Over the summer, I went to the McHenry County Drive-In movie theater for the first time. They had a double-feature, The Meg 2 would open for Jaws. Honestly it took me longer than it should've to realize it was Shark Week. I loved the experience of getting there early, setting up, and honking my horn with the rest of the cars in attendance.
That’s not to say that drive-ins are automatically better. I'm only 5'9", which isn't that tall but still felt it was difficult to get comfortable in the back of a car. We had to readjust positions every so often because unfortunately we forgot to bring extra pillows and blankets. However, it was a nice getaway and allowed me to check something off of my bucket list. It felt like there was more of a shared experience with the cars next to us rather than if we were in a normal theater.
I enjoyed being able to divulge into conversation about whether or not we liked the movie like we do in class, and I feel like you don't get this same experience at a theater. It relates back to chapter 2 in Moving Pictures saying that everyone is a film critic: being able to talk about certain scenes, the cinematography, the sounds, etc. contributes to the drive-in experience. Cars honked instead of applauding. You could hear cheers when Jason Statham’s character did something cool, and you could also hear anticipation/screams from younger kids watching Jaws for the first time.
Drive-ins are becoming more and more of a novelty. There’s only a handful of them left. I’m not saying that I would instantly prefer a drive-in over a theater every time. Theaters are about maximizing comfort, and I can’t comfortably watch a movie in the back of my car. However, I would go back to McHenry, and I would suggest seeking out a drive-in yourself if you’ve never been.
No comments:
Post a Comment