By recent calculations, roughly 50% of the population had seen the latest Avengers movie, but prior to this, Thanos had already dusted off half of the human race. Should this 50% who watched Endgame then be technically considered as 100% now?
Seriously, I really felt out of the loop for a while, as everyone I know have already watched the movie, and they looked at me kind of funny when I told them that I haven’t. Actually, we have long decided not to watch it on the first week to avoid the long queue and the full capacity crowd. But, like the hopeless MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) follower that I am, I finally went to see it with the family.
Sure enough, it did not disappoint. it was very well-made, I even teared up a little and laughed a lot, except for a brief time when I nearly hulked out when I leaned forward and told the person sitting in front that his mobile phone’s LED was right smack in my eyes. On the whole, it was fun. (Take that you haters, I am now officially part of your 50%. I now belong, no matter how idiotic professing that may sound.)
Trulily, the proliferation of superhero movies had indeed been jammed into our throats, er, senses, for over two decades and whether we like it or not, our psyche and the way we perceive entertainment have never been the same. However, we could also say that of course, the advent of superhero comics had earlier laid the groundwork and conditioned us long before that. As early as the post-war years, comics had been used as both propaganda and entertainment. Jump into Doctor Strange’s time portal and look where we are right now.
With that, we stand on the landscape of this present marvel reality. “Films transport us to another place in a way that even the most evocative words never can.” This is to quote Saoirse Ronan, an actress. Advancements in film-making and the perfection of CGI, or computer generated imagery, have made sure that the 100 (or more) year-old cinema had undergone unprecedented growth. However, it still begs the question, is this boast true?
While the first part about films transporting us to another place may prove correct, evocative words, such as those found in all reading materials, like books, are still way much better and can hold its own against films. Moving pictures, in spite the visual spectacle it brings to viewers, are still no match against the descriptive type of imagery “evoked” by the written word. One may miss details in a scene of a movie but the same scene in a book, will appear more vivid when seen through the mind’s eyes, because as we read, we naturally create images as adjunct to comprehension.
Aside from these, there are even scientific studies that attest to the benefits of reading. For one, it increases blood flow to various areas of the brain and exercises its multiple complex cognitive functions, researchers from Stanford announced. It improves one’s vocabulary and enhances comprehension and ups memory retention. Medically, it aids greatly in the prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia.
But enough of that already. We are in the endgame now.
Oh sure, this might appear like the rain in your parade, movie buffs, but it’s not meant to spoil your fun. I too love the cinema, avidly keeping up with the good and well-made films of the day. Let us even cry together at spoiler alerts. It’s just not right to compare films to evocative words.
