There are a few films which are so definitive to their genre that they not only provide an unforgettable viewing experience but also serve to enlighten viewers to the possibilities of cinema as an art form. These pictures deserve recognition not just as entertainment but as educational, enriching works that ought to be experienced by everyone at some point in their lives. Monty Python’s 1975 adaptation of the Arthurian Holy Grail legend is, undeniably, one of those films. This article will serve as an analysis of the cinematic achievements and cultural importance of the timeless medieval drama.

As the scale of video game experiences has grown, so has the scope of the fantasy they offer players. For many developers, it is no longer enough to guide a player through a linear journey from one level to the next. Instead, many recent releases have a player dropped into a singular, massive map for them to explore to their heart’s content, with various challenges, quests, and treasures scattered throughout. This format promises that players don’t just get to embody their favorite characters but inhabit a fully realized setting with no barriers to impede on how they wish to experience the game.

Twisted moonlight floods an abandoned alleyway with a sickly green-blue tint. Silhouetted humanoid figures crawl along the brick roads and piles of oversized trash, following a massive car. They watch as a pulsating white bag is discarded by its unseen driver. A nauseating chord progression, played in blaring synth, repeats and grows louder as the figures draw closer to the bag, revealing disturbingly realistic human faces, digitally stitched onto furry animated bodies. The entire scene begins to spin as the creatures circle their target. Hissing sounds fill the air. The dance becomes chaotic. The closest figure raises a feline claw. The music swells to a climax. With one swift motion, he tears the bag open.

Returning to the films we grew up with can be a painful reality check. Movies like Attack of the Clones, which once resonated with me as a thrilling sci-fi spectacle, now make for an awkward viewing experience due to the stilted acting and grating dialogue. The humor in the live action Alvin and the Chipmunks is far less charming to me today than it was when I was in elementary school. And as soul-crushing as it is to admit, Bionicle: The Mask of Light may not hold up as the fantasy masterpiece I thought it was when I was eight. Even if there’s still some enjoyment to be taken from the sea of bizarre movies that flooded my childhood, rarely does the experience of revisiting them hold a candle to what it was like watching them as a kid.