Willing suspension of disbelief is probably the most subjective element of storytelling. I know that my own personal willingness to empathise with almost anyone lets me go down some bizarre, often contradictory directions that almost any storyteller is willing to go down, so I’m probably the least qualified to comment on the subject. I do, however, know of some famous breaches that tend to bother people and some that don’t. I had reason this week to think of the ’98 Roland Emmerich take on Godzilla, in which a multi-story creature proves able to sneak up on the characters and then slip away unnoticed. This is a frequent point of contention amongst the movie’s significant number of critics.

On the other hand, there’s that famous moment in The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly in which the Good and Ugly essentially turn left and notice a huge camp they somehow only missed because the camera wasn’t on it. It amuses me that, despite committing just as strongly to their respective conceits, the latter is celebrated and the former is mocked; I know it’s because GBU is wildly entertaining and Godzilla (’98) is not, which I think goes to show just how malleable the concept of willing suspension of disbelief is. I think it’s actually based more on the premise than it is the execution.

What are some of your notable experiences with willing suspension of disbelief?