An issue that I've been considering lately in film is that of violence in movies. As a christian, obviously there are things in movies that I would tend to avoid or be wary of in film, one of which is excessive violence. However, I've been thinking about my criteria for "excessive violence", and I'm not entirely sure if It is correct, or if I am putting the right type of thought into it. As I've been thinking, I've realized that there are two main reasons for violence to be in a movie. I'm not trying to give a definitive statement on which one is better, I'm just thinking out loud (hence the title), and trying to initiate thought on the subject of violence in film.
The first type of violence that you see in movies is violence that is meant to initiate some kind of thought or consideration of an idea. An example of a movie like this would be Schindler's List or, more recently, Prisoners. Both of these movies are not the type of movie that you would watch multiple times. They are very disturbing, and could be upsetting to many viewers. However, Schindler's List is a very important depiction of the holocaust, one of the darkest times humanity has ever suffered through. A depiction of the graphic violence that occurred, while not pleasant to watch, is arguably necessary for people to see, so that people will know the horrors that humanity is capable of and know not to repeat those mistakes. Prisoners is also a very brutal movie, despite not showing most of the acts of violence occurring. It serves as a depiction of what can happen to person when what they care about most (in this case a child) is taken from them, and how it can make them do terrible things in the name of love. You watch as Keller tortures the man who he believes knows where his daughter is, and you wonder whether you would do the same thing if you were put in his position. It produces thought and contemplation of a concept.
In this type of movie, you aren't supposed to really enjoy what is happening on screen. It isn't for entertainment or to make you feel satisfied. This violence serves to make you ponder something, and goes deeper than just entertainment. However, it is debatable whether or not it is worth it to slog through two hours or more of heavy, brutal film simply to reflect on an idea. To some people, it just isn't worth it. I tend to think that it can be extremely beneficial, but that this type of movie should be taken in very small doses. Filling your mind with this kind of stuff constantly could be bad for you.
The other type of movie, and the one that I am more worried about, is the kind of movie where violence is for entertainment. I'm talking about movies like the Die Hard series, The Matrix, and other typical action franchises. These movies have an extremely high body count, and death is handled very lightly. Lots of guns, lots of explosions, lots of dead people.
I've been thinking lately that there might be something very wrong with this type of movie's approach to violence. The amount of people killed is very high, but the emotion we feel is not one of grief and shock, but of either indifference or even elation. There is very little weight behind the concept of death in your typical action flick. Movies like The Matrix even hyper-stylize death, turning it into a slow-mo symphony of destruction. Don't get me wrong, The Matrix series is one of my favorite franchises, but I'm just wondering why it is that we find so much enjoyment in watching large amounts of people killed in "cool" ways. Why do we find it cool? Why is the coolest character in a movie the one who can kill the most people in the coolest way? Death is the worst thing that has ever entered this world, and we sometimes act like it's fun. Is it possible that recent action films have desensitized us to the concept of death? Is the way these movies handle death a way to deny its reality? I don't know the answers to these questions, but I do think it's worth some thought. I find it strange that we can watch a movie where people are being slaughtered left and right and sit back and ooh and aah as if we were watching a fireworks display.
As you read this, please remember the title of this segment. I'm just thinking out loud here, not trying to provide answers to big morality questions. I just want to initiate some thought on the subject, so that we don't remain stagnant in our movie watching. I don't know if either type of movie is right or wrong to watch; that's a decision that will have to be made by you. If you have any thoughts, please leave them in the comment section. Thanks! Expect more Thinking Out Loud in the near future.
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