It’s time to take a journey twenty years back in time to look at the cinematic landscape of 2003…
Another year passes and another anniversary comes around. 2003 was 20 years ago. 20 years!!! Take a stiff drink people and come along with me to revisit a cinematic year that was stuffed with so so sequels, uninspired horror films, forgettable dramas and mediocre romantic comedies.
Of course there were some golden nuggets in 2003 as well and a couple of masterpieces worthy of standing the test of time, but really, 2003 perfectly exemplifies a period in cinema that was lacking in consistent inspiration. It was before the golden age of comic book cinema, and a time of stylistic choices which have dated as quickly as almost any in cinematic history. So let’s begin our journey back to 2003, and begin our look back in the hefty, bulging sack of sequels.
The Wachowskis brought us not one but two Matrix sequels. Their groundbreaking original film was a perfect century ending shot in the sci-fi arm at a time when the century’s blockbuster cinema was fizzling out with a whimper. Sadly the sequels represented some of the more regrettable style choices of the period – including doubling down on everything (yes, everyone wears shades everywhere within the Matrix seemingly).
The action scenes also sacrificed some of the grace and intensity of the first and tried too hard to break ground again. If the original gave us the jaw dropping bullet time, The Matrix Reloaded gave us the Burly Brawl where a CGI Keanu Reeves fights a bunch of CGI Hugo Weavings. It only looked passably impressive in 2003 but has dated horribly. There’s even less to write home about in Matrix Revolutions sadly.
The year also saw Arnold Schwarzenegger’s most iconic character return to the big screen. We were treated to an indestructible killer cyborg who was now in the guise of a 56 year old man. Arnold was turned into a walking punchline in the film. That said, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines did have the best freeway chase of the summer, ahead of Matrix Reloaded and another action sequel, Bad Boys II. The zippy original film was replaced with an overlong, overly obnoxious sequel that just about got by on some suitably impressive action. Ah practical FX. How I miss thee.
Charlie’s Angel’s: Full Throttle was even less concerned with plot than the first and lacked the searing sardonic indifference of Bill Murray clearly hating the material. Bernie Mac was just too amiable. 2 Fast 2 Furious had no Diesel power but is more fondly remembered these days than when it first appeared. Shanghai Knights, like its predecessor Shanghai Noon, remains a slightly unheralded Jackie Chan Hollywood film. Dwayne Johnson had his first contemporary action lead in The Rundown, which is still a lot of fun. Robert Rodriguez also brought Antonio Banderas and his guitar back for Once Upon A Time In Mexico, which didn’t live up to the pizazz of the first two films.
Meanwhile, another blockbuster sequel would do what so few Blockbusters do…win Best Picture at the Oscars. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King beautifully wrapped up Peter Jackson’s imperious fantasy trilogy. Long, arduous but always compelling, with stunning set pieces. Christmas period cinema outings haven’t quite felt the same since that 2001-2003 period when we all turned out to watch Frodo and the boys try and chuck a ring into a volcano.
Elsewhere, another highlight was X2, which remains the best X-Men movie, and one of two Kelly Hu films on the big screen, alongside Cradle 2 The Grave, which wasn’t quite as stellar. Still…Kelly Hu is sorely missed as a big-screen presence.
Horror films also got in on the sequel act. Freddy vs Jason was goofy but fun. It was either the perfect approach for the concept, or frustratingly comical for some. Frankly, though, it probably did as well as the concept could allow. Jeffrey Combs also did a bit of re-animating in Beyond Re-Animator which was an enjoyably simple second sequel, while things drifted into more forgettable horror sequel territory with Jeepers Creepers 2.
Outside of sequels, Wrong Turn proved to be a cult favourite of the year. I’ve never fully understood why, but it was enough to launch a new franchise. Meanwhile we had an action horror fusion with Kate Beckinsdale in Underworld, one of those films that owed a considerable debt to The Matrix – he first of an overlong franchise.
In the comedy world, there wasn’t a huge amount to write home about. Forgettable threequels in Scary Movie 3 (though Leslie Nielsen’s cameo is gold) and American Wedding, along with some classic early 00’s rom coms which had farcical concepts and in-vogue stars having fun, if not particularly pushing themselves much. How to Lose A Guy In 10 Days was the kind of fluff Kate Hudson was way better than after her auspicious earlier work, and it was also the kind of film that lead to Matthew McConaughey in dire need of his upcoming McConaissance.
Johnny English was a passably enjoyable vehicle for Rowan Atkinson’s rubber-faced antics that suitably sent up the Bond franchise (even if Brosnan’s last two did that well enough themselves). Old School was an enjoyable first major hit for Will Ferrell, with some memorable moments. Something’s Gotta Give was standard rom-com fare elevated by Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton. Jim Carrey also had one of his last hyper, high energy comedies with Bruce Almighty, shortly before falling a little out of favour.
The comedy of the year however, was Bad Santa. A delightfully unseasonal, festive film which has Billy Bob Thornton at his ferocious best. Full of great lines and fantastic performances it’s almost endearingly grim and puerile. There’s also a couple of brilliant supporting roles for Bernie Mac and John Ritter. It’s now a festive tradition for many and rightly so. Painfully funny.
Some major dramas of the year also saw an interesting range. The Last Samurai might have the distinct whiff of white savior epic, but was another example of Tom Cruise’s dedication to his craft. Though the film felt a little rote, it’s still one of the better period epics of the era that didn’t star Russell Crowe. Speaking of whom… Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is a somewhat forgotten, expertly constructed epic from Peter Weir. It’s got exceptional sequences leaving the audience feeling decidedly seasick. Open Range was an underrated modern western from Kevin Costner with a great finale, while Matchstick Men has Nicolas Cage and Sam Rockwell in great form under the watchful eye of Ridley Scott.
Lost in Translation was a bit of an indie darling that really brought former child star Scarlett Johansson to the fore. Between this and Girl With a Pearl Earring, she had a memorable year. The beautifully written film from Sofia Coppola about listless kindred spirits in a foreign land also gave Bill Murray his best role since he had to live the same day over and over.
Mystic River was the most intense and searing drama on display by far. Impeccably made by Clint Eastwood with superlative performances by Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon and Tim Robbins. At the same time, has it been a little forgotten in the past 20 years? Though it’s better than the more melodramatic and iconic Million Dollar Baby that came later from Eastwood, Mystic River is more intensely powerful. We did have some solid if forgettable fare elsewhere with 21 Grams and The House of Sand and Fog.
Indie and world Cinema wasn’t without highlights in 2003. Park Chan-wook delivered his most iconic film, Oldboy. His quirky, shocking, brutally twisted and violent thriller took the world by storm. Korea was producing some stellar films in this era. Bong Joon-ho gave the gift of Memories of Murder. You could argue that Korea delivered two of the top five films of the year in fact. Memories of Murder probably remains the best serial killer thriller of the 21st century too. Not to be left behind, Kim Jee-Woon also released his twisted and enjoyable thriller, A Tale of Two Sisters.
That same year was a slow-burning and interesting psychological thriller, The Swimming Pool with Charlotte Rampling in top form (though when is she not?). Dogville was Lars Von Trier in top form, while one indie oddity that was more renowned for its controversy was Vincent Gallo’s The Brown Bunny, the only memory of which anyone has is Gallo getting a hummer from Chloe Sevigny. Dogville was Lars Von Trier in top form.
Elsewhere, Shattered Glass was an engaging thriller which proved a good showcase for the somewhat maligned, Hayden Christensen, whose previous role was as the sand-hating Anakin Skywalker in Attack of the Clones in 2002. Yes…that awkward young fella with the rat tail and awkward delivery was actually compelling and enthrallingly duplicitous. The Cooler was a great kick off for Wayne Kramer that he never quite lived up to.
Meanwhile in the year of Bennifer. The artist who would become Batfleck, Mr Ben Affleck had a difficult year. At the time he was being thrust forward as a box office star and leading man. It didn’t really work out in 2003. He made his first comic book film, Daredevil that proved the notion that for every decent comic book film of that era, there were two poor ones. Sadly, X2 had already taken the mantle of good comic book film and averages dictated that Daredevil would be toilet.
Still, Daredevil was brilliant compared to Affleck’s ill fated Philip K Dick adaptation, Paycheck that effectively also ended John Woo’s presence as a Hollywood director. Still, THAT was a masterpiece compared to the incomparably disastrous Gigli, which saw Affleck and J-Lo in their first stint together. Couples acting often ends in disaster, unless you’re Gena and John, but Gigli was sensationally, almost comically bad. It was also a film where Christopher Walken and Al Pacino should really have known better.
Speaking of Turkeys. 2003 was heavily loaded with disasters. Gigli aside there was Mike Myers in The Cat in the Hat, which has since garnered its own cult following. Kangaroo Jack however, had been buried deep in a bunker. Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star effectively ended David Spade’s leading man movie career, until Adam Sandler helped give him a Netflix reprieve in The Wrong Missy (I hold my hands up…I did find that one amusing). Biker Boyz existed purely to make Fast and Furious look like a masterpiece. Meanwhile A Man Apart was a long delayed Vin Diesel action thriller that could never hide the distinctly straight to video feel of the project and sought to desperately cash in on his post Furious fame.
One of the most iconic films and performances of the year came slightly out of left field. Did anyone envision a film based on a theme park ride being good? Probably not. Still, driven by solid direction and a farcically fun story, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl made Johnny Depp transition from eclectic Indie actor, to box office behemoth. The franchise which followed got progressively bigger, sillier and more bloated, but the first film, bolstered by an inspired Depp, remains great fun.
Colourful and quirky adventure films also peaked nicely with Finding Nemo, the film which firmly cemented Pixar as the standout studio (outside of Ghibli) for compelling family films that could have entire families laugh, gasp and cry in equal measure. Nemo still remains one of their all time greats too. Elsewhere in the animated arena, the charming and beautiful Triplets of Belleville, which plays without dialogue, was very popular and still holds up beautifully.
So what’s the verdict on 2003? How does a year like this stack up in the grand pantheon? There were some epic misfires as well as plenty of passable and forgettable pot boilers like Runaway Jury and Out of Time and cult films like Identity.
What was the best film of 2003? What are your personal favourites from the year? Hit us up on social media @FlickeringMyth, and if you’d like to support our efforts to create our very own feature film, then please check out the crowdfunding campaign for The Baby in the Basket, a 1940s-set Gothic horror due to go into production this year. We’re fast closing in on 95% funded and have a bunch of perks available, including freebies for every backer at any pledge level!
Tom Jolliffe is an award winning screenwriter and passionate cinephile. He has a number of films out around the world, including When Darkness Falls and several releases due out soon, including big-screen releases for Renegades (Lee Majors, Danny Trejo, Michael Pare, Tiny Lister, Nick Moran, Patsy Kensit, Ian Ogilvy and Billy Murray) and War of The Worlds: The Attack (Vincent Regan). Find more info at the best personal site you’ll ever see.
