At one point or another, every moviegoer sees a film that's so good and/or so intense that they can't help but feel themselves really getting into it. Be it an emotional drama making you bawl your eyes out, a funny comedy that's making you laugh out loud, a terrifying horror movie that's making you scream, or even a blockbuster action film that's making your pulse race, movies can deeply affect the mood of the viewer, and provide a physiological response. Ever wonder how much a really good action scene could get your heart going? One fan of The Raid 2 has found out, and has reported the results.
A Reddit user used their new heart rate monitor to see just how much their heart rate would change during a viewing of The Raid 2, and as you can see below, the film had quite an interesting effect on his heart rate:
According to the viewer's heart monitor, The Raid 2: Berandal caused their heart to register somewhere between roughly 60 and 80 beats per minute. In particular, the user - who has the handle "makesureimjewish" cited the film's final fight as a particularly effective catalyst that got his blood flowing. Judging by the non-stop action that both films in The Raid series have become famous for, it's not that much of a stretch to believe that the most focused viewing of such violence would have that effect on any audience member.
Luckily enough, someone shared that final fight from The Raid 2 on YouTube, and you can watch it in all of its glory, despite a couple of glitches, below.
What is it about fight scenes like those in The Raid 2 that raise our heart rates? Well, for starters, the fight choreography that starts the final fight is full of a lot of close calls for the protagonist. In particular, that masterful sequence where Hammer Girl pounds her hammers towards Rama at 01:15 is a perfect example of thrilling close calls that inspire a racing pulse. This softens the audience up for when the actual physical blows and the gore start to come into play - moments that could be responsible for the spikes in heart rate activity. Think about that next time you watch a neck snap.
Of course, the relief of a fight scene's conclusion is seen in the lowered heart rate by time the film is over. With the credits rolling, your heart starts to settle just in time for you to reflect on how a film like The Raid 2 registers with you. Considering how packed the line up of 2015 films looks, you're more than likely going to experience the same sort of physical thrills that this Reddit user did during The Raid 2, so now's a good time to train your body by watching the trailers for this year's big releases.
The Raid 2 is currently available on Blu-ray and DVD.
