The Butt Ugly Weblog

On sitting through

I have a confession to make: I am one of those annoying people who like to sit through the end credits of movies. Annoying, because we sit while everyone else is moving; annoying, because other people in the company have to wait for us outside the movie theatre.

Then why do it? It's not like there's anything interesting during the end credits, is there?

Well... over the years I've heard (and used) different excuses for this. The most common one, I guess, is that people want to see if there's something extra during or after the end credits, and usually you can count on certain types of movies to have them. (Rowan Atkinson pops up at the end of "Mr Bean" and says "Yes, I normally stay to the end as well" - a nice nod to us weirdos, and the animated credits from almost any Pixar movie are definitely worth staying for). But I do it regardless of the movie, so that's not a good reason.

The other reason is that you can listen to the movie score at the end. True, but you can probably get it from the nearby record store or off the internet, if you really want to, and you can listen it as many times as you want.

Yesterday, we went to see Pan's Labyrinth, and during the end credits, I really realized why I want to stay through the credits: so that I wouldn't have to leave just yet. I really like movie theatres, and the kind of an immersion you can get in there. At home, there is always distraction - there are so many things in the room which can break the illusion: a car driving by, a phone call, mice scurrying, or maybe there is simply too much visual noise: the book shelf, the carpet, the table, a can of soda.

I'm a relative A/V luddite: my TV is pretty crappy by modern standards, and I don't own even a decent pair of stereos. But watching movies at home is just not... fun in the same way as in a movie theatre, so I have had no reason to upgrade. It works for the purpose of watching recorded TV shows, and that's pretty much it. (Now that I have a Wii, I may have to upgrade to get a better playing experience, though :)

But anyway: leaving right after the movie is over would be a too harsh blow, a jarring transition from the illusion to the real world. The end credits, and the music, and the near-empty theatre until the final blackness and the curtain give me a soft landing to whatever waits outside.

Oh, the movie? I really, really liked it. At first, I had trouble adjusting to it, but around half-way, at the Pale One, it lodged itself directly between my brain lobes and refused to let go. It's definitely a fantastic fantasy movie, and it works on so many levels - and somehow, I could directly relate to the little girl, Ophelia. Maybe because she would probably be one of those persons who stay until the end - the real end - of the movie as well.