The Magic Of Cinema

A while back I got in a bit of a dispute with someone on Twitter over the film they had gone to see. I think it was The Emoji Movie. It's a film I've not seen, have no interest in seeing and frankly judging from the reviews it received, I wonder why anyone would want to go see it.

Anyway, while I mocked the film they had chosen to see, one thing I didn't do, though I think the person thought I had, was mock someone going to the cinema. That is something I would never do.

I'm not sure what the figures are, but based on going to the cinema for many years, I do think numbers going to the cinema have fallen. There are undoubtedly many reasons for this. The price has certainly increased over time, and if a family is planning a trip to the cinema I would imagine the tickets would be around £40 or more. When you add in snacks  as well, then you are probably talking around £60 or so. It's not a cheap night out these days, there's no getting away from that fact. With the rise of streaming services in the past few years, you can see why people would rather stay at home and watch a film rather than go to the cinema.

Now it's true that Cineworld and Odeon have their passes where for a fee you can go as often as you want, but most people I would imagine don't go much to justify having a pass. I have the Cineworld one and there is no denying it has saved me a fortune in tickets over the years.

It also has to be said that cinemas these days aren't as well 'policed' as they used to be. In the past up till not so long ago in fact, most cinema would have an usher to ensure people behaved in the screening. Those days are gone and in truth, in part due to cinemas cutting back on staff, you rarely see a staff member in a screening, even if it's to make sure the audience is behaving. This also makes a bit of a mockery of the allocated seating, in that people will risk sitting in the wrong seats and if no-one comes in for those seats, then they just sit there. If someone does, then they will move, but this can cause a disruption to others if people have to let them out, which is annoying if the film has already begun. As an aside, I personally think if you are late to the start of a film, you don't get in. But that's a point for another day.

And don't get me started on people using their phones, to text or whatever, during a film!

So, with these things going against it, sometimes you find yourself wondering why you keep going to the cinema. Why put up with the problems and hassle.

And then a film like The Shape Of Water comes along.

The Shape Of Water is a glorious, magical romantic fantasy directed by Guillermo del Toro, about a mute woman who falls for a sea creature. It's a wonderful film, a magical film. I'm not an awards fan generally, but if it took the Oscar for best film, I wouldn't mind at all.

But what a film like The Shape Of Water does, is remind you of why cinema exists.

Now, it has to be said that The Shape Of Water isn't the first film to do this. There are several films a year that come along and remind you of the magic of the cinema. These are not the big, loud, blockbusters I'm talking about even if they do look impressive on a cinema screen.

No, what I'm talking about here are stories and films that just remind you how good cinema can be. They don't need big action set pieces or be full of CGI to make you feel in awe, though some do to be fair. What the films I'm on about here are ones where the filmmakers have come up with something extraordinary, unexpected and just make you feel every emotion possible.

A couple of years ago, I saw Akira Kurosawa's Ran at the cinema. Simply put it was the most extraordinary film I have ever seen. In all the time I've been going to the cinema, this is by far the best film I've seen. In fact, I go further, as I think it is the greatest film I've ever seen. I'm glad my first viewing was at a cinema, where I could let the film wash over me.

I imagine most film fans have films they've seen at the cinema, that have had a similar effect, films that remind you just how good film can be. I've always maintained that getting a film like The Shape Of Water, or a Mad Max Fury Road, or an Unforgiven every so often allows you to put up with films that aren't that good. The great films, re-invigorate you and the love of cinema.

At a time when it does look that cinema audiences are dropping, we need films like The Shape Of Water, or a film like The Greatest Showman, which despite poor reviews, has done great business and is a wonderful cinema bonding experience it seems, even with sing-along versions now in cinemas, drawing people back again and again.

As I said at the beginning, I would never mock anyone going to the cinema to see a film (though your choice of film may be up for grabs!). Everyone has different tastes, even for some The Emoji Movie. But whatever your taste in film, there's something to be said for seeing it in the cinema.

Yes, there are many ways the cinema going experience can be improved, not with gimmicks like 3D or such, but with reducing costs and putting ushers back in place. But for films fans, when the cinema goes dark and the film begins, there is no place like it.

And with the right film, you remember why you love it.