What do you consider an "epic?"

[Sussudio]

In my opinion, one of the most overused terms in cinema is "epic" (I'm so sick of hearing people say The Dark Knight was an epic ) and I'd be interested in hearing how members on this forum would define the term. Can you even define it? What movies do you consider to be epics?

I think one of the most fundamental standards for epics is time. At the very least, a movie that spans several months, years, or decades has the beginnings of what constitutes an epic for me...but even that could be argued. Some examples I would give: Lawrence of Arabia, 2001 A Space Odyssey, Citizen Kane, Superman I, and Wyatt Earp. I'm sure I can think of more but those are some of my favorites and what I would personally define as "epics." What about you?