What do you think of when you see these scenes?
Well if you spend any time on social media
you most likely recognize these scenes as popular internet memes.
For decades this scene from 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory' was a rather insignificant moment of cinema.
Now this scene is immortalized in the internet Hall of Fame as the perfect way to patronize someone of lesser intelligence.
But do memes really have anything to do with the movies they reference?
I mean Wonka really isn't being condescending in this particular scene.
But the freeze-frame of this facial expression can seem rather sarcastic out of context.
Take this scene from 'The Matrix' which led to the iconic
"What if I told you" meme.
The meme works off of the basis that Morpheus says "what if I told you?"
followed by a piece of advice that is usually rather obvious.
Most people assume this is because Morpheus famously says "what if I told you" to Neo at some point in the film
But what if I told you that Morpheus never actually says that line at all?
Even fans of the film have been tricked by this meme
assuming that the line is in the film just because the meme works so well.
For the most part, Memes seem to use films as a source of inspiration
and then take on a life of their own.
Take this popular meme that uses 'Toy Story 2' as its source of inspiration.
The meme works off the idea that Buzz Lightyear's commenting on an influx of something,
but in the actual film Buzz isn't discussing anything close to what is implied in the meme.
"Don't worry Woody, in just a few hours you'll be sitting around a campfire with Andy making delicious hot schmoes."
"They're called s'mores, Buzz."
So what do memes mean for movies?
Do they improve the movie watching experience or do they damage it?
Nowadays, memes extend far beyond the standard screen grab with setup text on the top
and a payoff at the bottom.
Memes can be videos,
Gifs or they can even be interactive.
Take this recent meme known as the "'Get Out' Challenge," the meme is simple enough
creators just reenact the famous running scene
from the movie Get Out. While the most popular movie based memes reference classics,
this meme surfaced during the first week of 'Get Out's'
theatrical release.
Many people were familiar with the meme even before seeing the film.
When I first saw the film in the second week of its release
The running scene, which is meant to be eerie and rather
unsettling, was met with a great deal of laughs in the theater. And while I can't prove that
everyone who laughed was laughing as a result of the meme
it seems odd that such a moment would be met with almost unanimous laughter.
Another recent example is the now infamous dancing scene from the movie 'It.'
In the film, Pennywise the Dancing Clown
takes some time to well... dance
Unlike the "'Get Out' Challenge" which used footage from the film's trailer to make the meme
The dancing clown meme was created using pirated
cellphone footage of the film playing in a cinema.
The meme functions off the premise that the clown's dancing matches up with any song
Granted this particular scene is rather strange, but again
it's a scene that is supposed to register as unsettling and was met with laughs in the theater.
Are memes ruining the movie-going experience?
Well, yes and no.
For those who want to experience a film in his purest form, the way the filmmakers intended,
memes can be a bit of a hindrance.
But we have to acknowledge the fact that a considerable amount of people
wouldn't be aware of certain movies if it wasn't for the help of memes.
Yes, the "'Get Out' Challenge" may have made light of a creepy moment
but the meme went viral and got the word out about an important film, and this doesn't just apply to current releases.
Imagine the amount of young people that wouldn't be aware of great films like 'The Big Lebowski' if it wasn't for memes
Memes may cause us to view a film differently, but they also encourage viewership and keep movies alive.
And at the end of the day, that's what is most important.