I remember watching the trailer for this movie back when it first landed, me and my friend joked that it was going to start World War 3. Look at where we are now...
The Interview is directed by Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen and stars Rogen alongside James Franco. Franco plays an exuberant chat show host and Rogen his more reserved producer who are tasked to kill North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un by the CIA. Un just so happens to be a huge fan of Franco's show and he asks them to fly over to North Korea to conduct an interview with him. From this brief synopsis, the controversy ensues...
This movie has been surrounded by an enormous vortex of controversy and after streaming the movie (it is now available to watch online) I thought I'd finally give my view on this web of bullshit. Don't get me wrong, I liked the movie but the controversy is unwarranted in my opinion.
The Interview was planned for a release date of the 25th December, but was then cancelled by Sony Pictures after hackers and terrorists issued threats towards theatres who would screen the film, promising "9/11 level" attacks on them. Which brings me to my first point. I don't blame Sony for cancelling the nationwide release for this film. I know some people have very strong views concerning how we shouldn't back down to terrorists but if threats of that magnitude are being issued then I don't really blame Sony for their initial cancellation.
Later on, Sony released the film online so people could stream it and select theatres across the United States screened it on Christmas Day, in turn grossing the film $1 million! So at the end of the day, the US didn't actually bow down to terrorist's wishes. They have showed the film in various theatres and nothing has happened.
While I can understand why they initially pulled the film, the controversy for me is very much unnecessary. Imagine if a North Korean cinema released a film about Barak Obama being assassinated. In my opinion, the US wouldn't issue such threats. Why? Because it's fictional! It's entertainment for goodness sake! It isn't a cinematic prophecy that will inevitably come true, it' simply a bit of fun.
And that is what The Interview is, a load of fun. It's a perfect film to sit down and watch with your friends with a few beers on the go. It's a film which basks in its silliness and its absurdity, and is filled to the brim with humour which teeters on crossing the metaphorical line; humour I appreciate.
While the film comments on allegations that Kim Jong Un is a ruthless dictator who starves his people and feeds them with false propaganda through heavy media censorship, the film actually takes a huge dig at the US media as well. Franco in this movie works as a chat show host who talks about Miley Cirus' cameltoe and Matthew McConaughey fucking a goat! It satires the media and the US almost as much as it satires North Korea. It doesn't target the nation for the sake of pissing them off, its controversial in almost every other way imaginable!
Seth Rogen and James Franco are polar opposites in terms of characters and their chemistry is perfect because of this. They play off eachother so well. The first act of this movie is the strongest with a lot of gut-busting moments of laughter, then the second act slows down a bit somewhat getting stuck in the CIA/espionage/spy mud, before recuperating in the third act and giving us an "explosive" send off.
It wasn't all perfect though. As I said the second act bogs down the humour a fair amount, some of the jokes run for too long and others are constabtly re-referenced throughout the runtime. I don't like it when a joke is recycled more than twice, it gives hints that the filmmakers were running out of ideas at that particular time while writing the screenplay.
But the movie is funny, absurd and entertaining throughout. There isn't a dull moment in this Seth Rogen/James Franco comedy movie which has led to international cyber terrorism and has left the US and North Korea at the brink of a nuclear war. In the words of the great Krusty the Clown, "Hey lighten up, it's a comedy!".
Rating - B
If you have any thoughts on the movie itself or anything concerning the movie's situation, please leave a comment. Let's have a discussion about this!
Thanks for reading,
Matt
No comments:
Post a Comment