The more I think about the film the more one thing occurs to me – this film, this mess, this thing…resembles to me more than anything else a ‘Works Program’ – some sort of subsided project that employs people – like building a dam…no, not a dam – something more along the lines of those failed U.K. Millennium Projects – like the Dome and its contents. A huge of amount of money spent – no vision – everything cobbled together – no purpose – no theme – no reason to actually be.
Why do people go and see these pictures? I’ve been talking to folks in my ‘social circle’ here in Belfast – everyone’s going to see it.
Why?
Maybe these huge blockbusters don’t so much resemble Western tax-funded cultural projects as they do Eastern ones; those massive North Korean crowd displays for instance. Perhaps this is an another indicator of ‘late-capitalism’ – people feel obligated to go; "You have to see it". We all have to have a copy of the Red Book, or say the Great Leader is Divine. Or attend the rally. Or watch this crap.
4 responses so far.
1 Alan in Belfast // May 29, 2007 at 6:09 pm
Didn’t see the first one, avoided the second one, and your review confirms that I should run a mile from the third one.
Bet you enjoy the fifth Harry Potter more than Pirates!
2 Aaron // May 30, 2007 at 2:28 am
Well, I rather thought the first one was OK, if a little cheesy (but a good family romp nonetheless). I hated Pirates 2, though. A car wreck of a movie.
I am going today to see Pirates 3. We have an eight y/o in tow, and rather concerned about the hanging scene. He’s a resilient kid, but, you know?
3 Jett Loe // May 30, 2007 at 3:45 am
Well, it’s harsh.
And unnecessary.
Well, most of the film is unnecessary…but you know what I mean…there’s a tracking shot to a large pile of shoes which invokes photos of the Holocaust plus obvious echoes of the Bush administration’s attack on Habeas Corpus and other ‘rights of man’ – what’s it doing in this picture? Who knows.
4 Jama // Jun 12, 2007 at 7:00 pm
I think the reason movies like this get made is not that we have no choice but to see it, instead it’s more that we don’t know any better. The media tells us to go, so we go. It’s shamless, bloated garbage. Are we all just stupid little monkeys? When I see movies like this advertised and then it’s announced that it made ten billion dollars opening weekend I tend to lose my faith in humanity and film for that matter.
And while I am rambling, I CANNOT believe that you both liked Armegeddon. Yuk!
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