Michael Delgado

Erin Rogers

Writing 1010

B2

A Time Capsule to Infinity and Beyond

The film industry nearly racked in a total of forty-three billion dollars in revenue last

year. Think about how much money that is. Think about the sheer amount of things you could

buy with such wealth. I suppose the real question you should be asking yourself is, what is it

about the movies that convinces us to spend such a large sum of money on them in a single year?

While studies have been carried out to understand how the human brain as well as the human

body reacts to different genres of film, the answer for me is very simple: it’s the alternate

universe in which I get to live amongst the lives of some of the most spectacular individuals the

world has ever known. It’s the magical world of Harry Potter, the heroism of the Avengers, the

mind of George Lucas, and the love stories between an amphibian river god and a mute woman

that transport us into a reality other than our own. It’s what opens our eyes to bigger and better

things, and it’s that which erases the lines in the sand, and can fill a room of individuals from all

walks of life while bringing them to tears or bringing them to their feet. Bringing them hope or

happiness, inspiration or laughter, or love or compassion. It’s said that a picture says a thousand

words; a motion picture says a million and then some.

Many of us can relate to going to the movie theater to fulfill the urge of entering another

world or dimension for a few hours. Films are an opportunity to escape from the reality of our

own lives, whether it’s to dream bigger, be more grateful for what you already have, or to let the
imagination of others take you on your next great adventure. The ​Chicago Tribune’s ​very own

Danielle Braff discussed the “special effects” that movies can have on the human body. It seems

obvious that our minds and our bodies might react differently based on the genre of the film

we’re watching. Comedies for example, allow individuals the opportunity to laugh and relieve

themselves of stress or anxiety in doing so. Studies from the University of Maryland show that

one’s blood vessels dilate by twenty-two percent during comedic films. In simpler terms, this

means that laughing at the movies actually lowers one’s blood pressure and expands a person’s

blood vessels, which allows for better overall blood flow. Those of us that enjoy seeing

something that grabs at our attention a bit more then you might consider seeing a horror film or a

3D movie. It’s no surprise that scary movies do quite the opposite of a comedy or a romantic

film. Horror movies actually increase one’s heart rate and can cause a spike in cortisol or

adrenaline levels. They also have the ability to trigger traumatic events that might’ve occurred in

your earlier life. 3D movies on the other hand can cause dizziness, but you get to feel like you’re

actually a part of the film for a few hours. If you’d rather not risk a heart attack, then I suggest

sticking with the romantic side of things. Though these films aren’t always realistic, they are one

of the most lovely ways to get a break from whatever might be going on in your own life. Braff

relates romantic films to comedies in that they both commonly help people to cope with outside

issues as well as seeing things from a different perspective.

There are a number of reasons for someone to spend their Friday or Saturday night at the

movies. While the list of reasons could go on forever, Kaitlyn Tiffany, Lizzie Plaugic, Kwame

Opam, and Tasha Robinson from ​The Verge ​provide ​10 reasons the movie-theater experience is

still worth the effort.​ Included in the ten reasons are: alone time, focus, disruption, and of course
previews of the upcoming universes and adventures that one can take part in. “There’s something

to be said about watching visual storytelling on a three-story screen, particularly when the film

really takes advantage of the format” (Opam). A good film has the ability to capture the hearts

and minds of individuals across the globe. People are given an opportunity to spend some time

with their own thoughts when at the movie-theater. It’s disruptive in that it provides for a more

“active experience” for movie watchers to engage and pay attention to the nuances of the film. It

allows one to focus on something other than the potential stresses in his or her life. Being away

from the outside world and focusing your attention on a completely different narrative proves to

relieve people of stress and heartache. The previews, for what might be very obvious reasons, are

like the frosting on the cake. “The previews are the perfect time to settle in, open your Red

Vines, and clutch some cutie’s shoulder...you can always watch trailers on YouTube, but the

thrill is gone and there’s probably no nearby shoulder to clutch” (Tiffany).

For me, movies, whether seen in the chilly basement of my own home or the buttery seat

of a movie-theater, have always been powerful for their ability to transport its audience into an

entirely different world. It’s the mind of someone like Steven Spielberg that can turn a character

like Forest Gump into one of the most beloved and inspirational people of all time. Someone

who allowed me to believe that everything will turn out okay if you fight for what you believe in,

and go after the things or the people that you love. Where else would someone with an IQ of

seventy-five relate so much to the average person all while being anything but the average? Our

own reality isn’t always the most favorable one to live in, but there isn’t always much we can do

about such circumstances. Watching films can scare you too much to think about your own

stresses, make you believe in love, laugh all your pain away, or cry all of the sadness out of your
system. Whichever route you choose to take, it’s a beautiful thing to walk away from a movie

with every emotion and feeling in the book. These are the kinds of things that make movies so

important. The ​New Yorker’s ​own Richard Brody discussed ​Why Movies Still Matter ​in an article

written back in 2016. He mentions that, “the principal quality of quality TV has proven to be its

ability to generate discourse—not just on the part of critics and viewers but on the part of

journalists” (Brody). He then goes on to say, “their emphasis on stories and characters involving

iconic phenomena in cultural history and hot-button issues of contemporary sociology and

politics grabbed—and still grabs—hold of journalists’ nose for stories” (Brody). Not only do

movies and television distract us from the things we don’t want to deal with, they also have an

ability to address current events and issues that we’re forced to face on a daily basis.

Film will forever be one of the most powerful forms of storytelling, and if not in anyone

else’s life then it certainly will be in mine. The relationship that exists between an individual and

the screen is unlike any other. There’s no judgement nor is there any hatred towards one another.

By purchasing a ticket you’re helping the individuals that took part in the creation of the story,

and by creating the story you’re helping people get away from their own lives to discover

happiness and light from someone else’s. It’s where we learn to forgive and forget, learn to

believe in love, laugh until our stomachs hurt, wipe our tears, and walk away with a newfound

appreciation for the lives we’re so lucky to live. As said by ​The Guardian’s ​own Pauline Kael,

“W​e generally become interested in movies because we enjoy them and what we enjoy about

them has little to do with what we think of as art. The movies we respond to, even in childhood,

don't have the same values as the official culture supported by school and in the middle-class

home. At the movies, we get low on life and high on life” (Kael).
Braff, Danielle. “Movies May Cause Special Effects on the Body.” ​Chicagotribune.com,​ 5 Sept.

2018,

www.chicagotribune.com/living/ct-xpm-2011-06-22-sc-health-0622-movies-impact-on-body-20

110622-story.html​.

Brody, Richard. “Why Movies Still Matter.” ​The New Yorker,​ The New Yorker, 19 June 2017,

www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/why-movies-still-matter​.

Kael, Pauline. “Why Do We Go to the Movies?” ​The Guardian​, Guardian News and Media, 5

Sept. 2001, ​www.theguardian.com/film/2001/sep/05/artsfeatures.arts​.

Tiffany, Kaitlyn, et al. “10 Reasons the Movie-Theater Experience Is Still Worth the Effort.” ​The

Verge,​ The Verge, 4 Apr. 2017,

www.theverge.com/2017/4/4/15177542/movie-theater-box-office-ticket-prices-get-out-record​.