When Do You Walk Out of a Movie

At what point will you walk out of a movie? I faced this decision last night at Avatar Imax 3D. I chose to walk out. Why? About 30 minutes into the movie as the story moved to the first scenes of Jake exploring the forest the picture went wacky. It split into two images which was extremely painful to view on the eyes–much less so when removing the glasses. This disturbing problem continued for almost another 10 minutes all through some of the most beautiful scenes of Jake discovering the forest. The crowd booed and jeered. Finally, the movie stopped and lights came on. It was then that I decided to leave. I made my way downstairs and asked for a replacement ticket for a show on a different night.

Why did I walk out? For me, as I mentioned in my earlier Avatar review, I love this movie. The showing last night would have been my fifth time to see it. It is a deeply emotional experience that I crave. The pure beauty and power of the movie was cheapened–lessened–by the technical difficulties. I paid $17 for the film, and I wanted to enjoy every penny of it.

I suppose I treat many other areas of my life much like the showing last night of Avatar. I’m not afraid to reschedule something if something has put me in a poor head space. I prefer not forcing things, especially if I can reschedule and have the opportunity of a ideal experience. So, the real question is, where do you draw the line and walk out of a movie?