Have you ever watched a film and thought “if only they had Google,” or “if only they had GPS, all of his could’ve been avoided”?
With the multitude of ways innovative technology has changed our lives, it’s easy to find fault in films that have become dated, including classics like Psycho or The Ring. Nowadays VHS is obsolete, with DVDs also in rapid decline. It looks like Samara may need to learn how to use YouTube and embrace viral video marketing.
Technology has brought a lot of good into the world,but it would ruin many fantastic films. We don’t mean people live Tweeting a film while in the cinema; instead, we meancertainplots become null and void. Here are sixfilmsthat would be affected by the technology of today. Beware, spoilers to follow.
Dial M for Murder
In today’s day and age, who uses a landline, let alone could strangle their wife to death with a phone cord? Cordless phones have been prevalent for many years, and so Grace Kelly would have survived this one. If this Hitchcock classic was to be modernised, then you may have to think of replacing the phone with something heftier, such as an iPad.
Psycho
Lookslike Hitchcock hasn’t agedwell, with his most notoriousthriller being ruinedby the review site, Trip Advisor. As SunLife points out with their tool showing tech ruin movies, if Janet Leigh has checked the reviews beforehand, then she would’ve known the owner of Bates Motel was a bit of a creep and to avoid the shower at all costs.
One Missed Call
This Japanese horror has a simple premise: Japanese school kids get phone messages from beyond the grave, a recording of themselves from the future, letting them know that they are next to die. In 2003 when people were more likely to answer the phone than not, avoiding hearing your death would become quite difficult. However, people are more likely to screen their calls and settle for texts instead. One Missed Text doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it? Plus, with people decidingto communicate over messaging apps, dodging phone calls is becoming much easier.
Romeo + Juliet
Remember that scene in Baz Luhrmann’s recreation of the Shakespearean classic, when Friar Laurence is trying to get a letter to Romeo, explaining that Juliet isn’t actuallydead? Yeah, that mix up wouldn’t have happened nowadays. Rather than delivering a letter, a text straight to Romeo’s smartphone would’ve helped explain the situation, and, you guessed it, Romeo and Julietwould have (most likely) lived happily ever after.
Lord of the Rings
With Google Maps, Frodo and Samwise would not only have found the quickest route to Mordor, but they also wouldn’t have had to put their trust in Gollum. A much quicker, and less stressful adventure for the two hobbits.
Memento
Leonard Shelby is unable to remember that he murdered his wife, and so he has to piece together the mystery again and again. All this can be avoided, however, by setting a regular alarm on his smartphone. At 7amevery morning, his phone chimes with the reminder “You killed your wife.” The end.
