The Green-Light | Easter egg culture is ruining modern moviegoing. Here’s how we can fix it

Before you tell me about the Robin suit you spotted in the newest Batman v Superman trailer – before you inform me that Ben Affleck has been spotted on the set of Suicide Squad – before you get me up to speed on how how some character is connected to another character appearing in another character’s film and how that film connects to the billion others…. let me stop you right there. I don’t care if Batman looks like he’ll turn up in Suicide Squad. I don’t care if Holly Hunter’s character may be doing dirty with Lex Luthor in Dawn of Justice. It’s not really a question of if I care; it’s when I’ll care. Specifically, that’ll be when the film comes out.

More and more, we’re finding ourselves gripped by easter egg culture – the rabid consuming of everything to do with movies, how they relate to one another, and what can be spotted in the background. But rarely is it anything to do with discourse on the movie itself. In a worryingly significant way, it’s changed – and continues to change – how we view films. To my disbelief, the instant the lights went up at a screening for one of the most recent Marvel films (a movie series that I love, by the way), the guys to my right launched into a full-blown discussion on what the repercussions the movie would have on the next one. Which is all part of the fun of these films, for sure – but what’s the point of going to the movies if you don’t focus on the moments that are passing right in front of you? Debating whether Kurt Russell or Keith David is the Thing, or if DiCaprio’s awake or asleep; these are the things that matter, and that should be on our minds when those lights go up.

Dream, or reality; meaningful movie conversation, or nonsense. Your choice.

Maybe it’s just me. Perhaps the times have been irreparably altered by these cinematic universes, and their criss-crossing timelines and film-hopping superheroes. I think it’s a massive shame, because, on a mainstream scale, it’s a cinematic form that hasn’t been achieved before, and definitely not on this kind of level; its ambition is to be admired, not reviled, and as far as Marvel Studios’ output goes, each movie has ranged from enjoyably passable to stonkingly entertaining. But it’s also spawned a narrow-minded ideology that rewards guzzling completism, and rejects interaction with the art at its most emotional level. I may be coming across a little harsh here, for there is genuine love simmering underneath the surface of easter egg culture – albeit a skewered love, one that’s slightly misguided and needs to find its direction again. Fundamentally, there’s nothing wrong with analysing every shred of the movies, books, music you love to death; in fact, I heartily encourage it. But when that fervent, committed analysis flies past the focus of what our movies are telling us, something is seriously wrong. I still give in and read trailer reactions and shot-by-shot descriptions, despite my better judgement, and when the temptation is just far too great. I’m an addict; you’re an addict. We are all addicts, and we can’t get enough of our beloved entertainment. But I feel there is a line that should be drawn – by ourselves – for our enjoyment to continue untarnished. And that means stopping our endless consumption of trailers, clips, interviews, leaked footage, set photos and whatever else that satiates your fix. Let me explain with a handy list:

• Don’t watch the trailer.

Every time you watch a trailer, Ryan Gosling cries a teeny-tiny tear.

In 2013, I was at the Glasgow film festival. The lights went down and I realised that I only knew two things about the film I was about to watch: the title, and a set photo of Ryan Gosling on a motorbike. The Place Beyond the Pines ended as one of my favourite films of that year, and I realised that I may not have quite enjoyed its surprises anywhere near as much as if I had seen the trailer. This led me to a simple conclusion: don’t watch the trailer. Most of the time, this will be impossible, especially for popcorn palace fare. But how many times have we been to see a film (especially comedies) only for us to bemoan afterward that all the good bits were in the trailer?

• Stop clicking on everything you see.

‘5,923 reasons why we’ll basically have seen Suicide Squad before it actually comes out’

You know the type of titles. ‘Fans Slam Will Smith After Suicide Squad Trailer,’ ‘9 Reasons The Batman v Superman Trailer Should Worry You’; clickbait fodder, pure and simple. Hovering your cursor over these hyperlinks brings a rush of anticipation. Worst of all, you know they’re bad for you – but you’ll click them anyway. (Hell, even we entertain these types of titles sometimes – but with the quality content on the other side of the click, at least.) These pieces will reveal details you simply didn’t need to know about the film before going in, and the more hooked you are on the details, the less you’ll enjoy the movie. I’ve heard people get annoyed at Leto’s joker because of the way he speaks. The two friggin’ lines he speaks in his twenty-second appearance. My alternative to this bullet point would be not to use the internet at all; like that’ll happen.

• For the love of God, relax.

I said RELAX!

Most importantly, we should just enjoy the ride. The build-up to a film you desperately want to see is always an exciting time where we’ll try and find out whatever we can about it. Let’s exercise some self-restraint, guys; calm down, and let the anticipation of that movie be part of your life, not your whole life (something I’ve had to tell myself many times). But it takes two to tango; David Ayer and crew have been unknowingly spoiling their film with endless streams of Suicide Squad related media, including a full reveal of Leto’s Joker, over a year from the film’s actual release. They should take a page from Christopher Nolan’s book, where an understanding is made perfectly clear: that optimum enjoyment of the film comes from knowing as little about it as possible. Of course, a filmmaker like Nolan is in a position to have control over the marketing of his work – but Ayer, please can you stop tweeting, instagramming and ruining your damn movie before we’ve had a chance to see it?

Easter egg culture can be a positive thing, but right now, it’s seriously messing up mainstream movie watching. Change your habits; change your outlook. Sometimes, the most important part of going to the movies, is just going to the movies.