Does watching & learning how tricks, etc are made on a movie take the joy out of watching the movie?

Question

You buy a 1 or 2 disc DVD movie. One has special features, i.e . how the special effects & tricks are made, i.e. these comic book hero movies. Does learning how they do it, make you enjoy the movie, or less?

Answer 1

You've posed the question that haunts movie fans and movie collectors---How much do I want to know about the magic?

I had to face this question very early on---I grew up in the 1950's, and my introduction to fantastic movies was by reading "Famous Monsters of Filmland" magazine, which not only celebrated the magic of movies, but took the time to explain how some of it worked. And what I found, in the long run, was that if the movie was good enough, I could ignore the technical magic and concentrate on the storytelling magic. Later, I could think about how some of the amazing special effects were made and marvel at the creative side of the movie-making process.
So, to answer your question, no, the joy is still there---sometimes it's doubled when I learn how it was all made to happen.
It's not as if you were learning the secrets to a magic trick; movie magic is a different kind of magic, that's a part of the movie-making process, not the focus of it.

Answer 2

I think it depends on the movie and the filmmaker. Some special features discs are sparse and uninteresting, like they're doing it just for the contract. In some, they really provide interesting insights into the filmmaking - I think one that stands out is "The Others." You wouldn't even think there were any effects in it, but when you watch the specials and the day is bright and not foggy, and how the eerie look is created, it made me appreciate the film even more.

Answer 3

Yes i think it does. You know it is not really say James Bond
doing all the tricky stuff but seeing its not him spoils the hero effect of the movie

Answer 4

Doesn't ruin anything for me