10 Movies With Surprising Real World Consequences
The butterfly effect gone mad.
"Movies don't actually achieve anything," said the concerned parent of every child who's just expressed a desire to go to film school.
"Why don't you go out and get a real job?" they say, whilst secretly hiding the fact that they were denied a career as a ballerina and forced to work in marketing instead.
Projecting? What's projecting?
The point we're trying to make is that, to a lot of people, films are just an excuse to pop the kettle on and check out of life for two hours. Whilst that's an important cause in and of itself, many assume that a movie's impact starts and ends with its audience.
Not the case. Not the case at all.
The following ten motion pictures all had consequences far more impactful than any director, actor, or critic could have possibly imagined. Some inspired people to make huge decisions, some ended up appearing in lawsuits, and some even nearly got people killed.
So, next time someone tells you that movies don't matter, please feel free to direct them to this list and then kindly inform them where they can shove it.
10. Giving People Traumatic Flashbacks - Saving Private Ryan
Directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks, 1998's Saving Private Ryan started the much-loved trend of people spending inordinate amounts of money attempting to rescue Matt Damon.
Along with its gripping story and likeable roster of characters, the movie was praised for its ultra-realistic depiction of the horrors of World War II. Right from the get go, the film pulls no punches in depicting the conflict as Hell on Earth with its remarkable recreation of the D-Day landings.
Well, it was praised by some. For others, it brought back a whole host of unwanted memories.
Some real veterans of the battle on Omaha beach who saw the film reported that they were unable to finish it, as the sequence brought on traumatic flashbacks. In fact, the United States Department for Veteran Affairs created an entire hotline dedicated to those affected by the movie.
In the end, it's probably for the best that these horrors were shown as accurately as possible. Fear is a powerful deterrent, and it would have been a greater insult to those who fought in the war to try and dumb it down for a more sensitive audience.