I've always cherished the films I had the chance to see in theaters the most. You get an excuse to leave the house and all your worries at home, spend time with the person/people you tag along with, and experience a story unfolding right before your eyes. For me personally, the movie that really left me in awe after seeing it in theaters was Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest. I remember the picture being so incredibly clear. The colors of the ocean being so vivid and blue. The sound of the waves crashing onto the shore, making you feel like you were on that island with the pirates. Not to mention the intensity of the action scenes that leave you holding onto the edge of your seat with bombs going off from the ship paired with the theatric soundtrack. You didn't walk out of that theater feeling like you just watched a movie. You walked out feeling like you had experienced going through an incredibly realistic journey.

I feel like the experience of seeing this movie can't be replicated at home for many reasons. The first being the fact that the huge movie screen allows you to see everything crystal clear. You miss a lot more details when watching it at home on a smaller screen with lower quality. When watching Dead Man's Chest on the big screen, I felt like the theater screen made me feel more connected to the characters. I could see every tentacle on Davy Jones's face and it only made him seem even more intimidating and creepy. We felt like he was right there in front of us about to take us down under the depths of the ocean, cursed for all eternity.

Secondly, you can't beat the theater's surround sound, capturing every detail of this movie. It really made the experience feel like you were there. You could hear the piercing sharp sounds of the pirates' swords clashing together and the soundtrack to Jack Sparrow running away from the islanders shooting arrows at him helped the scene feel more intense and suspenseful. Not to mention the eerie dark sound of Davy Jones' voice filling the auditorium with fear. I wonder if that voice is still forever scarred on my little brother's memory to this day after seeing it in theaters 16 years ago. If we had seen it at home, I don't think my brother would've been as traumatized by Davy Jones. He would have been in the comfort of our home free to run away when he was scared or curl up in his dinosaur blanket.

Third of all, it's the fact that you can't pause the movie. This creates a feeling of excitement, higher level of attention, and awareness because you don't want to miss out on any of the film. When you're more tuned into the movie and away from any distractions, you can fully immerse yourself in the movie and enjoy the experience. Especially because there's so much going on in this movie and it's two and half hours long. You really don't want to miss any details by tuning out, or you may get confused about what is going on. The movie theater created more of a safe, quiet, and peaceful environment to experience the film and because of that, it was much easier to pay attention throughout the entire film. If you watch this movie at home, you may have a dog barking in the background, your TV's internet connection disconnect, someone calling and distracting you from the film, etc.

All in all, when it comes to seeing a movie for the first time, you want to feel like you're experiencing it, not just watching it. I can confidently say that every time I've watched this movie at home, it never quite compares to my experience of seeing it in theaters. The huge theater screen, surround sound, and non-disruptive environment created a much more thrilling, engaging, and suspenseful experience than when I saw it at home on TV. The big screen insures that you will have the best experience.