When Politics and Movies Collide
Movies Are Supposed to Provide A Sense of Escapism
Klaatu Looking For Answers in The Day the Earth Stood Still
We find ourselves in some tough economic times. Not only are things tough in the economy, but we’re also in the midst of the Christmas season when people are hoping to buy gifts for loved ones. When faced with tough times, people usually head to the movies. Why do they go to the movies when times are tough?
To escape the reality of what’s going on in the world around them for a couple of hours.
To get their mind off what’s tearing them apart, and slip into some fantasy world where things are fun. To go find a place where they can live happily ever after.
Aside from writing this blog, Just My Two Cents, I also have a movie review blog called Frame by Frame. That’s where you will find my full review of The Day the Earth Stood Still. While I will highlight some aspects of that movie here, this is not a review of the movie. Instead, The Day the Earth Stood Still generated some ideas on the topic of politics in movies.
Four Christmases with the ever arrogant Vince Vaughn, and the ever so graceful Reese Witherspoon, has remained in the top five box office results since it’s release. From a movie aspect, it’s a bad flick. But, from an escapism aspect, it’s just what audiences are looking for these days. Even though the movie is bad, it’s serving an important purpose for movie-goers. Escape the pressing issues of the day for an hour and a half and have a good laugh. There was a time when the entertainment world knew the definition of the word entertain.
Movies are supposed to entertain!
But, somewhere along the line, a star struck society has vaulted and pushed entertainers, who read lines from scriptis, to an elevated status of know-it-alls. Just because someone plays a political leader in a movie, does not mean they have a clue about the political world. If anything, they live in a sound bite world, shielded from real life. Then, making matters worse, when the so-called entertainer-turned-political specialist decides to make a movie with a political statement, the lines between politics and entertainment get blurred. And, if I may add, that’s when entertainment crosses the line they should not enter into.
Political movies abound, but just because it’s a political movie, does not mean it’s a blockbuster. As a matter of fact, most political statement type movies are nothing more than box office flops because people are not interested. Sure, they may have an initial burst at the box office on opening weekend, but for the most part, they quickly fade away.
A Movie With An Identity Crisis
The Day the Earth Stood Still really suffers from an identity crisis. First off, the remake of the classic 1951 sci-fi flick stands still in many places. The filmmakers made a valiant attempt at the remake, but it falls flat. Then, when you toss in the fact that the filmmakers are also trying to make a save the earth statement, the thrust of the movie becomes even more foggy. At one point I made note of the fact that Al Gore may have been a better choice to play the role of Klaatu. Let’s put it this way, Gore couldn’t have done any worse than Keanu Reeves did with the character. Throughout the movie we’re told humans are irresponsible and killing the planet. As a result, Klaatu, who’s a self-described friend of the earth, has been sent to set us all straight. What does being set straight mean? It means humans will be wiped off the face of the earth, to save the earth.
In other words, the very loud global warming agenda here is one that says people are not important, but the earth is.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we should not care about what we’re doing to the environment. But, when I’m told I’m less important than the earth and animals, I take offense to that. Are there things we can do to improve our standard of living, without harming the environment? Of course. But when a movie crosses the line from entertainment to politics, there’s a collision that just should not exist in the movie industry.
But here’s where the identity crisis jumps to the forefront of The Day the Earth Stood Still. After making note about Al Gore, I quickly made another note as the movie points out…
When mankind is on the brink of destruction, history shows people change. As a result, don’t force the change. It will just happen.
In other words, this movie with the identity crisis is suddenly telling the environmentalists to not push their agenda to heavily. You can’t force people to change. Instead, as the main message of the movie declares, “When we are on the edge of a precipice, positive change does come.”
What’s the bottom line here? Things get messy when politics and movies collide. The result is either a bad movie pushing a political agenda, or a bad movie suffering from an identity crisis. The entertainment world needs to remember they are entertainers, not politicians. If they want to be politicians, run for office.
Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus
How about a reality/farce movie titled “Al Gore: My Brain Stood Still”?