, because it was the first time I saw 3D and didn’t think it was just cheesy gags with things jumping out at you from the screen, and it actually gave depth of field to the film.
In terms of style or storytelling, there have been many that were “different,” but I’m not sure any that I thought changed the landscape. Maybe The Sixth Sense, because it ushered in a lot of twist type movies. Maybe Pulp fiction for the way it presented a disjointed out of order story. Jaws might qualify. I think Toy Story was the first full length CGI movie, so that probably qualifies.
There are others from before my time. Wizard of Oz was probably one of those movies when it was released.
Opening scene of Saving Private Ryan and Star Wars
.
Schindlers list
.
agree with all, plus . . .
Black Beauty/Castaway (long scenes no dialogue)
The Right Stuff (epic big budget with satire)
Dumb and Dumber (going there)
Sin City (animation+real)
Memento (editing)
Priscilla (first great gay crossover, Cage aux Folles sucked)
Before Sunrise (chat chat chat nothing else)
Roma (was robbed)
Rocky
Posidon Adventure
Scanners - I walked out after 5 minutes (friend from college still jokes about this)
Highlander - I was clueless to what was going on for 15 minutes until I understood what was going on.
Born on the Fourth of July
Silence of the Lambs - jumpy for days
Dances With Wolves
Friday the 13th.
Airplane
I don’t see a lot of movies but one to me that was completely different was The Ussal Suspects.
I don’t know if either of these are games changers but another one that I thought was different and really good was The Shawshank Redemption.
Star Wars (the original one)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Animal House
The Road Warrior (Mad Max)
Blair Witch Project
Silence of the Lambs
Pulp Fiction
Spirited Away
The Matrix
Napoleon Dynamite
Avatar
I thought all of the above were movies that marked a pivot point, a before and after, in their respective genres.
.
I’ve really only had two and both were drugged fueled and both already mentioned multiple times.
Avatar in theatre tripping on half a tab of LSD. Can’t put into words…
Was living in my car traveling for a while and when Matrix came out on DVD I didn’t know anything about it. It was supposed to be just another movie night while stoned, but mind blown. Wow.
Schindlers list
Did you make out with anyone during the show?
Schindlers list
Did you make out with anyone during the show?
Star Wars (the original one)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Animal House
The Road Warrior (Mad Max)
Blair Witch Project
Silence of the Lambs
Pulp Fiction
Spirited Away
The Matrix
Napoleon Dynamite
Avatar
I thought all of the above were movies that marked a pivot point, a before and after, in their respective genres.
.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom???
Terminator 2, The Matrix, maybe Avengers.
Star Wars
Platoon
Dances With Wolves
.
My first thought, well second after Star Wars, was Avatar but in retrospect Avatar was really just a remake of Aliens with better technology.
Anyway, here’s my list…
Star Wars
Schindler’s List
Natural Born Killers
Tin Toy (Pixar short film)
The first 30 minutes of Wall-E
Lots of great movies mentioned, but for me as a 10 year old, it was the sound of music that changed me. I went kicking and screaming to that movie, had no love for musicals and that genre. But when I came out of there, and it was a war movie more than a musical(to my young brain), and I actually loved the movie, it opened my horizons on what could be good to see…
From there I went onto a life of indie movies that most dont see, but entertain me in a way most mainstream movies dont. It is how I found “Harold and Maude”, “A boy and his dog”,“Slingblade”, and countless others that never made the grade, or much money. Billy Bob Thornton, Johnny Depp, and Sean Penn became guys I would follow outside of their mainstream blockbusters. I love the movies they made that hardly no one has ever seen. Check out some of Depp’s movies from the 90’s, he did more Indies than mainstream that decade.
Anyway, for me it was that one expectation that was blown away at a young age, and it just happened to be a movie that went mainstream, and now is iconic as such…Go figure…
While I agree with many of what already been posted, my contribution is limited to what was a game changer recently.
They Shall Not Grow Old
Citizen Kane (No, it wasn’t the original release…I’m old, but not THAT old)
.