Even as streaming platforms like Netflix and Disney+ become more popular, some things about the movie theater can’t be replaced. There is something about the dark room, surround sound, and smell of theater popcorn that transforms watching a movie into a whole new experience. Nothing can beat the comradery and energy we feel watching a movie for the first time with a crowd of equally invested strangers who also decided that what to watch demanded a big screen, not a small one at home.
Movies are often more vivid than life, but we want them to be larger than life too. Knowing what to watch on the big screen can give us a new appreciation for the scale and size of a film. Directors have been saying for a while that small details that can go unnoticed on a laptop, computer, or pieces of dialogue that go unheard in a noisy living room are all blown up for us to experience more fully in the movie theater. Here are some movie favorites that must be seen in the theater to be fully appreciated.
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11 Gone with the Wind
Loew's Inc.
Gone with the WInd still holds the record for highest gross box office earnings (when adjusted for inflation). This timeless tale about a southern belle adapting around the time of the Civil War acts as a beautiful snapshot of some problematic history. The emotional journey is made more meaningful by the groundbreaking use of lighting and color. Breathtaking shots of Terra and Scarlet’s voluminous skirts are all made more grandiose on the big screen.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
10 The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
20th Century Fox
This sweet romantic comedy about a man making his dreams into reality is so relatable that it pulls at every heart string. As touching as this heart-warming story is, the story is second to the cinematography. Not only was it shot in epic locations, but The Secret Life of Walter Mitty also highlights fantastic images of weather patterns, storms, and the natural world. Even in Walter’s mundane office, cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh has a way of taking the audience’s breath away. Great cinematography should be watched in the theater at least once.
9 How to Train your Dragon
Animated movies can be underrated in comparison to critically acclaimed films and blockbusters, but they’re slowly becoming more recognized as high art thanks to shows like Arcane and Spiderverse. Roger Deakins, one of the greatest cinematographers of our time, helped consult on How to Train Your Dragon. Even though the film targets kids and the locations are not real, the clear colors and sharp lines of the animation are stunning. While watching the movie in the theater, viewers can almost feel the wind on their faces and the heat of fire on their backs.
8 Avatar
This science fiction epic is another film to watch in the movie theater for its stunning cinematography and advanced visual effects. Avatar broke box office records just as much for the cinematography and special effects as it did for its plot. The film is responsible for making 3D popular again, and its technological advances in CGI and cinematography are still being used in other movies today. Every frame of Avatar is filled with creative alien species, beautiful plants, or imaginative technology.
7 Dune
Warner Bros.
The scope and scale of the more recent Dune film simply cannot be appreciated outside the theater. The setting becomes a character of its own, as the new inhabitants of Arakis fight for their survival. Somehow Denis Villeneuve and Greig Fraser make the barren and plain dessert sands as beautiful as the ocean cliffs. Nothing can compare to seeing the larger than life space shuttles and far off worlds as they were intended to be viewed, and the meticulous details of the sci-fi scenery and world-building needs to be seen on the big screen to be appreciated.
6 Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back:
Few films are as iconic as Star Wars. The galaxy far, far away never feels closer than when it encompasses everything in view in a movie theater. All the details in the carefully crafted effects stand out when George Lucas’ vision is blown up on the theater screen. Not to mention, John William’s immersive score sounds infinitely better on the powerful surround sound movie speakers. Producers and audiences seem to know this, as the film has been re-released into theaters on more than one occasion.
5 Avengers Endgame
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Some movies pull a special communal energy out of the crowd, and this is one of them. This movie is worth watching in the theater if only for the relationship-building experience and the sense of human connection; nothing beats the audience’s cheer in the movie theater when Steve Rogers takes his last stand against Thanos. Viewers even develop a powerful relationship with the characters themselves as their favorite heroes utter parting words. The acting and team spirit in Avengers Endgame are palpable in the movie theater.
4 A Quiet Place
Paramount Pictures
Most horror and thriller films are more intense in the dark, but the premise of A Quiet Place makes it uniquely suited for the theater. In this film, aliens invade Earth and attack anything that makes noise, so excellent sound quality makes up for the very few spoken words. Sitting in the middle of the surround sound theater is a much more immersive and exceptional experience, and with a film in which every noise could spell imminent danger, audiences might find themselves surprised to be holding their breaths together.
3 Hero
One of the greatest cinematographers of all time, Christopher Doyle knew what he was doing when he worked on Yi-mou Zhang’s vibrant masterpiece. The vivid use of color in Hero is unparalleled, and fast-paced action sequences share a simple elegance and grace, most clearly seen in the fight over a lake (not on a boat on the lake, literally on the lake). All of these details and smooth flow are only made more obvious in the movie theater.
2 The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
Peter Jackson’s fantasy movies are famous for their exotic locations and epic scope. Few teams have been as dedicated to filming on location as the cast of The Lord of the Rings. The conclusion to the trilogy features many larger than life moments that simply can’t be experienced in full force at home. Something about the dark and quiet theater makes all the villains scarier and all the heroes more triumphant, and the vast vistas and sprawling landscapes come alive on the big sceen. Viewers get to feel as though they are running into battle along with the massive armies.
1 2001 A Space Odyssey
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
This film is a must-watch for any science-fiction fan, and when it returned to theaters in a glorious 70mm print for its 50th anniversary, cinephiles young and old flocked to cinemas in order to see one of the essential big-screen epics. 2001: A Space Odyssey features spectacular cinematography of a futuristic space station and a mind-blowing, prolonged psychedelic sequence which really sings on the big screen. Watching the movie in theaters gives the viewer a better sense of wonder and horror as the plot progresses. The revolutionary cinematography and vivid details in the textures and mechanics that can’t be seen at home blow up to epic proportions in the theater.
Finding out what to watch in the glory of a movie theater is just the first step; if you ever get a chance to see this or any of the aforementioned films on the big screen, seize the opportunity as fast as you can.
