....Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love Excessive Analysis....

The general consensus of "Room 237" is that the theories put forth within the film are rubbish, yet the film itself is technically good (grainy photos notwithstanding) and entertaining. At no point did I feel bored during "Room 237." Occasionally I was impressed by the presentation. This seems to be aligned with what most folks also believe. Paradoxically, critics adore this film, while the general public finds it to be a lackluster documentary, despite having similar opinions on the qualities, or lack thereof, with the film.

And yet, I can't help but feeling that this movie is good for film industry. While this is not a single handed, revolutionary event in the grand scheme, it will improve movie making. Now in classic conspiracy theory spirit, bullet points:

• “Room 237,” while not the first of its kind, has an intrigue and following that will propel copycat films. This will not always be pretty, and occasionally will be brutal. But we will get some gold. There are a handful of films, off the top of the cranium, that warrant an immersion that these interviewees gave us in “The Shining.” We will have many more documentaries in this vein.

• This film, and the others that will follow, will cause more thought into shot-by-shot attention to detail within films. Of course many directors take into account every split second of every film they make. But with more films of this vein, along with prolonged coverage by the internets, will lead to directors inserting more thought into every frame of their film. I wouldn’t be shocked if Kubrick – and by extension, Room 237 – lead to films that attempt this. I’m aware that this has probably happened, or is happening, but I think we will see a new degree to this.

• Directors will make more allegorical works. With the increased independent movies being made, it’s only natural that directors begin making more ambitious, perhaps far-fetched, films. This will transcend genre type; documentary, horror, comedy, action, etc. Again, Kubrick wasn’t the first to do this, nor was Room 237 the first documentary to show this, but I think this film has added some awareness to such films.

In closing, "Room 237" is the start of something. What that something is remains to be seen. But it will lead to a certain kind of documentary gaining prevalence, and in turn, will lead to more involved, detail orientated films.