What Really Makes A Movie Successful?

The movie industry relies on an ideal balance of art and commerce. With two recent movies serving as the extreme ends of that spectrum, there are lessons worth considering for everything else in between.

The harsh minimalism of "The Witch" ranks it among the most unsettling horror films. Its premise is simple: an exiled colonial family is picked off one by one. The difference here is that everything feels authentically, tangibly fearful, from an ominous score and bleak cinematography to period-specific accents and dialogue. The movie also forms a treatise on the core of psychological thrillers: trust, paranoia, and loss of innocence. So why hasn't it found a larger audience? Critics rave about it, and it even won a directing award at Sundance. The short answer doubles as the sad truth: studios don't take as many chances on movies that make viewers think. Ironically, without the artistic integrity of independent film, there would be no barometer for cinematic achievement.

Meanwhile, the record-breaking "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" is DC's belated attempt to match Marvel's franchise. The movie is pure entertainment value, nothing more or less. It's not as bad as critics say (I've seen worse), but its artistic credentials begin and end with director Zack Snyder's trademark visual style. The story forced together threads from too many unrelated comic-book arcs, and its trailers spoiled many of its own surprises -- namely the big introduction to Wonder Woman. An actual highlight thanks to Gal Gadot's genuine screen presence, her role became anticlimactic in the grand, cluttered scheme of things. Worst of all, the film over-philosophizes about the nature of power and good versus evil but never commits to a side. Something's wrong with your heroes if Lex Luthor makes sense!

Ultimately, the industry will set its own course. However, the merits found in movies like "The Witch" and "Batman v Superman" should complement each other, not cancel each other out.