Movie Rereleases: Bringing it Back to the Big Screen

Is it worth seeing a movie in theaters when you can just watch the same movie on DVD?

Since the dawn of the internet, movie theater attendance has declined, mainly because many people are acquiring the technology to see the films from the comfort of their homes. Innovations, beginning with VHS, continuing with DVD's, and currently standing with Blu Ray high-definition technology, makes the viewer's movie experience easier and more convenient. And today, sites like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime prevent even the purchase of physical discs in favor on instant streaming over the internet (usually for cheaper prices, as well). With all these modern marvels, why should anyone even bother to go to the movie theater?

Simple answer: the experience.

People do not realize how much of the movie they are missing by watching it at home. Sure, it remains easier to be able to stop, rewind, and fast forward whenever viewers want. And yes, watching at home prevents all the pesky annoyances of people, distance, and price that the theaters are plagued by. But the theater offers a singularly unique experience that no other format can capture.

The cineplexes have seen a recent resurgence of bringing classic movies back to the big screen. In the past year alone, movie theaters have rereleased Titanic, Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace, and Jurassic Park, oftentimes upgraded to IMAX and 3-D formats. Fathom Events (a company that holds special "one-day" screenings for shows, games, and classic films) even held a 20th Anniversary Event for Quentin Tarantino, returning Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction to the big screen once again.

Back before home video and the internet, theater rereleases were the only way movie buffs could see their favorite films again. They promoted sequels and celebrated anniversaries and movie stars. Sometimes, movie rereleases even brought films to the foreground that were once considered minuscule or unsuccessful; for example, Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo was once a critical and commercial failure, but after recent renovations and second opinions, it is now regarded as Hitchcock's masterpiece and one of the greatest movies ever made.

Some moviegoers will not think twice about attending these films; if the movie warrants a rerelease, it's likely that it has a strong cult following to back it up. However, most people would simply shrug at the rerelease, saying that they can see the movie on their own time at home. These people are the problem with contemporary moviegoing society; a lack of interest in seeing movies at the theaters hurts ticket sales, harms the studio company and theaters distributing the film, and ultimately affects future movie production values.

So why should a person go see a rerelease?

For starters, directors make their movies with the intention of showing them at the movie theater. The huge screen and perfect surround sound are built around how a director films a picture. When shrunk to fit the television, however, some of the clarity and film is lost, further crippled by the less-than-efficient sound system. While TV's and stereos have seemingly adapted to this problem, it remains nearly impossible to justly capture the movie from the theater format.

Worse still, movies shown on TV are drastically impaired. In order to fit the aspect ratio of certain televisions and channel requirements, some of the "unimportant" images are cut from the original motion picture. Those pesky "this film has been formatted to fit this screen" warnings indicate that someone has cropped some of the image to adjust for the television size. Widescreen is an alright fix, but some of the image effectiveness is lost.

In addition, seeing a movie at the theater is simply a better experience. Sure, the cost is a little higher; however, the added incentive of seeing a movie the way it was meant to be seen should not remain overlooked. Many readers may not remember seeing a particular movie on the big screen, or were not even born at the time of initial release. Imagine seeing The Godfather, Star Wars, Psycho, Independence Day, and Die Hard the way people initially watched them: in a dark room, filled with the loud noises of action and explosions, and looking at a screen larger than life. And people who have not even seen the rerelease have no excuse. There remains no better way to watch a movie for the first time than on the silver screen.

But most importantly, going to the movie theater is plain, old-fashioned fun. It remains an event, a sacred outing among universal values of entertainment. Seeing Jurassic Park at the movie theater was unlike anything I have ever experienced before; even though I have seen the film multiple times, even recently, I was still on the edge of my seat the entire T-Rex chase. The seats vibrated with each colossal footstep, and the sound of roars sent shivers down my spine.

So is it worth the contemporary prices of $11.50 and (gasp!) $15.00 for 3-D rereleases? The answer is yes, because going to the movie theater is fun, and there remains no better way to watch a movie than on the silver screen. No matter how much one thinks they know about a film, seeing it at a movie theater is a completely different experience. When the lights go out, and the opening credits start to roll, people will forget everything they know about a movie. For two hours, people can escape their lives and emmerse themselves into the cinematic magic of their favorite films.

And that itself is worth the price of admission.