Alright, fellas, we have two separate threads on this film that have been roiling for months. It's time to get this show on the road. Here we roll through our thoughts on the film. Anything below this is game for...
SPOILERZ.
First off, wow. Just, wow. There were so many ways this could have gone sideways, and the rave reviews floored me. The trailers told people pretty much nothing about the plot, characters, or action. It really works to the film's advantage because the viewer has no idea what they're going to see in the same way that the characters don't. A nice contrast to a world where entire plots are delved in three-minute trailers.
To the characters. The film follows four journalists: a hardened war photographer and an adrenaline junkie writer for Reuters, an aging war correspondent for the NY Times, and a freelance young girl trying to make her name.
As has been released by A24, the sides are divided into four parts. For the purposes of the film, the main players are the Western Forces (California and Texas), The United States, the Florida Alliance. There is a hint at the New People's Army coming out of Oregon, which the journalists deride as a "Maoist State" that isn't to be taken seriously.
You want politics that makes you feel good about your personal belief system? You won't find it here, but you will find some very abrasive subtext. The film takes place sometime in the not-too-distant future, and while we're never straight told what happened, there are some pretty large eggs laid out for viewers. Of those, at some point the U.S. President abolished the FBI, overturned the Constitution, began using drone strikes on political opponents and protesters, and has his forces kill journalists on sight, meaning few reporters have ever gotten behind the lines into the Loyalist States (which have already shrunk by the time the film starts). The journalists refer to "D.C." as a "Mussolini-esque" government. It's made pretty clear very early on that the U.S. is the "villain".
In effect, the film is a "race to Berlin". The U.S. is all-but-defeated from the outset, and the WF and Florida Alliance are in an uneasy alliance and race to get to DC first.
I never thought I'd say this about this movie, but the soundtrack is amazing. The directorial decision to swim between horrific violence to soundless amazement to musical wonder is unlike anything I've seen in a war film. The change is effortless, and it works.
Since we see the war through the eyes of journalists, we see how they interact in war zones with platoons of troops, which is pretty cool. The film does go wide from time-to-time, just give the viewer a sense of where we are. You can tell the non-American forces go to great lengths to allow access to the press, which, through the subtext of the film, feels like a direct response to the American stance to kill journalists on sight.
That scene from the trailer everyone talks about. You know, THAT SCENE, is just as amazing as you were hoping it was. I don't know if Jesse Plemons can get an Oscar nod for being in a film for such a small role, but man, he's amazing. The dude just has it, and he's absolutely terrifying.
The humor is actually pretty good here. I'm not into spoiling scenes, but there is one between our adrenaline junkie and a small military team that takes place on a ranch, and the back and forth had the theater rollicking.
Fog of War plays a big role in this. The film intentionally makes it difficult to tell sides apart for most of the movie. The characters and sometimes even the military can't tell who is who. One guy walking out of the theater complained about that, and you could tell he'd never served, lol.
All in all, I loved it. Will likely see again this weekend. I'd rate this well above Annihilation and right next to Ex Machina. Will others like it? I'm guessing the general answer will be "yes". I heard complaints from screeners that (1) The film doesn't take a political stance, (2) endorses terrorist states against the federal government and encourages rebellion against Washington, and (3) is fear-porn leftism. So, I imagine there will be people who see what they want to see. But those were few, and I imagine this will be this year's Joker.
[We understand that the nature of this movie will involve political discussion but we require posters to be respectful when posting on this board. Posters who have NOT seen this movie WILL NOT DERAIL THIS THREAD with their political options that are based on ASSUMPTIONS about the movie. -Staff]
SPOILERZ.
First off, wow. Just, wow. There were so many ways this could have gone sideways, and the rave reviews floored me. The trailers told people pretty much nothing about the plot, characters, or action. It really works to the film's advantage because the viewer has no idea what they're going to see in the same way that the characters don't. A nice contrast to a world where entire plots are delved in three-minute trailers.
To the characters. The film follows four journalists: a hardened war photographer and an adrenaline junkie writer for Reuters, an aging war correspondent for the NY Times, and a freelance young girl trying to make her name.
As has been released by A24, the sides are divided into four parts. For the purposes of the film, the main players are the Western Forces (California and Texas), The United States, the Florida Alliance. There is a hint at the New People's Army coming out of Oregon, which the journalists deride as a "Maoist State" that isn't to be taken seriously.
You want politics that makes you feel good about your personal belief system? You won't find it here, but you will find some very abrasive subtext. The film takes place sometime in the not-too-distant future, and while we're never straight told what happened, there are some pretty large eggs laid out for viewers. Of those, at some point the U.S. President abolished the FBI, overturned the Constitution, began using drone strikes on political opponents and protesters, and has his forces kill journalists on sight, meaning few reporters have ever gotten behind the lines into the Loyalist States (which have already shrunk by the time the film starts). The journalists refer to "D.C." as a "Mussolini-esque" government. It's made pretty clear very early on that the U.S. is the "villain".
In effect, the film is a "race to Berlin". The U.S. is all-but-defeated from the outset, and the WF and Florida Alliance are in an uneasy alliance and race to get to DC first.
I never thought I'd say this about this movie, but the soundtrack is amazing. The directorial decision to swim between horrific violence to soundless amazement to musical wonder is unlike anything I've seen in a war film. The change is effortless, and it works.
Since we see the war through the eyes of journalists, we see how they interact in war zones with platoons of troops, which is pretty cool. The film does go wide from time-to-time, just give the viewer a sense of where we are. You can tell the non-American forces go to great lengths to allow access to the press, which, through the subtext of the film, feels like a direct response to the American stance to kill journalists on sight.
That scene from the trailer everyone talks about. You know, THAT SCENE, is just as amazing as you were hoping it was. I don't know if Jesse Plemons can get an Oscar nod for being in a film for such a small role, but man, he's amazing. The dude just has it, and he's absolutely terrifying.
The humor is actually pretty good here. I'm not into spoiling scenes, but there is one between our adrenaline junkie and a small military team that takes place on a ranch, and the back and forth had the theater rollicking.
Fog of War plays a big role in this. The film intentionally makes it difficult to tell sides apart for most of the movie. The characters and sometimes even the military can't tell who is who. One guy walking out of the theater complained about that, and you could tell he'd never served, lol.
All in all, I loved it. Will likely see again this weekend. I'd rate this well above Annihilation and right next to Ex Machina. Will others like it? I'm guessing the general answer will be "yes". I heard complaints from screeners that (1) The film doesn't take a political stance, (2) endorses terrorist states against the federal government and encourages rebellion against Washington, and (3) is fear-porn leftism. So, I imagine there will be people who see what they want to see. But those were few, and I imagine this will be this year's Joker.
[We understand that the nature of this movie will involve political discussion but we require posters to be respectful when posting on this board. Posters who have NOT seen this movie WILL NOT DERAIL THIS THREAD with their political options that are based on ASSUMPTIONS about the movie. -Staff]
