Movies and Culture

Movies are an interesting phenomena. Most people could not normally sit still for two hours in the dark, however when you give them something to watch, suddenly people will not only willingly sit in a dark room, they will pay often ridiculous prices to do so. Something about movies resonates with a bit of our humanity: these movies depict people doing things we could never hope, or doing things that we wish we had the courage to do. Sure, other kinds of movies exist that do not fall into these categories (such as comedies, documentaries, and many horror films), but the ones that do provide a unique insight into the values our culture holds in high esteem.

For example, take the new movie released just last week, Olympus has Fallen. I will not spoil the movie for those that have not seen it yet, however I will possibly "spoil" this: America wins. The movie, in case you are unaware, follows a secret service agent who has not been on active duty for eighteen months as he attempts to single-handedly retake the White House after it was taken over by the North Koreans. Several elements of the movie stood out to me, one being the security measures the movie depicts that protect our White House. One scene in particular involves the secret service agents hurriedly taking the president out of harm's way. The entire plot of the movie, in fact, is contingent upon high-ranking US officials being more willing to  sacrifice millions of innocent lives than sacrifice the President's life. But why is this considered so patriotic, even at a time when the country is so divided over the actions of the President? I believe that the movie demonstrates the same effect that occurred after 9/11. After the September 11th attacks on our country, our country was unified in a unique way that can only happen after a tragedy. People who are normally split by political party banded together to support the one cause of our nation: Seeking out the terrorist who committed the atrocities. The move Olympus has Fallen allows viewers to relive that emotion of unity. When an audience watches this movie, they will feel themselves cheering for America. Not democratic America and not republican America, just America as a nation. This movie is an especially important movie in today's divided nation.

Movies almost always have a point to them. More often than not, the point the movie is trying to make is also making a statement about the culture we live in today, and popular movies represent finding a commonality in the target audience. Olympus has Fallen, I believe, was popular because it ignites the patriot in all of use and reminds us that we are blessed beyond belief to have our most worrisome problem be balancing a budget.