With 1917 hitting UK cinemas this week, I thought it might be interesting to look at other films which have years in their titles...
Disaster movie director Roland Emmerich made this 2008 film about a prehistoric tribe of mammoth hunters. Most people thought it looked decent enough but style was no substitute for substance and the large number of historical inaccuracies didn't help critics enjoyment of the film. It's widely regarded as Emmerich's worst film and by many as the worst film of the year. Despite this, it did reasonably well at the box office.
Another pre-historic disaster by a respected director, this time Harold Ramis. It stars Jack Black and Michael Cera as cavemen and is supposed to be a comedy. I struggle to get past the title- surely "Year One" means the first year after Jesus' birth and therefore some time post-cavemen?
This 1972 musical based on the Broadway show of the same name is all about the debates on the USA declaring independence from Britain. Whilst it uses some artistic licence to tell it's story, the film does use direct quotes from the letters and memoirs of actual participants of the Second Continental Congress.
Sam Mendes' new World War I film is filmed in one camera shot, which makes it technically impressive if nothing else. Whilst few are calling it a perfect film, it's certainly worth a watch and is better than the majority of films on this list.
This is one of Steven Spielberg's lesser-know films and despite a lack of success when it was released in 1979 it's become something of a cult favourite. 1941 tells the story of in the LA area after the attack on Pearl Harbor. It's supposed to be a comedy-drama but most people, including the likes of Stanley Kubrick, concluded that it's OK but lacks in the comedy department.
George Orwell's dystopian novel is a masterpiece and it's been adapted into film several times. The best version is probably the one that was released in the same year as the title, 1984. It stars John Hurt and Richard Burton in his final film and though bleak it's a decent attempt on adapting the book.
Easily the most famous film on this list and probably the best too, Stanley Kubrick's 1968 sci-fi collaboration with Arthur C. Clarke remains a stunning watch to this day. It's just a shame that by 2001 our space travel abilities were no-where near as advanced as they are in the film. A sequel, 2010: The Year We Made Contact was released in 1984 and though perfectly watchable it's not a patch on it's predecessor.
Remember when loads of people thought that the world was going to end in 2012 because the Mayans didn't plan a calendar for beyond that date? Well, this 2009 film by our old friend Roland Emmerich was about that idea when the Earth's crust becomes unstable and a slew of natural disasters follow. It looked amazing the plot made little sense, especially given that the world continued happily through 2012 and didn't end.
The 2017 sequel to the 1982 sci-fi classic is set in the year 2049, thirty years after the setting of the original. Few had high expectations for it yet it turned out to be a worthy sequel that expanded the world and the story of Blade Runner.
After a nuclear holocaust in 1992 the world has returned to a stone age like state where Amazon-like female warriors rule. Two youths find the US president's former bunker and use the weapons they find they to raise up against the warriors. Apparently it also features a monster called "
Aargh the Awful".
Of course, this is just a selection of films with years in the title. There are endless sci-fi B-movies set in the year 3000 and plenty of films set during the 20th century thanks to the beginning of cinema.
10,000BC
Disaster movie director Roland Emmerich made this 2008 film about a prehistoric tribe of mammoth hunters. Most people thought it looked decent enough but style was no substitute for substance and the large number of historical inaccuracies didn't help critics enjoyment of the film. It's widely regarded as Emmerich's worst film and by many as the worst film of the year. Despite this, it did reasonably well at the box office.
Year One
Another pre-historic disaster by a respected director, this time Harold Ramis. It stars Jack Black and Michael Cera as cavemen and is supposed to be a comedy. I struggle to get past the title- surely "Year One" means the first year after Jesus' birth and therefore some time post-cavemen?
1776
This 1972 musical based on the Broadway show of the same name is all about the debates on the USA declaring independence from Britain. Whilst it uses some artistic licence to tell it's story, the film does use direct quotes from the letters and memoirs of actual participants of the Second Continental Congress.
1917
Sam Mendes' new World War I film is filmed in one camera shot, which makes it technically impressive if nothing else. Whilst few are calling it a perfect film, it's certainly worth a watch and is better than the majority of films on this list.
1941
This is one of Steven Spielberg's lesser-know films and despite a lack of success when it was released in 1979 it's become something of a cult favourite. 1941 tells the story of in the LA area after the attack on Pearl Harbor. It's supposed to be a comedy-drama but most people, including the likes of Stanley Kubrick, concluded that it's OK but lacks in the comedy department.
Nineteen Eighty-Four
George Orwell's dystopian novel is a masterpiece and it's been adapted into film several times. The best version is probably the one that was released in the same year as the title, 1984. It stars John Hurt and Richard Burton in his final film and though bleak it's a decent attempt on adapting the book.
2001: A Space Odyssey
Easily the most famous film on this list and probably the best too, Stanley Kubrick's 1968 sci-fi collaboration with Arthur C. Clarke remains a stunning watch to this day. It's just a shame that by 2001 our space travel abilities were no-where near as advanced as they are in the film. A sequel, 2010: The Year We Made Contact was released in 1984 and though perfectly watchable it's not a patch on it's predecessor.
2012
Blade Runner: 2049
The 2017 sequel to the 1982 sci-fi classic is set in the year 2049, thirty years after the setting of the original. Few had high expectations for it yet it turned out to be a worthy sequel that expanded the world and the story of Blade Runner.
America 3000
Of course, this is just a selection of films with years in the title. There are endless sci-fi B-movies set in the year 3000 and plenty of films set during the 20th century thanks to the beginning of cinema.
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