13 Going on 30

13 Going on 30 is a movie about a young girl having a difficult time in Junior High. On her birthday, she makes a wish that she could be older. Once her wish comes true and she instantly becomes 30, she realizes she wants to go back to her childhood. This movie points out the irony of life phases. Teenagers try so hard to act older than they are. They wear a lot of makeup, dress up, and try to be as mature as possible. On the other hand, adults try so hard to relive their youth by trying to look younger and act more carefree like children do. 

Big

Similar to 13 Going on 30, Big is about a young boy who wishes to be older. He is sick of being treated like a child and doesn't like being told what to do by adults. His wish comes true, and he becomes an older man. The major difference between Big and 13 Going on 30 is that in Big, Josh grows up while his surroundings stay the same. His parents do not believe that he is in fact their son. However, his best friend realizes that the older man is really Josh. They try to make a life for Josh, but find it difficult because he has skipped many years of his life. Once again, the movies shows how children yearn to be adults while adults really desire to be children again. 

Back to the Future

Throughout this movie series, Martie McFly, the main character, travels through many different eras in time. In the first movie, Martie goes back in time to the 1950s by accident as Doc, the creator of time travel, gets shot upon. McFly literally transitions from his actual time and back into the past. He also must change the way he looks because it causes too much suspicion among the people of the time. This movie demonstrates to the viewers how much things have changed within a span of merely 30 years.

The Devil Wears Prada

The Devil Wears Prada is about a young woman striving to become a journalist. Along the way, she is forced to work for a major fashion magazine, Runway. As she tries to fit in at her new job to impress her boss, she learns a lot about new and old fashion. The movie shows how over time, different fashion trends are popular. Even more interesting, it shows how something that used to be popular can become popular again. It is interesting how clothes can go out of style and then in a few years be extremely popular once again. 

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is about a boy that is born as an elder. Over time, he grows younger instead of growing older. He falls in love with a girl, Daisy. However, their love is difficult because they are only in the same phase of life once. The movie does a good job of portraying the similarities between the first and last life phases. Towards the end of the trailer, Benjamin says, "I was just thinking how nothing lasts." This shows that everything is a phase, because nothing lasts forever. 

Transformers

The movie Transformers is about cars that can transform into robots. Some of them use their abilities for good, while others use them for evil. Throughout the movie, many transformations occur as the cars change to robots and then back to cars again. 

The Day After Tomorrow

The Day After Tomorrow, an action packed thriller about what could be the end of the world, follows a group of characters who luckily survive the very dramatic changes that destroy the city of New York. On that day, Sam is in New York City and luckily makes it into a library before the dramatic changes occur. This movie, although rather scary, is an example of how everything could change at any moment.

Beauty and the Beast

The timeless tale of Beauty and the Beast is one many can learn from. The Beast who was cursed by a spell is angry, wicked, and upset. When the beauty comes along, he falls in love and changes the way he is in order for her to fall in love with him in return. In the end, following his death, the beast literally transforms back into his natural form, a human.

Race to Nowhere

The movie Race to Nowhere is a documentary based on the hardships that teenagers face in high school. It shows the amount of stress that they have to endure during this phase of their life. The movie questions the education system in the United States, claiming that it does not motivate the children to actually enjoy learning. The movie shows how teenagers spend a lot of their time working so that they will be successful in future phases of their lives, rather than actually enjoying the phase that they are in. 

Peter Pan

The classic movie Peter Pan shows a strong contrast between children and adults. The children in the movie hate being yelled at by their parents. They just want to enjoy their carefree lives. When given the opportunity to run away with Peter Pan so that they will never have to grow up, they quickly accept it. However, while living a fairy tale, the children soon realize that they need adults in their life to keep things under control and to protect them from harm; they miss their parents. They return home, where they will eventually grow up and become parents themselves.