The Thin Red Line- To Have A Plot or to Not?

The Thin Red Line is an American war film which tells a fictional story of United States forces during the Battle of Guadalcanal in World War II and it portrays men in C Company. Malick’s interpretation of the novel was not critically acclaimed by many at the North American box office but the film still stands to be a good source for critique and analysis. One of the main aspects of a good film is its quality to be believable. The characters do not have to be exactly like a potential viewer, or the setting does not have to be relatable as long as something concrete is present.

It is highly unlikely that everyone who has watched Silence of The Lambs can find parts of themselves within Hannibal Lecter’s character but it is still an incredible film. However, Silence of the Lambs does rely heavily on plot and a definitive story line. Thin Red Line seems to fall short and it stands to question if it is still approachable as a good film. Details of a narrative make the film credible and relatable. If our audience can't share with a story of a movie, than it is unfeasible to really call a film a “good film”.

In retrospect, I don't believe that there must be a plot but the central idea or theme must be strong enough to carry the entire piece and create a working picture. Although Thin Red Line attempts to do that with the displays of humanity, stress, and fear during the war, it did not stand to be a great film, in my opinion. From the director’s point of view, I do not seem to thin that feel Malick was exceptionally deceptive or tricky in developing his plot but it just was lacking. It was delving into the personal hardships of war but it just did not work. I do believe it is a case-by-case situation and plots are not necessary in all film. In this case, however, I deem it necessary.

El Laberinto del Fauno- Reality v. Fantasy

Pan’s Labryinth has received critical acclaim for not only its beautifully crafted superficial layer but the intrinsic meaning of the story. Pan's Labyrinth takes place in Spain, after the Spanish Civil War, during the early Francoist period. The plot of the movie interweaves the real world of that time with a fantasy world. The fantasy portion of the film is centered on an untended and abandoned labyrinth with a mysterious faun creature with which the main character, Ofelia, interacts. Ofelia's stepfather, the Captain Vidal, hunts the Maquis who fight against the Fascist reign in the region, while Ofelia's pregnant mother grows increasingly ill. Ofelia meets several strange and magical creatures who become central to her story, leading her through the trials of the old labyrinth garden paralleled to that of her real life.

Pan’s Labryinth brings to light a poignant story about a completely distressing subject. Both reality and fantasy are necessary for the transition of the story and make it that much better of a film. If the film lacked Ofelia’s daydream maze, the story would have less depth and impact. The fantasy is a perfect parallel to the reality that Ofelia is obviously avoiding.  Devoid of reality, the ending would come as a complete surprise.  The movie would be centered on a young Spanish girl who lives in this trippy and unrealistic fantasy land. The audience would be drawn out into an actuality not even known to exist. This would make everything about the film a blatant lie and falsehood. That being said, the film is dependent upon both worlds because without one, the story, characters, and intrinsic meaning would be worthless.

At the film’s closing, it is revealed to the audience that Ofelia's fantasy world is all a manifestation of her own psyche.  Due to this nonconforming ending to a supposed fairytale, including the historical context and real world setting makes her issues that much more understandable.  Whether it was the war, her step-father’s nature, or the fact that her mother was quite ill, the fantasy world serves as an escape for Ofelia’s mind to forget about the depressing reality. Ofelia fights her own war within herself, and the real war draws another parallel for the story. 

In regards to obedience or disobedience, Ofelia struggles in many cases. For one instance, she has issues being obedient to her ill mother and stepfather by reading and believing in the fairy tales.  Ofelia also has issues calling a man she hardly knows her father when her real dad is fresh in the grave. Ofelia also remains obedient to her insanity throughout the film by letting her brain manifest this crazy world within herself. 

Pan's Labyrinth is very similar to Alice and Wonderland. Escaping a world of turmoil and obedience, Alice falls down a rabbit hole and into a fantasy world where the struggles there are exciting rather than droll or typical.  The children in both stories don't want to face the realities of adulthood and the dark nature it poses.

RoboCop: How Much is Too Much?

In this quintessential 80s film, set in a crime-ridden Detroit in the near future, RoboCop focuses on a police officer who is brutally murdered and consequently re-created as a super-human cyborg known as "RoboCop".  In  RoboCop, the director, Paul Verhoeven is gratuitously reliant on violence and gore. It could arguably be one of the gruesome movies of its time. Many critics consider it to be purely superficial gore, while others see it as necessary to the plot. In my opinion, the film borders between both extremes. For example, when Murphy is torn into streamers by gunshots is a bit excessive. However, if a person had been shot up many times by shotguns, I am sure they would look something close to that of Murphy’s remains. Here, the gore can be justified for both instances. We need to see the carnage but the extent of the images border on self-indulgent.

While it has moments where it is gory for the sake of being gory, it isn't completely without reason. If the audience didn’t see Murphy get viciously massacred, the audience would not feel as connected to the character when he takes part in his acts of vengeance. However, with incorporation of various elements other than intense violence, connections and bridges can be formed between the viewer and the protagonist. Seeing is believing at times and to believe that a cyborg vigilante could be created, the audience needs to see the extent of the violence. There is a point, though, when increased brutality doesn't add any intrinsic value.

Even though the plot is inventive for its time, the excessive violence, campy nature and unwarranted gore makes it a solely profit-making movie, lacking artistic value. Regardless of living in a world where violence is socially acceptable, I had issues watching scenes like Murphy's murder. However, when you watch the murder of the negative forces being killed, the audience can’t help but feel happy because we tend to root for the hero, if RoboCop can be considered that. We are constantly privy to such brutal and graphic images whether it is in the news, video games, or film. It has made us drones to the world and we will eventually think of violence and brutality as second nature; it won’t be out of character for anyone.