As an American, “San Andreas” is an utterly horrifying film. An earthquake that destroys all of California? An earthquake that you could feel on the East Coast? As a current resident of both Atlanta and Syracuse, that’s equally frightening.

The crowd I saw the film “San Andreas” with seemed somewhat less concerned about this earthquake though, as I viewed the film in London, England with about three or four dozen rowdy teenage Brits. Though a movie is the same movie wherever one watches it, watching “San Andreas” in Europe made me look at both the film itself and the film industry with a new perspective.

Going to the movies for Americans is a fairly standard procedure. We enter the theater, get our tickets, maybe pick up some snacks and look around the lobby at the posters of some upcoming films. Although looking at posters is usually an activity one puts little to no thought in, I found this experience actually quite jarring in London. I saw posters for “Spy,” “Inside Out,” “Jurassic World” and many of the other big blockbusters coming out this summer.

These films all have one thing in common, which is that they are made by Americans and star Americans. When we go to the movies, we often see people like us. The actors look and sound like us, and there is this odd American connection.

This connection does not exist in London. Sure, there is the occasional British blockbuster or indie hit every now and again, but the majority of the films in theaters are American. When the British go to films, they get to watch characters from very, very far away handle the trials and tribulations they are thrown. This is truly a blessing and a curse.

We often go to the movies to escape our troubles, and I feel this aspect is especially highlighted in London cinema. Audiences can go to the theater, forget all their troubles and take comfort in the fact that they are viewing another world very far away. If the San Andreas Fault cracks, the British are an entire ocean away — it won’t affect them. They can just sit back and enjoy the stunning visuals of the film.

Though action movies and films that favor style over substance can get hackneyed, viewing “San Andreas” in Europe really reminded me why they exist. Though England is obviously an English speaking country, language does not matter for films like these. Anyone with eyes can watch an entire state get ripped apart by earthquakes and tsunamis.

The dialogue of “San Andreas” is not anything special enough that you’re missing much if you hear it in another language. It is essentially a stunt show with the occasional plotline intertwined. Anyone can appreciate these, so Hollywood should naturally keep making them to appeal to a global audience. Sure, the genre is somewhat stale, but there is something really endearing about the fact that anyone from any country can bond over the enjoyment of these films.

On the other hand, while we often love to go to movies to escape our troubles and be amazed by the images, we also love to feel represented on screen and live vicariously through the characters. I, as an American, could really relate to the characters in “San Andreas.” Though I do not live in California, it still represents a major part of my country, and I was getting riled up watching nature take its vengeance against the Golden Gate Bridge.

I was extremely invested in the events of the film, but I couldn’t help but wonder if my British peers felt similarly invested. Then, all of a sudden, two British characters popped up! We had a hunky, suave British guy and his spunky little brother. Watching this film at home, I probably would have shrugged these characters off as just an attempt to bring in the female audience wanting to see a sexy Brit, but watching from England gave me a whole new perspective.

So I’ve talked about representation and escapism, but now for the truly important thing: popcorn. To my surprise, the popcorn is actually quite different in England. You have two options: sweet and salty. I went with salty, which resembled American popcorn but also had a slight coating of sugar, really making an excellent combination. There is no butter, and they use more pure salt rather than our familiar “movie theater” salt.

Additionally, I do not think there was any option for butter. There was only one size, which was large, but not too large. It was fairly priced and not disgustingly huge, which was certainly a big difference than our American movie going experience.

Just how the British watched the film “San Andreas” itself, I certainly enjoyed the popcorn, but it ultimately was junk food. I, as an American, viewed this junk food from a new perspective, and even though it isn’t the best for me, it’s something everyone can enjoy.

Erik Benjamin is a television radio, and film major. If you want to talk movies he can be reached at ebenjami@syr.edu.

Published on June 8, 2015 at 8:44 pm