To preface this article, I must admit that I have deeply rooted political opinions. Unfortunately, I have trouble biting my tongue when I disagree with others. Although, it is not for lack of trying.
However, with age, I have noticed more political agendas being shoved down our throats than I can tolerate. I mean, seriously, do we have to insert politics into, "The Incredibles 2?" Most of the audience screening the movie will be children who will not have the mental capacity comprehend the absurdities included, anyways. Hollywood, you are wasting your time and losing your following.
A few days ago, my friends and I went to the movies. Up until this point, I could not recall the last time I actually paid money to sit down at a movie theater. That evening, I paid twelve dollars to see "The First Purge" with my friends. Twelve dollars goes a long way when you are in college; especially when every penny earned during the summer is supposed to go towards savings.
My friends and I enjoy watching scarier suspense movies, as "The Purge" films have originally been. On the way to the theater, I began reading the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Granted, I take everything Rotten Tomatoes says with a grain of salt due to the fact that they have a tendency of being incredibly harsh. After reading a mix of reviews, I decided the movie could go either way.
For those of you who are unclear of the movie's synopsis; it is essentially about one evening in which all crime is legal, murder included. The government has decided that it will ultimately lower the crime rates.
This movie is considered the prequel that insinuates the idea of the 12-hour purge was created as an experiment to determine just how much this would affect society and human aggression that leads to higher crime. People were paid extra to participate in the horror of the evening, and given a bonus if they were to go as far as murder someone and help fill the bloodbath.
However, there were some brows raised when the entire government was essentially blamed for the lost lives and portrayed to be encouraging it. Not to mention, it became a racial divide: a practically all-white government sitting in an office cheering with each kill vs. a group of colored individuals out purging. Seem questionable? I sure thought so.
It goes without saying that people truly believe we are living in some sort of inconceivable Hell on Earth due to Trump's election and the proceeding changes being made under the Trump Administration. Consequently, Hollywood has no issue painting him into more of a villain than everyone already believes he is.
We shouldn't expect anything less from the left at this point. I mean, it's not like this is some curveball. One of the previous "Purge" movies were built around the election year and the unavoidable liberal conspiracy that Trump is going to destroy America. News flash, Trump is not destroying America; Americans are destroying America. It is now a matter of who is right and who is wrong. There has been no room left to meet in the middle, and everything offends EVERYONE.
So, rather than pointing one finger at President Trump every chance we get, maybe we should consider the four pointing back at all of us. Here's a better idea, let's make movies captivating and WORTH seeing again.
The reviews I read on Rotten Tomatoes were primarily coming from negative or moderate standpoints saying things such as, "The latest Purge is an erratic, fairly absorbing and righteously angry prequel." This comment was left by a top critic on Rotten Tomatoes who goes by the name Michael Phillips.
He happens to be a well-known writer for the Chicago Tribune and wrote an excellent, hard-hitting full review of the movie.
He left us with one paragraph that stuck out immensely, "Still, it's notable how "The First Purge" puts its Trump-trolling instincts first, riffing on everything from the Access Hollywood tape to the casting of Patch Darragh as the string-pulling chief of staff. The actor bears a suspicious resemblance to onetime Trump communications director Sean Spicer. Once the Klan-hooded purgers show up, however, practically begging the people of color on screen for a comeuppance, the men sporting little American flag pins on their well-pressed lapels cease to matter much."
This brings me to my concern. When my friends and I set out to find a fun movie to see, the last thing we wanted to take part in was a left-wing political attack on the societal issues Americans are creating themselves.
If Hollywood would stop inserting their political agenda into every movie that has potential, maybe people would actually WANT to spend twelve dollars. Maybe my friends and I would have had the tolerance to sit through the whole movie.
Hollywood really is not doing America any favors by creating more of a divide amongst different thinking individuals. Seriously, Hollywood has single-handedly ruined awards shows, The Super Bowl, and now movies with the unnecessary political blasphemy. What's next?