Note: I'm a big fan of Garland's work, until this one.
The movie is technically good. Weak script but not terrible. Acting is OK.
This is an anti-war movie. The portrayed factions on purpose don't map to any of the current sides. The idea (or claim of intent) is to make the viewer not be able to identify with either side.
The sides are portrayed as ridiculous and without any good reason. In real life, there have to be strong reasons to go to fight. Even if they are lies or exaggerations. People fight to defend their own ethnicity/nationality/tribe, or to uphold or impose their religion/ideology, or to avenge lost ones. It has to be something very strong to overcome your survival instinct and risk losing your life.
In the movie, journalists are portrayed as the good people who can't understand why the rest are fighting at all. This is the biggest lie of the movie. MEDIA is usually the main way people are stirred into war and conflicts. They define the ENEMY, they vilify it, and convince viewers the other side are non-humans (necessary to convince people to kill others). Any journalist who doesn't align with the MEDIA on either side is banished/cancelled. See how it's playing in both "left" and "right" media nowadays. Same happened in both world wars before.
So this movie pretends to be impartial but it's a LIE. It wants to DEMORALIZE people to NEVER REBEL against tyranny.
Like the ones fueling riots and later, once things get out of hand, cry "why can't we get along?". Media is evil.
History teaches if there's unjust power grab to destroy a republic people should rebel or suffer the consequences for a very long time. And if most people are cowards, GTFO before it's too late. Suffer now or suffer forever as a serf, vassal, or slave. But doing nothing is the worst you can do.
The movie is technically good. Weak script but not terrible. Acting is OK.
This is an anti-war movie. The portrayed factions on purpose don't map to any of the current sides. The idea (or claim of intent) is to make the viewer not be able to identify with either side.
The sides are portrayed as ridiculous and without any good reason. In real life, there have to be strong reasons to go to fight. Even if they are lies or exaggerations. People fight to defend their own ethnicity/nationality/tribe, or to uphold or impose their religion/ideology, or to avenge lost ones. It has to be something very strong to overcome your survival instinct and risk losing your life.
In the movie, journalists are portrayed as the good people who can't understand why the rest are fighting at all. This is the biggest lie of the movie. MEDIA is usually the main way people are stirred into war and conflicts. They define the ENEMY, they vilify it, and convince viewers the other side are non-humans (necessary to convince people to kill others). Any journalist who doesn't align with the MEDIA on either side is banished/cancelled. See how it's playing in both "left" and "right" media nowadays. Same happened in both world wars before.
So this movie pretends to be impartial but it's a LIE. It wants to DEMORALIZE people to NEVER REBEL against tyranny.
Like the ones fueling riots and later, once things get out of hand, cry "why can't we get along?". Media is evil.
History teaches if there's unjust power grab to destroy a republic people should rebel or suffer the consequences for a very long time. And if most people are cowards, GTFO before it's too late. Suffer now or suffer forever as a serf, vassal, or slave. But doing nothing is the worst you can do.