It's been quite some time since the World War II was over. I'm not here to yet again blog about the conspiracies and theories of war, I am instead going to elaborate on the implications WWII has on our lives right now.
First of all, the bad guys (axis) were some of the meanest badass bunch of zealots in history. They were tyrants utilising unethical means to achieve absolute power: Hitler being a dictator of the Nazis, and Japan's imperial emperor ruling with an iron fist. At the beginning point of this war, the axis were by far more superior to the allies. Germany conquered most of Central Europe while Japan harrased China, Korea and even Southeast Asia. It looked as if liberty and freedom will be lost forever.
However, like most events in fictions and novels, there has to be a turning point. The maximum point of a parabola. A curve following the turning point that sends the axis spiraling down. It was the bombings Pearl Harbour that awakened and provoked the sleeping beast of USA.
Henceforth, the allies and the good guys teamed up and was on the front foot ever since D-Day. With the global veto powers USA and Russia on the same side, the tides of war were changing. The tables were turned and in no time the axis were crumbling apart. When all hope seemed lost, and the world was at the edge of disaster, the so-called "heroes" counterattacked at the right moment to claim victory by the end of the war that was 1945.
What does this tell us? This plot of events, like in literature... the exposition, rising action, climax and so on.
Before the war, mass-media wasn't exactly that popular, as it was rather low-tech that time. By the time the war ended, the entertainment industry began booming. Hollywood became some of the biggest moneybags in the world. Whenever they produce a movie that involves conflicts (can be action, adventure and war), they always imply this plot. Even now, our movies have a similar plot.
It is always the baddies who relish the roles as antagonists in the first half of the movie. In the end, they'd make some kind of mistake (like bombing Pearl Harbour), and the good guys will be on the attack, striking a killing blow at the end of the movie. And, a happy ending. In some cases, when the good guys are on the attack, the baddies find a way to counter it and ensure an nail-biting ending. But yet again, the good guys will believe in miracles that propel them to victory.
As a result, these movies are, although exciting at time, but rather predictable. For example, Transformers 2. The plot was very textbook and ultimately very (very!) predictable. Star Wars (excluding Episode III), Spiderman, Quantum of Solace, Night at the Museum, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings; are examples of famous movies implying that textbook formula. I'm not saying the plot is bad. It is good and suits almost all occassions, keeps your blood pulsing and also killing boredom. But boredom might reach out to you if the movie is no good, for example Quantum of Solace. You might discover what I have discovered here and in the end criticise the movie.
There is a stark difference between movies with an extraordinary plot compared to this formula here. We shall compare The Dark Knight and Transformers 2. Both had high grossings and legions of fans, but one was showered with awards and good reviews while the other was plagued with criticisms. The Dark Knight, when we watched it... we expected another boring old plot but it turned out to be so unpredictable and still very exciting. However Transformers unfortunately stuck to the safe plot and perished.
Kudos The Dark Knight for making movie so different. Movies nowadays have to learn from this example above, in order to produce movies with better storyline that impresses fans and critics alike. Movies relying on fans alone will not stand for long.
Don't just watch movies, observe them. Think of them as literature material.
