People are suckers for action movies. They love to see scenes from their imaginations brought to life and presented to them on the big screen. But people don’t realize that when an action movie has more than just pointless explosions and random stunt sets –looking at you Transformers— when an action movie has the audience invested in its characters, in its story, and in its lore they can get captivated by more than just the action.

“Powerful cinematography can make or break a film,” said Leslie Martinez ‘17. In Deepwater Horizon, director Peter Berg and his ensemble cast deliver a narrative which makes the audience relate to all the characters in the movie. In this film, all the leads are common men working jobs to keep food on the table who are happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Everyday people can put themselves in the shoes of the actors.

When Mark Wahlberg and Kurt Russell deliver some of their best performances in a tight narrative that pulls the audience into the story and makes them believe that the images and scenes they are watching are not fiction, then that is something special. If a movie can get the audience to suspend disbelief or make their audience forget they are watching a work of fiction, then that movie has done something right and Deepwater Horizon has done something right because it got people to believe in it. One such viewer, Maira Lara ‘17, noted, “I thought I was right in the center of the problem, that’s how invested I was in the story.”

People may be quick to point out that the movie itself has not done well in its opening weekend, bringing in about 20 million compared to its 100 million plus budget, but they must take into consideration that Deepwater Horizon deals with a theme that many people do not want to revisit and thus will not give this movie a chance. But that’s a mistake, this movie is too good to let it fly under the radar.

It’s important for people to enjoy films without shutting down their brains. A good movie should have the audience thinking about what message conveyed, it should make their brain wake up, not shut down. Of course, the occasional action thriller is good eye candy, but people have to start to find some movies with some good brain candy as well. As Lydia Alvarez ‘17 eloquently put it, “This movie makes you think while entertaining you at the same time.” People should watch this movie because they need to see what a right balance of action and storytelling can do.

Deepwater Horizon opened September 30, 2016 in the United States. It is based on the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Directed by Peter Berg, starring Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell, and John Malkovich. It was well received by critics, currently having an 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, despite opening to a disappointing weekend.