Hancock makes me sick!

Posted by lapazfarm on July 19th, 2008 filed in Random Ramblings

Literally!

Now, don’t get me wrong. The 15 minutes or so of the movie I was able to watch were really good! I WANTED to watch the rest! But this just happened to be one of those movies that, for whatever reason, makes me literally sick to my stomach if I watch it. Something about the way certain movies are filmed do this to me. It’s motion sickness or something akin to it, but whatever it is, it is powerful stuff, causing me to be unable to look at the screen, needing to leave the theatre, and leaving me queasy for hours afterward. Not wanting to spoil the movie for my husband, I tried to stick it out this time by just sitting in the theater with my eyes closed, but after a while Ed started feeling it, too! We ended up leaving, sad that we missed a great flick, but grateful that the theater owner offered us a rain check.

This isn’t the first time this has happened. Other movies have caused the same reaction:

Borne Supremacy
King Kong (the newer one)
The Mexican (with Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts)
and now Hancock.

Does this happen to anyone else? If so, then please tell me which movies are the worst offenders for you because I want to be able to avoid them at all costs!

And, does anyone know the cause or, perhaps, a cure???

14 Responses to “Hancock makes me sick!”

RavenChild Says:
July 19th, 2008 at 12:44 am
Cloverfield did this to many people. I’ve seen the same thing happen to people with some IMax movies, and the movies that are shown in the domes where you stand to watch.

I think the cause it the disparity between what your eyes and vestibular system are telling your brain. Sort of the opposite of being motion sick in a car or on a boat, where your inner ear is reporting a lot of motion while your eye is seeing things as moving less. In the movie, your eyes are reporting major movement, while your ear is reporting no movement to speak of.
Jennifer Says:
July 19th, 2008 at 6:59 am
YES! Blair Witch Project. I threw up four times during that film. And I heard the same thing about Cloverfield.
Andrea Says:
July 19th, 2008 at 7:24 am
Yeah, the Bourne movie up there gave me a headache. :-/

Wasn’t near as bad on the tv though.
Robin Says:
July 19th, 2008 at 8:46 am
Oh, yes! I couldn’t wait for the Bourne Identity to come to the theater because I had loved the book so much. But I left the theater sick to my stomach from the wild camera panning and sick in my heart at what they did to such a great book.
I have had that problem with many tv shows, too. Whenever they have really fast car chases or they get too artsy with the camera angles. I find it particularly troublesome for my stomach. It gives me a headache, too.
And I did have the same problem with Hancock! Personally, I liked the storyline from Hancock, but the cussing was just out of control. It bothers me to no end that a movie intended for kids would have so many mid-level cuss words. They didn’t have the biggie words, but they had the “d” word, the “h” word, and “a-hole” was uttered almost every other minute.
That just kind of ruined it for me. Of course, my older kids loved it. Figures!
I don’t think you missed too much, Theresa.
Maryan Says:
July 19th, 2008 at 8:57 am
Ugh.. Theresa the same happens to me. Conspiracy Theory (with Mel Gibson) had scenes in it that caused this as well… however, that wasn’t filming throughout the entire movie.. just scenes to make a point. So I just avoided watching those scenes. The Bourne movies were much easier to take on TV than in the movies.
Meg Says:
July 19th, 2008 at 9:22 am
For one thing it’s the way they film fight scenes anymore to make them seem more intense. It doesn’t bother me, but with a houseful of martial artists, they complain that they can’t see the details.

I’d recommend skipping the new Batman movie - it does it too.
Ron Says:
July 19th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
I have not gone to the movie theatre since the Bourne Supremacy. I read the book when it first came out in paperback, loved the story. I thought the constant camera shaking was a hatchet job to the story.

Same physiological reaction as Andrea.
Jen Says:
July 19th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
I though I was the only one!! I can’t think of any specific movie titles, but when confronted with that type of motion sickness I close my eyes and ask my kids or hubby to “tell me when that part is over because it’s making me sick”. We rarely go to the theater and I don’t think the effect is quite as bad with a DVD on the small screen. I NEVER remember movies doing that to me as a kid… am I just getting older or is it all the fancy things they can do with the camera or computer graphics now? Darn, that new-fangled technology!! LOL!
Linda Says:
July 19th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Thanks so much for posting this! I have never ever had this sort of thing happen to me.

However, quite similar to you, 15 min. into the movie I started to feel carsick, I didn’t know what the problem was - I took occasional peeks, but whoa - cold sweats and shaky, I sat through the movie, was an ok movie, too bad I didn’t get to watch most of it!
Lis Says:
July 19th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Hi Gonzalez clan- Glad to read you’re arrived and happily settling in! Keep posting those fantastic pictures- they’re a cool (literally) break from FL summer… We’re all cheering you on!
Lis/Pete/Jack
Chuck Says:
July 20th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
I just had to look online to see if it was just me!!! I went to see this movie with my kids today & watched the first 15 minutes & got sick!!! I had to spend the rest of the time in the theatre with my eyes closed & it took me a few hours afterwards to feel normal again………terrible feeling but I’m glad I’m not the only one feeling the same thing
Lynn Says:
July 21st, 2008 at 11:54 am
King Kong did it to me slightly. If I was you, I would probably avoid the new Journey to the Center of the Earth. It was filmed in digital 3D and has lots of parts where things are falling or looking down deep chasms. It didn’t cause me any problems, but one of the film critics did mention vetigo (sp?).

Lynn
Phil Says:
July 24th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Yup… me, too.

Happens to me a lot with movies that are filmed with hand camera and have this slight, gentle shakeing.
Didn’t even watch Cloverfield as the trailer was enough to make me sick.
Another offender I can remember were Children of Men.
I don’t really know what might help except for avoiding them.
Next time I’m planning on trying out some pills - although I’m a little reluctant to take some medication just to watch a movie.
Valerie Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 11:56 am
Friday Night Lights was the only movie that I have had to leave, but movies do this to me as well. I have to sit in the back, and I have to be careful how I watch certian sceens. Although, I have vertigo. Which means that elevators, roller coasters, and many other things do this to me as well.

It was a great movie! I hope that you can see it once it comes out on video.

Val