There are plenty of things that we see which require us to suspend disbelief. For us to enjoy cartoons, for instance, we have to be able to set aside the thought that “that could never happen” and just take in the cartoon as it was meant to be viewed. An example is Wile E. Coyote chasing the Roadrunner. Every one of those cartoons is LOADED with things that could never happen. If you start picking apart all the non-real things, you wouldn’t be able to enjoy the cartoon. Plus you’d probably get an ulcer. Cartoons are meant to be fun and to bring laughter or at least some lightness to our lives. Spending time fretting over why the rocks don’t fall or why the traps only work on the coyote just isn’t worth it and ruins the cartoon.

The same can be said for movies. There are plenty of movies that are made in the same spirit. They’re not intended to be “serious” movies, and so they shouldn’t be viewed that way. You need to set aside your disbelief and just enjoy the movie for what it is. There’s no sense getting bent out of shape over a plot point or something that just wouldn’t happen in the real world. Sure, there are elements of quality filmmaking that keep the audience from reaching that point, but even with movie that aren’t quite at that level, they’re meant to be enjoyed, not worked up over. Why come down on movies about this? Who needs more stress in their lives? If you can’t watch a movie without your blood pressure rising because you can’t suspend your disbelief for a couple yours, you should just avoid them.

Movies, like many things in life, can be a source of joy or of stress. I choose to take joy from these things, rather than grief. We’ve been given life, intelligence, and creativity to enjoy them and use them well. That’s something that we can all aspire more to.

As the theme song from Mystery Science Theater 3000 says,

“If you’re wondering how he eats and breathes
And other science facts,
Just repeat to yourself ‘It’s just a show,
I should really just relax.’ “

Current music: The Memory of Trees, by Enya