By Melissa Chapman
Cataloging Supervisor

Over the years there have been spectacular movies that have been produced that changed the way we see films. Here is a sampling of some of the films that did just that.

“The Wizard of Oz” is the quintessential movie experience: a young girl, lost in a fantasy world, suddenly alive with color and vibrance, accompanied by animals, heroes and friends. Dorothy is haunted by a fearful foe and is seeing a way back home. From the moment she opens her door, we’re introduced to a world of Technicolor, sets, songs and dance that all make a cinematic masterpiece.

James Cameron’s “Avatar” was the most technologically noteworthy film of the 21st century. It transported viewers into a full CG world. “Avatar’s” legacy will be a film that invented technology to tell a story. So, while that technology today is readily used in most blockbuster films; let’s not forget how it first took our breath away in “Avatar.”

“Jaws” was considered the first true summer blockbuster. It ushered in the era of monstrous hits that would dominate at the box office and send all other movies scrambling. Its winning formula made everything that came after it look dull. Though “Jaws” will always be the movie that legitimately kept people out of the water, its greater legacy will be that it spawned a new type of movie.

“Star Wars,” written and directed by George Lucas, transformed the film industry. It was the first major science fiction blockbuster and launched the science fiction type film that still reigns supreme today. It unquestionably raised the bar for special effects and its forced perspective style of filming completely validated the sci-fi genre. When “Star Wars” hit theaters in 1977, it wasn’t common practice to make sequels of successful movies. But Darth Vader’s escape from the Death Star at the end left the door open for a sequel.

“Star Wars” is still huge today. Whether there will ever be another franchise as big as “Star Wars,” it will always be the first of its kind.

If you’re in the mood to watch one of these films or one of your choosing, Warsaw Community Public Library’s hours are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays; from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays; and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.