Here’s a new feature that will be as random as it’s title. It won’t be weekly, it will be used as needed. These articles will just be me rambling on about something in the world of film; sometimes it will be a specific movie or a topic I just thought of and felt like giving you my unprocessed feelings/thoughts on it. So sit back and enjoy.
This past week I found myself lazing around – as I usually am – and watching some television. Flicking through the movie channels, since there really is never anything good on any of the other ones at this time of day, I found one of my all-time greatest action movies just starting, and that movie is called The Rock.
The movie was released 1996. At this time I was at the ripe age of 10-years-old. This, I believe, is the prime age for the enjoyment of any Michael Bay film. In recent years I’ve seen his films like Transformers: The Revenge of the Fallen and lambasted it for it’s complete waste of time. However, looking back on his earlier film – The Rock – I realise that I Bay hasn’t really changed much over the years. With a movie that I tout, with some sarcasm tucked away in my speech, as The Greatest Action Movie of All Time I found myself finding more and more flaws with every frame and at the same time loving it. It’s a wonder as to how much nostalgia can affect your perspective on a movie.
There are problems so obvious as to how horribly edited the famous Humvee vs. Ferrari scene in the film to watching scenes as stupid as Michael Beihn (who I did not remember was in this movie) giving a really stupid speech about a soldiers duty when he’s obviously about to get himself as well as all of his men killed. There are so many moments in the movie when the dialogue, like most Michael Bay and over the top action films made in a America, just oozes this I’m American and this is why we rock mentality which is a thing that I find pretty annoying sometimes when I’m watching a movie. Now I know, the film is an American film made mostly for Americans, but really can you all stop wanking yourselves off so much. We know you’re proud – like any other country – but that should be embedded in the characters a lot more than explained constantly in the dialogue.
The truth of the matter is what this movie has going for it is the awesomeness of Sean Connery, Ed Harris, Steve Harris, John C. McGinley and Tony Todd. I felt like each part of the Marines that were engaged in the siege at The Rock each had their moment(s) to shine with a line or two and each time, while usually laughable, were just classic. From I’d take pleasure in gutting you bwoy to I don’t listen to soft ass shit I was eating it up.
Anyways I think I’ve run out of things to say, so this is the end of this installment of my Random Thoughts, make sure to let me know what you think of them (and the film The Rock) in the comments below.