Movies aren’t just about escapism and entertainment; they can also be enriching and beneficial to our lives. Some of the best cinematic offerings ever produced have been lauded for the way they have managed to introduce viewers to concepts they may not have known about before.

There are movies in tons of different genres that have educational aspects. You can watch titles that help teach you a new skill, or other options that improve your knowledge about certain things

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Card games: a handy skill

Card games are ingrained in Western culture, so it makes sense that they are also popular themes for movies. The problem for filmmakers is that many people may not know how to play the games that are being shown on silver screen. Therefore, they need to use techniques to quickly explain the fundamentals of offerings like blackjack and poker so that viewers can follow the action. For people who play blackjack online, blackjack guides are essential because they tell players what to do in a variety of situations. They run through the basics of the game and then go into more detail about hand values, bets, and special events. In film, this much information isn’t necessary. Offerings like 21 (Robert Luketic, 2008) and Rain Man (Barry Levinson, 1989; pictured art the top of this article) had key blackjack scenes, and audiences were able to follow along simply thanks to being told that players needed to beat the dealer to get a hand closest to 21.

Casino Royale (Martin Gampbell, 2006) is a great example of a picture that explains the rules of Texas Hold’em well. In the movie, Eva Green’s Vesper Lynd acts as the layperson who doesn’t know how to play. As the action unfolds, Giancarlo Giannini’s René Mathis explains what’s happening. This, in turn, tells the viewer what they need to know.

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A thing or two about space

Space is another area of interest for many people, but it’s hard to get a detailed understanding of the great expanse without studying it at university. This is where movies can come in and help fill in some gaps in your knowledge. They can also inspire viewers to go out and do some of their own research to learn more about a particular space topic.

The Theory of Everything (James Marsh, 2015) is one of the best educational movies of recent years. Eddie Redmayne played Stephen Hawking, and viewers received a great insight into the legendary scientist’s work. There are numerous sci-fi films that can teach viewers things about space that they may not have known before as well.

Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar (2014) is a modern-day classic that explains some interesting things about black holes and the way they can distort our perception of time. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1966), and Apollo 13 (Ron Howard, 1995) are both considered to be highly accurate in their explanations of the physics involved with space travel as well.

Aside from space and cards, there are other ways to learn new things from cinema. For instance, offerings like A Beautiful Mind can teach people more about mental disorders. Then there are historical offerings like Dunkirk (Nolan, 2017) and Schindler’s List (Steven Spielberg, 1993) that can educate people on key moments in history.