A film has one purpose to entertain. Is this true?

In todays globalized world, many people consider films to be a complicated collision of literature and theatre that is able to convey stories to us in a most interesting manner. Films are arguably the most pervasive form of mass media and some may consider films to only provide entertainment. However, that is hardly true because most films have more than one purpose besides entertainment. They are able to teach us important moral lessons and increase our level of knowledge. Furthermore, they may also help to raise awareness of social problems. However, there are some films that that have only one purpose- to entertain. More often than not, these films usually revolve around mindless killings and the destruction of buildings.

A film has more than one purpose besides entertainment because they can teach us important moral lessons. For example, the popular film Avatar is a science fiction film written and directed by
James Cameron. Although many claim that the films sole purpose is to entertain because it is mainly fiction, Avatar blatantly exemplifies the message that we should find happiness in nature, and that earth and all its man-made things are impossible to find happiness in. Another example of a film that teaches us important moral lessons is The Blind Side. The Blind Side is a 2009 American dramasports film written and directed by John Lee Hancock. The film is about Michael Oher, a homeless African-American teenager from a broken home. He is is taken in by a well-to-do white family who helps him fulfill his potential. Living in his new environment, the teenager faces a completely different set of challenges to overcome. The film teaches us the importance of guided faith and not giving up and served as an inspiration to many. Indeed these films do entertain us; however it is not true that films sole purpose is to entertain because they also teach us important moral lessons.

The exponential and rapid growth of the global film industry has also led to the creation of films that help to increase our level of knowledge. Films about the life of a famous person or an important battle or historic event can stimulate an interest in reading about the person or the event. Examples of such films include Beautiful Dreamers and Moulin Rouge. Furthermore, there are also films that educate us on new and interesting facts. Documentary films such as Planet Earth amazes viewers with never-before seen animal behaviors and startling views of locations captured by cameras for the first time. Such documentary films are visually appealing to many and can be seen as a fascinating way to increase our level of knowledge because we can learn new things about our planet, our environment and other living creatures. These documentary films may even serve as a virtual classroom for some. For literature that is complex and hard to read, a film version may also serve as an excellent introduction to the

book. Examples include Pride and Prejudice and Les Miserables. Thus, it can be seen that besides entertainment, films could also help to increase our level of knowledge.

Finally, there also films that helps to raise awareness of social problems such as global warming and obesity. For example, the film, An Inconvenient Truth is a 2006 documentary film directed by Davis Guggenheim about former United States Vice President Al Gore's campaign to educate people about global warming. Since the film's release, An Inconvenient Truth has been credited for raising international public awareness of climate change and reenergizing the environmental movement. The film won an Oscar for best documentary Feature and was a catalyst for the Live Earth concerts in 2007 which initiated a three-year campaign to combat climate change. Furthermore, an internet survey conducted by The Nielsen Company and Oxford University indicated that sixty-six percent of viewers who claimed to have seen An Inconvenient Truth said the film had changed their mind about global warming and eighty-nine percent said watching the movie made them more aware of the problem. Another film that has helped to raise awareness of social problems is Super Size Me. The film was released in 2004 and directed by Morgan Spurlock where he served as a human guinea pig to find out the effect of surviving solely on food from McDonalds. The film served as a shock factor to many viewers as they realized how harmful fast foods are to their body. Hence, it can be seen that besides the entertainment that these films provide, their sole purpose was not entertain because they also helped to raise awareness of social problems.

However, there are some films that have one purpose to entertain. An example of such films includes Hannibal. Hannibal tells a story of a man using different torturous methods to kill innocent people. The film is based upon mindless killings whereby individuals after individuals get killed using new traps. Viewers do not learn anything from such films because all they do is get entertained by mindless killings without learning anything. Another example of a film that has mindless killings and the destruction of buildings is the popular Terminator series. The Terminator series is a science fiction franchise encompassing a series of films and other media concerning battles between Skynet's artificially intelligent machine network, and John Connor's Resistance forces and the rest of the human race. Most of the time, the film is fast-paced and action-packed accompanied by mindless killings and destruction of buildings. Thus, it can be seen that such films has only one purpose to entertain.

The main aim of films today is to entertain and viewers are largely entertained by gore, violence and sex. Such films usually depict scenes of people being killed mindlessly and can be seen to only provide entertainment. However, it is hardly true that a films purpose is to entertain because films may also increase our level of knowledge and teach us important moral lessons. Additionally, they also help in raising awareness of social problems. Even though these films do contain entertainment value, they have more than purpose.