10 Films That Were Way Better at the Cinema

I fell in love with cinema at a young age. The first film my dad ever took me to see was Disney’s ‘The Jungle Book’ upon it’s cinema re-release in April 1993 when I was five years old. My dad bought us tickets and popcorn and we took our seats in the dark, surrounded by murmuring strangers. Nervous and excited, I sat and waited, staring at a dimly illuminated red curtain.

Then the curtain slowly opened and I watched with wide eyes as the giant images began to play on-screen and I knew immediately that this was how films were supposed to be seen. My dad would periodically take me to the closest cinema, an Odeon multiplex seven miles away from home, and these trips became cherished rituals. They were a big deal to me, and my love of cinema has never wavered.

With the recent advances in home cinema technology; the prevalence of HDTV; television screens stretching past 50 inches in many homes and the relative inexpensiveness of surround-sound set-ups, one can be forgiven for the opinion that the cinema provides nothing that cannot be achieved in the home. I disagree with that opinion.

 

10. Jaws (1970)

After an unprecedented nationwide TV advertising campaign, ‘Jaws’ was one of the first films released concurrently in hundreds of theatres across the US and became the prototype of what would later become known as the “Summer Blockbuster”. Cinema-goers all over the US (and soon after, the world) experienced a huge event almost simultaneously. ‘Jaws’ quickly became the top-grossing film of all-time.

Don’t get me wrong, ‘Jaws’ is still great when viewed at home. A great film is a great film – but I will be forever envious of everyone who saw that goddamned shark lurch out of the water for the first time on the big-screen.

 

9. Ghostbusters (1984)

Everyone loves ‘Ghostbusters’. Everyone. Even if you claim that you don’t, you do. Like several of the films on this list, I was unable to see it during its first run at the box office due to the pesky inconvenience of not having been born yet. I did, however, get the chance to see it on the big-screen at a local independent cinema a few years ago and it was one of the most enjoyable experiences of my movie-watching life.

I had seen ‘Ghostbusters’ approximately one bazillion times before, as had pretty much every other person in attendance. There is something so joyful about appreciating something you love surrounded by dozens of other people who love it just as much.

 

8. Jurassic Park (1993)

When ‘Jurassic Park’ was released, I was a small child already obsessed with dinosaurs. This film probably marked the first time I ever felt truly awestruck. The scene shortly after the characters arrive at the park where the characters (and the audience) see the brachiosaur for the first time and then the build up to Richard Attenborough’s immortal “Welcome… To Jurassic Park.” Never before had I seen anything even remotely like it. A lot of the time, when I try to think about what cinema means to me, I think of that scene. The SFX, the music, the cinematography. I get goosebumps just thinking about it now.

Some films are landmark events, and waiting for the DVD simply isn’t an option.

 

7. The Avengers (2012)

Like ‘Jurassic Park’, some films hold a sense of scale that doesn’t quite translate to the smaller screen of a home television. ‘The Avengers’ epitomises that. With the incredible build up to this movie that was accomplished by Marvel Studios in the years preceding it, there were worries that it wouldn’t deliver. That it couldn’t possibly deliver. I underestimated Marvel, and I won’t make that mistake again.

A lifelong fan of everything superhero related, I grew up wanting to be Spiderman before I realised that it was an unrealistic goal and changed my ambition to focus on becoming Batman. I still haven’t given up hope.

The action scenes in ‘The Avengers’ are so spectacular and so huge that they need to be on the big-screen. It seems almost a disservice to view them any other way. As stated earlier, a great film is a great film, but some great films just need to be viewed in theatres to be appreciated properly. ‘The Avengers’ is one of them.

MORE: 8 Biggest Summer Blockbusters to Watch in 2015

 

6. Toy Story 3 (2010)

For a generation of cinema-goers, the ‘Toy Story’ franchise represents a rite of passage. The first film was a childhood favourite. The second expanded upon the first and the story grew as we grew. Then ten years passed and the announcement came that there was to be a ‘Toy Story 3’. It was huge. Bigger than anybody could have expected and it was easy to see why. Not only would this be a great movie for the current crop of kids, this movie was going to grab the attention of all of the kids that loved the story from the beginning. I was a 23 year-old man and I was in line on opening day surrounded by other twenty-somethings as well as younger kids and families.

I sat in the cinema and enjoyed every second of ‘Toy Story 3’ surrounded by other people like myself who felt like they’d grown up with Andy and were now having to accept that we were entering the world of adulthood. The final scene was so much more than just part of the story for so many people. It was harsh reality being reflected back at us. That scene made me cry in public and not even care because, all around me, people were doing the same thing. It was like some strange kind of therapy and it was beautiful.