Movie Critique: Ender's Game

The dynamic and visually pleasing effects of Ender's Game bring a spectacular show to the screen that not only captures the attention of the audience but questions the topic of war and morality on a whole other level. While Ender's Game does bring all the cliches of your typical science fiction along with the story, it takes a different perspective on the actions that we might take in war.
Unlike other science fiction movies that rely on mass amounts of action and dramatic fighting scenes, Ender's Game seems to focus more on an intellectual perspective. What one might not consider is the mind of a child is so imaginative and unrestricted that perhaps they can solve a problem that a weathered and narrow minded adult might not be able to. Ender's Game is exactly that. However, what might that say about our society as of today? Child soldiers, child workers, and the like have consistently been scolded and deemed unethical at levels in our society. The idea that we should raise children as soldiers is unimaginable now, but enter the world of science fiction and it might seem okay. When faced with an ultimatum of the survival of our species from an alien species, does that really make it okay to force children into that type of lifestyle? Or would it be more appropriate to send in every man and woman like in Starship Troopers till the enemy is defeated? Perhaps because it is science fiction it is okay. Science fiction after all does bend the rules of our world in every way possible.
The ethics of war have always been questioned in our world and is clearly represented in Ender's Game.  For Ender, even as a child he understands what is right and wrong. This is again alluding to the idea of a childs mind being the recommended solution to the problem. Ender in the end (no pun intended) of the film says to Colonel Graff that it’s the way you win that matters. This, in a way is post 9/11 symbolism. Many have questioned the ethics of things that have happened in the middle east. Does it really matter that the war is over or that we have won? Why should it if the way we win cost the lives of the innocent?
Enders Game is a great story and really hits the point on the morality of war, especially considering that we have been in a state of war for the past 12 years. It is very interesting to see that these ideas come from the mind of a child, which often times can be astonishing.

Movie Critique: Starship Troopers

Starship Troopers is the epitome of classic "American" thinking. It presents a very militaristic viewpoint on society as a whole. Several different ideas that can be pulled from this movie will show that even though it may seem a little ridiculous to have such an extreme militaristic view of society, there are different subconscious and relevant themes that express our world as it is today.
Firstly, the idea of a single state world has always been a concern in science fiction and the real world. Many previous films and even T.V. series present this idea of a communistic and/or socialistic style world being the future of our planet. Some films like THX 1138 or Planet of the Apes portray this in a negative way while others like the TV series Star Trek present it in a positive way by showing that it will increase humanities technological knowledge significantly.  In Starship Troopers it is presented in a positive way. Everyone is part of one single world that works together to defend against the threats of the alien bugs. The heavy military force is a clear representation of America's military force. Perhaps this is an exaggerated idea of what the American military will become but for science fiction it fits perfectly into the genre of the future world. 
Another big thing that was shown in this movie is the representation of women roles. In Starship Troopers there are no lines between men and women. Everyone is equal and equally treated as a person. This is perhaps due to the fact that women roles during the late 80's and early 90's were becoming more and more prominent in society. The idea of a future where a person's sex has no play in their role in society is really strange to think about. Especially in the 90's. But throughout time gender roles have become more and more even. From movies like Planet of the Apes where women had a very reserved role to movies like Starship Troopers where men and women take showers together and have even higher roles in the line of command than some men, it is fascinating to take that idea and portray it in such a relaxed way.
Finally, Starship Troopers takes to heart that serving your country is indeed an honorable, almost necessary, thing to do. Serving your country seems to be an automatic/embedded idea that we grow up with in America. In Starship Troopers you have to serve in order to become a citizen. While that is not the case in America, that same idea is almost implied by the way we treat our veterans. Veterans are almost treated as more American than anyone else.
In conclusion, Starship Troopers is almost a "super Americanized" film. It portrays subtle American ideas in a very exaggerated way. Even today gender roles are closer to Starship Troopers then just 10 years ago. Perhaps this is a closer representation of our future world than we realize. It is science fiction, but in a way, science fiction with a potential reality.

Movie Critique: Blade Runner

Blade Runner is an interesting film that brings us to question our own identity and even, I would argue, our existence. Much like the movie Total Recall, Blade Runner brings about the issues of identity and how our memories, prosthetic or authentic, validate who we are.
The simulation and creation of human life has been a continuing theme throughout the science fiction genre. These ideas date back to films like Frankenstein and have evolved from there. But the point that Blade Runner makes is that memories are what provides the authenticity of human existence. Without memories there is no root to the past and there is no foundation for existence. This does not necessarily validate the existence of a past life, but rather pushes to validate the present existence of the individual. We see this in Blade Runner when Rachael shows Deckard the photo of her and her mother.  She shows that she did exist as a human previously and that is what has brought her to the point she is at in her life. Deckard disregards this as faked and that these memories of her mother were implanted. Later we see her playing the piano as she explains to Deckard that she does remember lessons. Deckard responds by validating her present existence and says, "You play beautifully." This statement ties together the entire point of this notion of existence. It does not matter what has happened in the past or whether or not these memories are accurate, rather it matters how we handle the present.
Deckard later realizes this near the end of the movie when there is a hint that he himself is not even human. Even if he has been a robot for his entire existence, it does not stop him from making the right decision and saving Rachael.
This movie is very similar to Total Recall. It brings to question the idea of authenticity and how our present identity, whether it is real or not, is affected only by the decisions we make.

Movie Critique: Total Recall

Movie experiences in science fiction have gradually shifted toward generating a more and more authentic visualization for the user. As graphical experiences have become better since groundbreaking movies like 2001: A Space Odyssey there has always been a desire to make it as real as possible. The effect of these movies wanting to bring an escape into a different reality has also affected the results of such movies.  Total Recall is a perfect example of taking the purpose of science fiction films and implementing it into the movie itself.  

Total Recall is based around the idea of generating the core of what make a human being, memories.  There is a notion that memories can change a person completely.  During the movie Quade even questions what is really the truth. His "real" memories tell him one reality, yet he has been living a life based off memories that have supposedly been implanted into his mind. Memories are what give us a past and an identification of ourselves, which is why Quade questions whose side he is really supposed to be on throughout certain moments in the movie. However, even though Quade does question his identity and what kind of person he really was before this nightmare came into play, there is a point that the movie makes that is even more important than Quade remembering his past. That is, Quade decides to make his future regardless of what his true identity was previously.  Alison Landsberg brings this point up in her essay Prosthetic Memory.  She says, "Memory - is not a strategy for closing or finishing the past - but on the contrary, memory emerges as a generative force, a force which propels us not backward but forwards" (Liquid Metal p 239).  What she means by this is that it does not matter what memories authenticate in the past, this does not generate our identity. Rathers, it is what courses we take in the present to create our identity as we so choose. 

This relationship to the real world holds some validity even by todays standards. The generation of a different reality can be quite consuming. Technology has provided that alternate, sometimes better, reality that everyone seems to get consumed by. The implementation of social media, alternate reality video games, all relate back to the idea of Total Recall's idea of implanting different memories. While they are not true memories per se, rather we use these different realities to generate a different and "authentic" reality that consumes our life.

Total Recall's influence in the science fiction world brings to mind certain issues of what really generates an authentic experience and identity of our personal lives.  Our identity in today's society however seems to be generated by so many aspects of society. Consumerism, advertising, social media, video games, all force these different visual experiences that ultimately have some sort of effect on our lives and how we respond to the reality around us every day. 

Movie Critique: THX 1138

THX 1138 is an interesting take on a very strange type of world. The theme is very strong in political and even religious ideas. The whole film is based around a society that is uniform and restricted to the individual.  Performance is more important than being your own person. Many times throughout the film we hear in the background that "Performance perfect is perfect performance."  This society however does not seem to be led by any specific individual. Everyone is suppressed by taking their drugs and nobody is allowed to stop because everyone is monitored.
The film itself seems very claustrophobic and as a viewer you feel suppressed just watching it. This however just adds to the message it contains about society as a whole. The films allegorical critique of society shows what the future might hold in a controlled environment.
The uniformity of everyone and the focus on production seems to hint toward a problem with consumerism in our world today. Focus in our nation has shifted toward the constant idea of constant buying and production. The cheaper and more efficient production is the better it is for the company. We have even subjected ourselves to cheap unethical labor in other countries. This obsession can hold a very dark future, according to THX 1138.
There is also the issue of racism that the film brings into picture. There are very few black people in the film and this is perhaps a critique on the purpose of the black race. They are subjugated to believe that they are indeed holograms instead of real people. Again this is the suppression of the individual but perhaps classifies our, then present opinion, on the black race.
Issues of religion arise in the film as the machines they talk to for personal counseling or confession are all automated and have no real relation to helping them. Yet they are reminded after their session to be productive and work hard.  Perhaps this is all they need in their emotionless state.  However, this may also be a critique on the separation of church and state. In this future, formal religion is part of the productivity of the society.
In conclusion, THX 1138 is a very depression and dark film that is presented in a bright "pleasant" manner.  While the religious and political ideas are present throughout the film, it leaves a lot of room for interpretation.  I do not believe there is a single right answer that defines the films purpose or message, rather, depending on the individuals personal stance on these issues, one can formulate their own opinion on the ideas presented. This in part is what makes the film so intelligently designed. It is full of suppressive actions on the individual, yet in the end one finds his individuality and escapes a new man. We are free already, as individuals, to make our own opinion of this film.

Movie Critique: Planet of the Apes

As Taylor and his crew emerge from their ship on the "foreign" planet they have landed on exploration ensues. The planet that they are on seems to uninhabited to Taylor's crew mates.  However they soon find out that it is inhabited by an evolved species of apes and humans that are hunted.
Planet of the Apes takes an interesting on view on completely reversing the social roles of society during the 60's and early 70's. Apes that have taken the favor of evolution in, what is soon to be discovered, futuristic Earth seems to hold strong opinions of slavery and even touches on issues of racism and the intolerance for change.
The plot of this film takes place on Earth some thousands of years from now.  Taylor, the protagonist, is trying to fight his way to what is perceived as some sort of equality among the apes. He goes to show that he too is intelligent and not a savage like the rest. The idea of his subjection to the apes unchanging opinion of his inadequacy among their species, or one might say, their race.  What this might suggest is that the certain hierarchy of the white race is oppressive to the "inadequate" race of our society.  But the reversal of the roles makes one feel as if there is a certain unfairness to the system that is in place, which is exactly what the director may have been aiming for.
The hierarchy of the orangoutangs try to hold in place is most certainly a reference to ideas of a socialistic or communist society. Their discouragement of freedom of thinking shows that what we might hold as truth or a proper social order is not at all fair or correct. Their mentality is aimed at the racist mentality of certain opinions held in the U.S.at the time. The idea of letting a "lesser" man speak in their presence is outrageous to them.
The film also hold a strong and final opinion of the effects of nuclear war. At the end of the movie, Taylor sees the Statue of Liberty demolished and buried.  This scene makes him realize that he is on Earth, only very far into the future. Not only that but it also suggest that man had become so obsessed with nuclear power that we were destroyed in our own obsession. Nuclear war was always an intimidating realization at that time in society, therefore to suggest that we had destroyed ourselves with it is very disturbing.
Overall the film can be very controversial do to the racist notions suggested throughout. However, it is very accurate in our assumptions and racist mentality that we had at the time. It shows an excellent example of reversing roles and really understanding what it is like on the other side of the fence.

Movie Critique: Silent Running

Silent Running

Silent Running is very judgmental of society in a subtle way.  The plot of the movie is that these four men are maintaining one of four or five ships in deep space that contain the last remaining plantation of Earth. They are simply to maintain it and wait for orders from earth. Yet when the orders from earth come to destroy the containers, Freeman Lowell decides to stop the destruction and kill his crewmates to save the last remain pod of plants.

The theme of the film seems very idealistic of nature being endangered by technology. By the commentary in the film we know that earth is now a perfect place that is 75^o all around the planet and no plants are needed to survive anymore. However, Lowell seems to be the only one to care about the value that nature brings. It is to suggest that we have grown numb to the effects of technology and where it is taking our world.  This idea can possibly play off of previous films perception of technology being a negative thing.  Nature being eliminated from earth is definitely one of the stronger themes this film presents, but it also presents a few others in a subtle manner.

It also brings to issue the idea of technology leading to a socialistic/communistic nation where everything is the same.  Earth as we understand in this film is all the same. Nobody is poor, nobody starves, everyone is the same and even the planet is the same all around.  Another point we can see from the film is that it is very consumer opinionated.  The fact that the ships have the American Airliner logo on them show that our world has become so consumer obsessed that even the ships carrying the last of the planets natural life are more important for money purposes than saving our planets life. This simple message is one that opposes the very nature of our nations consumerist personality.

The characters aboard the ship are very normal except for Lowell. He is very passionate about their work.  He hopes that one day children get to experience what the world once was before the elimination of nature.  In hopes of preserving the last of it he gives his own life and jettisons the plant life into space hoping that perhaps another society or life form will find it.