9 Levels of Movie Epics — Full Breakdown & Transcript

[00:00] Truly, for some men, nothing is written unless they write it. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at the nine levels of the movie epic genre.

[00:23] Level 1. Popcorn Epic Epic cinema's equivalent of junk food, Popcorn epics feature huge budgets and plenty of spectacle, but not necessarily a lot of depth.

[00:48] These films feature a ton of big stars, special effects, and action, which some other levels also feature. However, they usually don't feature many deeper themes beyond entertainment.

[01:00] Think superhero films, action blockbusters, or anything directed by Michael Bay. Yes, from now they're going to ask us, where were you when they took over the planet?

[01:12] I'm going to say, we just stood by and watched. This isn't to say they can't cross over into other kinds of epic movies or have profound messages. This is merely the baseline for epic cinema.

[01:24] Popcorn epics over the last few decades have become more complicated due to the rise of cinematic universes, which depict expansive worlds that carry across multiple films and which allow for longer character arcs.

[01:37] But when it comes to individual movies, what you see is generally what you get. We're going to live on. We're going to survive. Today, we celebrate our independence day.

[01:51] Level 2. Adventure Epics Few things scream epic quite like great deeds or journeys, and adventure epics have plenty of both. I shall trade you the compass, if you will help me to find the end.

[02:08] While still somewhat in the realm of pure entertainment, epic adventure films broaden the scope a bit, often taking the characters and audiences on journeys to exotic locations with the scale of the journey or the places visited providing much of what makes them legendary.

[02:32] Movies about seeking out treasure or featuring buckles getting swast are common fixtures of this level, with protagonists like Indiana Jones acting as the face of it. The heroes are usually seeking some goal or object on their quest,

[02:44] but what they discover about themselves, life, or history along the way can often be just as important. We're going to find Skull Island. Find it, film it, and show it to the world.

[02:57] For 25 cents, you get to see the last blank space on the map. Oh, we've been so sure of that. This holds true for the audience as much as the characters with this level providing a bit more intellectual simulation Level 3 Western Epic

[03:22] Westerns have long been a popular form of cinema, particularly in the 20th century. While many are smaller in scale, there are quite a few that transcend the gunslinger defending a small town stereotype to tell stories on a grander stage and with more literary themes.

[03:45] Vivid, desolate backdrops, massive casts, and sweeping stories that touch on more profound ideas help characterize films of this level. Western epics are where epic cinema starts to look at more serious topics, such as the loss of wilderness or clashes between native and

[04:01] colonial cultures. Classics like How the West Was Won or The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, and new epics like The Revenant, lend this level about the American West its mythic feelings.

[04:16] Level 4. Romance Epics. Romantic films have a reputation for being smaller in scope, considering they usually involve two or three people in love, but when combined with the epic genre, they can be positively massive.

[04:31] Would you like a boy or a girl? I think we may go mad if we think about all that. Shall we think about it? Romantic epics are often set during historical time periods with lavish costumes,

[04:45] huge sets, and love stories set during times of conflict or strife. Some of the highest-grossing movies of all time have been romantic epics, with titans like Gone with the Wind, Dr. Zhivago, or the aptly named Titanic dominating the box office and pop culture.

[05:00] Your eyes. It's great.

[05:13] Romantic epics use their huge scale to lend these love stories an unforgettable larger-than-life quality that makes our hearts swoon to the moon and back. Every night, I cut out my heart.

[05:30] But in the morning it was full again. Rebel Psy, science fiction epic. I thought they chose me.

[05:42] They didn't choose me, they chose her. For what, Cooper? To save the world. Psy Psy is a huge genre that encompasses many facets.

[05:54] Although earlier efforts remained firmly among B-movies, once the budget got larger, science fiction entered the realm of epic, with its grander films offering more than just flash and special effects. Even its more popcorny movies usually feature intricate, constructed worlds and topologies that excite the imagination.

[06:10] You may choose a woman. We have many fine women Me not is the best thing But I don want the map

[06:25] Science fiction is often the lens through which films can examine questions like the nature of consciousness, our place in the universe, and predictions about what the future holds. Big budget franchises like Star Wars, Avatar, and Dune have dominated financially as well as permeated the zeitgeist,

[06:40] while critical darlings like 2001 A Space Odyssey and Arrival still have us dissecting their messages and imagery years later. If you could see a whole life from start to finish,

[06:53] would you play this song? Level 6. War Epic When it comes to war movies, epic is generally the rule rather than the exception. Given the size of most conflicts,

[07:05] the scale of war epics almost has to be impressive with budgets to match. I've lived with these men here for two and a half years, and I will not order them all to their deaths. Over. The enormous cast of named actors, huge numbers of extras, pyrotechnics, and special effects galore,

[07:21] war movies take things to another level and set the bar for levels to come. But even outside of the big battles and sweeping cinematography, epic war films tackle concepts that are just as ambitious. While everybody else is taking life, I'm going to be saving it.

[07:38] With the world so set on tearing itself apart, it doesn't seem like such a bad thing to me to want to put a little bit of it back together. War is a topic that invites extensive discussion. Apocalypse Now examines the horror of war, while persistence in the face of defeat can be found in films like A Bridge Too Far.

[07:56] I think Margaret Garland was 90% successful. But what do you think? Well, as you know, I've always thought that we try to go a bridge too far.

[08:08] One of the most contentious wars of all is between cinephiles over which war epic is best, though. Level 7, Fantasy Epics. The fantastical has been intertwined with epic stories for centuries,

[08:20] and it has always been closely tied to movie epics. Remember it well, then. This night. This great victory. Perfect in the years ahead, you can say.

[08:34] I will bear that night with Arthur, the king. Its popularity can be seen in the earlier cinematic efforts like the sword and sorcery subgenre through films like Jason and the Argonauts. This level of epic can reach some truly staggering complexity due to many of the films being based on books.

[08:50] I have never used a sword in my life. And I hope you never have to. But if you do remember this, true courage is about knowing

[09:02] not only to take a life, but to despair one. The literary origins of many epic fantasy films mean that many feature entirely fictional worlds, populated by people and races

[09:14] otherwise impossible to find in real life with their own cultures, histories, and sometimes languages. This is arguably best exemplified by the Lord of the Rings films which set the bar immensely high Despite epic fantasy being more common on TV these days the impact of the genre on epic cinema cannot be overstated It so nice I don know

[09:36] I wish I could be free of it. Level 8, Historical Epic. Maybe there's no peace in this world, for us or for anyone else. I don't know.

[09:48] But I do know that as long as we live, we must stay true to ourselves. For as massive as some fictional worlds are, none can quite match the layers and nuance found in real history.

[10:02] Historical epics encompass a wide net. Indeed, some of the previous levels, like war and western epics, broadly sit under its umbrella, almost by definition, with subgenres like sword and sandal films. My name is Maximus Devinus Meridius,

[10:16] commander of the armies of the north, general of the Jewish nations, Loyal servant to the true emperor, Mark Sirelius. However, historical epics offer more than just spectacle, despite the frequently huge scale on which they operate.

[10:31] Whether they depict actual events or tell fictional accounts set during various time periods, this level offers real insight into the lives lived before the present and helps broaden our understanding of the world. Eternal, initial, orator.

[10:49] Is it always accurate? No. But if it inspires an interest in the real deal, then that's a great start.

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[11:14] Level 9, Biblical Epic. The deepest level of the epic iceberg is arguably that of biblical epic. These films combine real history with something more. Whether you credit back to a higher power or mythology is up to the viewer.

[11:27] This is the only power in the world that can break open the seas and raise it into that great tree. However, what isn't up for interpretation is the effect the Bible has had on Western civilization.

[11:40] Biblical epics touch on not only historical events, but also religion, philosophy, law, and literature. These movies provide some interpretations on where we came from, why we're here, and how we should treat one another.

[11:52] Blessed are you who do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for you shall be filled. Blessed are those who are merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

[12:04] If you want to understand how much of the world became as it is, and why people believe as they do, watching biblical epics like the Ten Commandments or Ben-Hur can entertain while bringing about greater understanding, even if you don't believe.

[12:17] I wish that they would have died. I heard him say, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Which level excites you the most?

[12:29] Tell us your favorites in the comments.