gr12-movie-reviews-blog

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Hotel Rwanda

9/10

This film follows the story of Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel owner in Rwanda. Paul played a huge part in humanitarian efforts during the Rwandan Genocide, and he saved more than 1000 lives with his actions. The Rwandan Genocide started because of tensions between two groups of people, the Hutus and the Tutsis. Paul is a Hutu, and is often brought supplies by Georges Rutuganda, a goods supplier that also happens to be the leader of the Interhamwe, a brutal Hutu militia. Paul’s wife, Tatiana, is a Tutsi, and is under a constant threat of death from the Hutu. The president of Rwanda is assassinated, and the situation of the civil war worsens. Paul watches as his neighbors are captured, abused, and killed just outside of their homes. As Rwanda gets more severe, Paul starts to complete favours for people of influence, getting them money and alcohol to keep his family safe. As time goes on, many refugees stay at Paul’s hotel, and the Hutus get more and more serious about exterminating all of the Tutsis. Paul meets with Georges to get his supplies, and tells Georges that it would be impossible to kill all the Tutsis. Georges tells him that they’re already halfway there, Paul doesn’t believe him. On his way back to the hotel, Paul stops at the side of the road, only to see that there is a massive accumulation of bodies, and that the Interhamwe may really be halfway through their genocide. The UN is sent to Rwanda, and they are provided with little supplies, and offer little support to the ongoing peace efforts. UN operations forbid any UN soldiers from taking action against anyone unless action is taken upon them first, effectively meaning that as long as the UN isn’t attacked, the Interhamwe can continue their slaughter without a hitch. Foreign nationals are successfully evacuated. On the UN’s first attempt at extracting Rwandan’s goes south, and they have to retreat from the looming threat of the Interhamwe. Paul finally bargains with with General of the Rwandan army, and threatens to out him as a war criminal if he doesn’t assist in evacuating the refugees that Paul is watching over. Finally, Paul is able to take the refugees through the war zone and behind Tutsi rebel lines. 

This entire movie is based on a true story from the Rwandan genocide and the movie concludes with statements regarding Paul’s successes in his efforts. The movie itself does a great job of capturing the horrors of the genocide. People being kidnapped from their homes, ripped away and killed by the Interhamwe in front of their families. The way the movie is filmed suits the mood of the movie, close shots and angles are often used in conversation, and larger shots are used to show scenery, and the large scale displacement and destruction of Rwandan citizens.

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Godzilla (1954)

8/10

The Japanese Freighter Eiko-maru is destroyed off the coast of Odo Island. A second ship, the Bingo-maru sent to investigate, and is met with the same fate, and few survivors. A fishing boat from Odo is destroyed as well, with one survivor. When the fishing in the are drops to zero, the Island Elder blames the issues on an ancient creature, Godzilla. A villager tells a reporter that “something big is going crazy down there” and is ruining the fishing for the island. Later that night, a ritual dance is held to appease Godzilla. A large storm strikes the island, destroying the reporters helicopter, and an unseen force destroys houses, and kills people and livestock. Villagers and reporters state that the damage was caused by something large crashing through. It’s later found out that it is a giant dinosaur, which retreats to the ocean after being seen. Reporters return to Japan and tell the public that Godzilla is at least 50 metres tall, and was disturbed from its sleep after the hydrogen bomb testing in the ocean, meanwhile almost 20 more ships are lost at sea. Shortly after, Godzilla arises from the Tokyo Bay and rampages across Shinigawa, after killing many, it retreats back into the ocean. The Tokyo Defense Force constructs a massive electrical fence on the bay to keep Godzilla away, and mans it with soldiers. After multiple failed attacks on Godzilla with fighter jets and tanks, it is suggested a new experimental weapon, the ‘Oxygen Destroyer” is employed to kill Godzilla. The new weapon is able to kill Godzilla, but with a cost of all the destruction Godzilla has caused. It’s warned that if nuclear weapon testing continues, a new Godzilla may arise.

This movie places a huge emphasis on the repercussions of nuclear war. The movie came out less than a decade after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II, and Japan was still reeling from their losses. This film was released to give a warning of the weapons’ true destructive power, and how much the war has damaged Japan. The producer of the film stated that "The theme of the film, from the beginning, was the terror of the bomb. Mankind had created the bomb, and now nature was going to take revenge on mankind." and this theme is communicated extremely effectively. Much of the staff on the filming crew stated the Godzilla’s destruction was a physical, biological manifestation of the terrors they lived through during World War II.

While the film is in black and white, it still does a great job of getting its message across. Because the film is 60+ years old, it’s special effects are lackluster, but at the time of its release it was amazing. The camera angles are often used in a great way to emphasize the huge figure of Godzilla. The sound design is great, and the yells of Godzilla still hold up today as an iconic film sound.

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Children of Men

8/10

In the year 2027, humanity is globally infertile, and no child has been born for 18 years. Because of this, the world has fallen into hysteria, with very few safe havens for humanity remaining. One of these is the United Kingdom, where we find our protagonist, Theo. Theo is contacted by his ex-wife Julian, the leader of a militant humans rights group, The Fishes. Julian asks him to transport a refugee, Kee. The immigration papers that Theo obtains require Kee to be accompanied, and Theo agrees for a large sum of money. Luke, a member of the Fishes drives Kee, Theo, and Julian to the coast to a boat, when they are ambushed and Julian is killed. Luke takes Kee and Theo to a Fishes safehouse. At the safehouse, Kee informs Theo that she is pregnant, and that Julian intended to take Kee to a research program called The Human Project, dedicated to solving infertility. Luke is voted to be the new leader of the Fishes, and Theo eavesdrops on a conversation about how the Fishes intend to use Kee and her child for a political tool in their fight for a revolution.

Theo wakes Kee and takes her away from the safehouse. They meet with Theo’s friend Jasper, a cartoonist turned drug dealer. Kee and Theo intend to make it on to the Human Project’s ship Tomorrow, which will arrive at a refugee camp in Bexhill. Jasper suggests that Kee and Theo use a guard that Jasper sells to, Syd, to make it into the refugee camp. As they are leaving, the Fishes discover Jasper’s house, and he is shot and killed. The plan works, and Syd gets them into the refugee camp in Bexhill. In the camp, they meet a woman named Marichka, who provides Kee help while she gives birth. Syd finds them, and attempts to capture them when he realizes they have a bounty on them. Theo and Marichka are able to fight him off. The British Army has begun bombing Bexhill, and during the fighting the Fishes capture Kee and her child. Theo tracks them to an apartment buidling, where Luke is killed by a tank shell from the British Army. Theo leads Kee out of the building, and the fighting stops while all of the soldiers are in awe of the child. Marichka provides Theo, Kee and her child a boat, and Theo rows out to sea in search for the Tomorrow. While doing this, Theo reveals he has been shot by Luke, and falls unconscious from his wounds when the Tomorrow breaks through the fog.

This movie is depressing, main characters that you think will be important for a large portion of the film are killed without notice or hesitation, and Julian’s death lets you know this fact early on. The story breaks your trust, in the beginning you’re sided with the Fishes, as they are the ones fighting back against the corrupt government and working with Theo, but we quickly learn that they are only doing things for themselves, and we see that Kee and Theo truly are alone in their quest. In terms of techniques, the movie utilizes many wide shots, and shows the scale of certain events. The best example of this is the scene where Theo walks Kee and her child out of the apartment building in Bexhill. The gunfire stops and all of the soldiers, on both sides, stop their fighting let the child pass in safety.

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V for Vendetta

9/10

The 2005 film V For Vendetta, directed by James McTeigue is based off of the graphic novel of the same name by Alan Moore. The film is set in an alternate future in a dystopian, neo-fascist United Kingdom. The main protagonist, V, is played by Hugo Weaving, and is an anarchist freedom fighter devoted to bringing a new revolution to the UK. V’s real name is never revealed, and he’s always seen wearing a Guy Fawkes mask. Fawkes acts almost as a role model to V, someone he looks up to for what he’s done to enact change. Fawkes and V both have similar values and goals, to disrupt the terrible government they both had to deal with. 

As V goes about his fighting, he meets a young woman named Evey, who he saves as she’s being attacked for being out after curfew. Throughout the course of the movie Evey follows along with V’s efforts, and starts to understand his perspective on the world. V performs an experiment on Evey that tests her loyalty to him, and at the end Evey lashes out at V for putting her through everything. The movie culminates with V killing the last of the governmental figures and giving his life to destroy the parliamentary buildings of the UK. 

V for Vendetta is a gold standard for modern dystopian films. The main hero V is there not for him, but for the idea he follows. He never takes of his mask because what lies behind the mask doesn’t matter in the larger scale of things, all that matters is that V’s goal is reached. V’s mask stands for a message, one of freedom.