Spoof Advertisements

The advertisements above were put up to promote movie-viewing by a group of cinemas.

1. What is the underlying message of the advertisements to encourage more people to go to the cinema to watch movies?

These advertisements are trying to convey the message that reality is always unpleasant and not enjoyable. Thus, movie is the best place to seek for pleasure, entertainment and happiness, for the fictional dimensions set in movies are often built based on the wild imaginations or creativities which people find joy in or wish indulge themselves into as a mean to temporarily avoid themselves from troubles or hassles they face in reality.

2. How is the idea of fantasy as seen in the romantic movie "Titanic" and the idealized version of whales in the movie " Free Willy" contrasted with the slogan "reality sucks" of the print advertisements?

The romance between the two main characters in "Titanic" is overly fantasized. In reality, a love that transcends social status rarely exists and usually does not last long, as this relationship will often face greater tests and hardships that arise due to the difference in social class. Besides, it is almost impossible to have a "happily ever after" life, even though the relationship ends with a happy marriage. This is because new challenges and problems will arise when a establishing a new family.

The animal-human relationship depicted in "Free Willy" is also fictionalized. In real life, the level of mutual-understanding between humans and animals remains far from reaching the level shown in the movie, as the communication gap between humans and animals is still too wide to be overcomed. It is not possible to have an animal, regardless of how highly trained and tamed it is, to have a thinking which is the same as humans.

3. What is the stereotypical image of wild animals in captivity and love cruises?

Wild animals in captivity are often stereotyped as being innocent, sad and having a strong desire to return to their original habitats. The stereotypical image of love cruises is an environment filled with romance and love, as well as free from troubles, pains and sadness.