New realization.

Movies can become very weird at times. I wonder about the story of all these high rated imdb movies and most of them are ridiculous. Let's talk about 'Shawshank Redemption'. It was just another original story based on a prison escape but it's nothing compared to 'Papilion' which is way more intriguing. Do these movies become popular because of the story, or the direction or it's just the cast that matters?