It's fine and dandy having a good idea, but these films still wouldn't be interesting if the scripts weren't cohesive and the vision wasn't right. I find that with many films, despite having a good plot, I am sat twiddling my thumbs waiting for the film to pick up the pace or the story is being numbed by an overuse of unnecessary gun fights and car chases. Point two then is that the idea needs to be backed up by a cohesive script.
Now I believe that if you have a good idea and a good script, you've got a great chance of making a decent movie. I believe the next thing big thing in the process of making a movie special is to make the right casting choices. Imagine "Looper" with "Nicolas Cage" instead of "Joseph Gordon Levitt", or "Samuel L Jackson" playing the role of "Jack" in Titanic, it just wouldn't work. (Nothing against "Samuel L Jackson", and actually that sounds kind of awesome... hmm). Whoever is making production choices has to get it right, and often I will see student or amateur films with excellent ideas that are hard to watch because they don't look or sound professional and the acting is cringeworthy.
(Mini break... On a completely unrelated topic, please avoid pretty much any post 2000 Adam Sandler films like the plague. I hear you lose 10% of your soul every time you watch one.)
Back on topic, and on to my final point, the most important one. Viewer preference. One film that is great to me may suck to another. I have the unfortunate disposition of enjoying "Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" which I have received many disapproving looks for (the fridge scene was hilariously awful not going to lie). I have a good example of viewer preference: I love the Jurassic Park films, not because the plots are particularly amazing or anything, but because I think dinosaurs are hyper cool (and they are), so while I'm sitting having a nerdgasm over a Spinosaurus, a little girl viewing "Jurassic Park" will likely see the dinosaur and run to her bedroom frightened and go play with a Barbie doll. (That's what they do right?)
Another good example is the "Twilight" franchise. Now most of my hetrosexual male friends will argue that if you like "Twilight" you should be burnt alive, and while they have valid points, and they are welcome to their own opinions (as homicidal as they may be), one has to understand that people have different backgrounds, different stories, different perceptions. Personally I have no interest in vampires and can't see the appeal, but lots of females seem to love the franchise, so maybe it's just a gender thing, maybe vampires are sexy to women, who knows? (I hope not.)
In my opinion, any film can be great, it's your own opinion that counts anyway right? Now that's not to say if you enjoy "Little Fockers" I and many others won't judge you, but if that's what you consider great, then good on you, you're easily pleased.
What makes a film great? You decide what makes a film great... My opinion matters to no one else but me.
Jake Bryson
(I hope you found this article entertaining and perhaps even informative but being serious for a moment, I would like to state that if any of you enjoy "The Human Centipede" films, then no, you should not be entitled to your own opinions, you are sick, twisted and I seriously consider you go and check yourself in to the nearest mental health clinic.)