Socio-political issues tossed completely aside
Everyone knows deep down that politics are a waste of time, but with ubiquitous 24/7 news and information, Hollywood should at least pretend to give some semblance of rationality when portraying social or political issues - even in kids’ movies.
Kids shouldn’t have to worry about affairs of state, to be sure, but making the rule of a nation no more serious than where you shop might be sending the wrong message. Plus, for the inevitable adults that chaperon (or admittedly enjoy a kids’ flick every now and then) ignoring history entirely solicits nothing but groans and eye rolls.
Remember box office flop Dungeons and Dragons? None of us was expecting Lord of the Rings after the first ten minutes paved the way to Suck Town, but when - at the end - Empress Savina surveys her people and cries: “I now declare you all equal,” I knew just how crappy a movie it really was.
The ruling elite of wealthy, aristocratic mages suddenly “equal” to thieves and paupers who have little more than cockney accents and bitter mead to contribute? Yeah, I’ll bet the land of…whatever the hell it was, is doing just fine.
And let’s not forget Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles rip-off 3 Ninjas. After defeating the current dictatorial regime, the heir to the throne - a teenage “ninja” who looked more like Zach Morris than Snake Eyes - gets up in front of his expectant, scared, and sage-seeking subjects and says: “Just have fun” and then starts dancing.
Um…yeah. What you didn’t see was five minutes later - after the credits - when the riots broke out and half the country’s rice supply is burned or stolen in bandit raids just before the worst bout of starvation in Chinese history. Good role modeling there ninja boy, and way to be satisfied with sub-par writing Hollywood.
Check out Nine Hollywood Tropes Moviegoers Loathe: Part Two
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment