Nowadays, we needn’t look far to find something new to watch. So why do so many of us choose to watch films we’ve already seen, even knowing every line of the script?
A survey revealed rewatching films we’ve already seen countless times is common. Some titles were mentioned repeatedly — Back To The Future, Top Gun, and musicals like The Rain. In 2016, a website surveyed 1,169 people to list the 25 most rewatched films — with Star Wars, The Wizard of Oz and The sound of Music taking the top spots.
Finding which movies we watch again and again is easy. Exactly why we do it is less clear. Obviously we love them and think they deserve our attention. One said, “Some films are what I think ‘complete’ and are so familiar that you can stop and start at any point. They are deeply satisfying and you can lose yourself in them.”
While that might explain the second, third, or fourth viewing, what keeps us coming back to a movie when we already know every detail, and there are so many other new films to choose from?
One explanation is that watching something familiar takes up less mental energy. We don’t have to concentrate to work out what’s going on. Instead, we just sit back and relax. When faced with diverse choices, it’s easier to return to an old film that we believe won’t disappoint us.
A psychological phenomenon, “the mere exposure effect” — in which we develop a preference for something familiar — could also be a good explanation. So the more we watch, the more we want to watch.
A 2012 study on cultural “re-consumption” found that rewatching movies can also make us reflect on how we’ve grown a measuring stick for how much our lives have changed. Perhaps that’s one of the biggest reasons why we return to films, to recall not only for a time in history but for a time in our lives.
【小题1】What can we learn from the first two paragraphs?| A．There are few good movies people can choose from. |
| B．People often watch movies many times to memorize lines. |
| C．People like to enjoy some movies once and again. |
| D．Star Wars, Top Gun and The sound of Music are top hits. |
| A．it makes viewers much more comfortable to rewatch the films |
| B．familiar movies can remind people of impressive experiences |
| C．viewers find it hard to select a better film than familiar ones |
| D．it is those well-produced movies that always appeal to viewers |
| A．Negative. | B．Objective. | C．Disapproving. | D．Cautious. |
