Yes, I Love Zac Efron, But He Should Not Be Playing Ted Bundy
For the first time in my life (and probably the only), I don't think Zac Efron is the right fit.
For the last few days, all I have heard about is the infamous serial killer Ted Bundy. Considering that he died 11 years before I was even born, I had no idea who he was or what he was so widely talked about for. In fact, by the way people talked about him, I thought he was some sort of a comedian or meme - basically anything but a murderer. At least at my college campus, the name Ted Bundy has in a way become a kind of joke. However, nothing about him or what he did should be taken even mildly lightly.
After learning about Bundy's case, I became curious to know more about the movie that is being made about him. I watched the trailer and honestly, I was a little bothered by how much it glorifies the whole situation. In the span of four years, Bundy committed over thirty murders in seven states. Most of these, if not all, were of young college girls. Nothing about any of that should be glorified at all.
The star of the upcoming film is Zac Efron, who plays Ted Bundy himself. Apparently, Bundy was known to be a handsome and charming young man, which is part of how he was able to pull off the crimes he committed. Although I don't think there's anything wrong with finding an equally charming actor to portray Bundy, I do find that Zac Efron is not the right fit.
A big Efron star myself, I could not help but love his character as Bundy. Nevertheless, Bundy is not a lovable person. Given Efron's reputation, the fact that he plays Bundy makes it seem as though Bundy was almost god-like, which is not the message the movie should seek to put out there.
Moreover, several other aspects of the trailer made it seem as though the movie is taking the case a lot less seriously than I would expect. The trailer features upbeat and exciting background music that makes the film seem more comedic and action-packed than solemn and tragedic. At one point, Zac Efron even looks at the camera and does his famous wink, causing every girl ever to swoon.
Although I see where the makers are coming from in terms of Efron producing the same effect that Bundy had on the girls that were affected by him, I agree with the many critics that shame the movie for glamorizing a serial killer.
