Saw it this weekend. Now, I have not read the books, but found this movie very much worth watching. I won’t say I “liked” the movie. This movie is basically Lord of the Flies meets Gladiator meets 1984. The message of the story is the same as Lord of the Flies and 1984. I don’t particularly enjoy those books, but they’re important for everyone to read. Unfortunately, though most of us have had to read them at some point, they (along with this movie) are falling on a lot of deaf ears. Or numbed ones.
I normally would review a movie based on the quality of acting, writing, directing, score, etc. I will say that the writing, directing, cinematography, and pacing were superb. Some complained about the shaky cam because you couldn’t tell what was going on. I won’t complain. I didn’t wanna know what was going on. I found this very difficult to watch because of the utter depravity portrayed on so many levels. I appreciate that the way in which killing and violence is depicted is never gratuitous or glamorized, but at the same time it still has a hard impact on the viewer. Anyone who thinks it is for entertainment purposed has grossly missed the point of the movie. I saw one reviewer say he was excited about the movie because he is all for child violence. That’s like saying you’re all for child pornography. You’re only proving the point the movie is trying to make. Some view it as fiction and may think I’m taking this too seriously. I’d agree if this sort of thing hadn’t already happened.
This sort of thing happened in Rome before. And Western government and culture is a direct continuation of Roman government and culture. People still are not connecting the dots. This is what happens when people allow the government to have all the power. To put it in perspective, the United States government is growing at an incredible rate since the latter half of the 20th century and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. This has correlated with the increase in political corruption in both parties and the state of the economy, national debt, etc.
And we are even more hard-pressed to admit that the actions of these children are not so far-fetched; that in fact we would do the same in their shoes. Disturbing indeed.
When the Israelites wanted a king, their Judge Samuel warns them that the king will basically take everything from them and make them into his slaves.
So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking for a king from him. He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”
But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey their voice and make them a king.””
Well, God gave them what they wanted. Be careful what you ask for. You just might get it. In the end, the kings of Israel worsened the state of the nation. They were so corrupt God decided it would be better for their preservation to allow them to be taken into captivity. Turns out there was more hope for the pagan kings of Babylon and Persia to believe God.
Right now, America is crying out for a king. I just hope we come to our senses before its too late.
davidpmathew 