4 Films That Influenced Society Immeasurably

In case you hadn’t got the gist already, we love going to the movies. We love the excitement that comes with seeing the latest release, throwing majorly overpriced popcorn in our faces as we leave reality behind for a couple of hours, desperate to be entertained by someone else’s story. That’s the allure cinema has. To indulge in stories we never deemed possible, worlds we never thought could exist and things our imaginations wouldn’t have dreamed up themselves (but can’t stop thinking about afterward). And yet, when the lights fade back in the credits roll up, we get to go back to our cushy lives, that little bit richer than we had been 100 minutes prior.

That’s the way cinema-going generally plays out. But every so often we come across a film that has a far more pervasive effect on people, on society, on culture itself. Movies that permeate beyond the screen and etch themselves into our frontal lobes, affecting the way we think and act from that day forward.

To shine a light on the power cinema can have on an audience, we’ve pulled together a list of movies that altered social trends, for better or worse:

1. Fight Club

This is a modern masterpiece. No one can deny that. It’s a film that sees a middle-class, middle-of-the-road white guy join a secret fight club in order to vent his frustrations. What David Fincher probably didn’t realize was just how hard he’s struck a nerve. After the film was released, fight clubs began to crop up everywhere. Assault and battery lawyers like KLGDefense.com saw an increase in trials, reporters came across clubs being organized on Craigslist and the police got used to seeing the same injuries crop up over and over again that fighters began treating their own injuries.  

2. V For Vendetta

Another modern classic, this time set in a dystopian future where a mask-wearing hero attempt to undermine and collapse the fascist regime in control. It was the inspiration for real-life hacktivist group, Anonymous, who began wearing the same mask worn by V in the film. It became a symbol of their collective strength and aim. It is a statement that shows the collective frustration at a decision, cause or event, as we have seen at protests and marches around the world, members of Anonymous donning these masks to show their presence and infuriation.

3. Bambi

Think of Bambi and your mind will leap to one scene in particular: the cute fawn, Bambi, seeing his mother get murdered by a hunter. It was as sad as any moment in movie history and it had a profound effect on people. Critics may have been mixed in their response, but the film resonated with people in the same way Disney always manages - the number of deer hunted in the US decreased by almost 50% in the months and years following Bambi's theatrical release.

4. Jaws

Yeah. We’re talking about the film where a shark terrorizes a small beach town, forcing the sheriff to partner up with a marine biologist and shark hunter. Well, even though shark attacks are impossible uncommon, this film hit the beach tourist market hard, putting fear into the heart of sea-lovers everywhere.