Anchorhead said:

I think it very much represents the disposable film mentality of the last decade or so. Film as product, as opposed to film as art.

No doubt there are plenty of great films being made, but the eye candy CGI-fests are the mega-earners. Complete with their sequels being planned into the story before shooting. Quick consumption at the theaters and start on the Extended DVD version at the same time (with scenes shot specifically for the DVD "special Edition" marketing push).

Label me a cynic who remembers when it was story first - box office classic second.

Yeah, but the same year that gave us "Star Wars" also gave us the trend-capitalizing "Saturday Night Fever" the sequal to a sequal "Airport '77"" and tenth in the increasingly ridiculous and formulaic James Bond series. Were any of those 'art'?