Sunday, February 20, 2011
Natural Born Killers
Class time is going to be devoted to discussing the deeper issues related to Natural Born Killers, so I'm giving you this space to give just a simple personal reaction to it. What did you think of the film (love it, hate it, etc.) and how does it compare to other movies in the same vein that you've seen before? As usual, 250 word post up by Thursday night (2/24) and 100 word response up by Sunday night (2/27).
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Natural Born Killers was, for lack of a better word, interesting. To be perfectly honest I was not taken by the film during the first viewing, I thought the violence was a tad gratuitous and Mallory’s overall sexual “theme” was a bit off-putting. Natural Born Killers certainly was not the most disturbing film I’ve seen, in fact in comparison to some films (Tarantino’s and Wes Craven’s) it’s fairly tame. The movie picked up though as the film went on, halfway through our 2nd viewing was when I really started to get interested and gave the film a chance to redeem itself in my eyes. I enjoyed the direction the film was going; moving away from the Knox’s killing sprees towards their time in jail instead. The media theme was an interesting direction and I found myself paying more and more attention as the film went on. I really enjoyed the acting choice, I love Woody Harrelson, Robert Downey Jr. and Tommy Lee Jones; Harrelson’s character, though, surprised me – at least because of the other roles I’ve seen Harrelson in. All in all I do believe I enjoyed the movie, I just needed to give it a chance. I was surprised by the ending though, I fully expected to see the Knoxs go out in a “poetic” death type scene but the ending I was left with didn’t disappoint. I’d recommend the film to my friends as long as I know they can handle the somewhat disquieting sequences.
ReplyDeleteNatural Born Killers had it all: blood, gore, sex, cursing, demons, drugs, and alcohol. So I can see why it was controversial. I know some people who believe horror movies to be work of the devil so I don’t know what they would do if they saw this. What disturbed me most were the media clips of kids supporting Mallory and Mickey. A country whose heroes are villains is incredibly screwed up but I have to think it happens sometimes. It was also unsettling to see how Mickey tried to rationalize murder and the way he used logic to justify his mass murder spree.
ReplyDeleteI think that it was a pretty good movie though. It had an all-star cast and the actors didn’t disappoint. Harrelson and Lewis had great chemistry and played the best sadistically insane couple I have ever seen. Tommy Lee Jones was hilarious; I loved his character that was much different than the usual role for him. I did think the movie was a bit slow at points but I was on the edge of my seat all throughout the ending prison scenes. It was also very interesting to get inside of a criminal’s mind although fictional. It was strange to find myself rooting for the two after seeing what they went through. It kind of seemed justified. Normally in movies, the good guys are the only ones who get any attention and directors never share the bad guy’s side of the story. I think we usually deem the villains’ acts as irreversibly wrong because they don’t align with our morals. We don’t want our morals to be questioned and this movie explicitly questioned the wrongness of murder.
John I gotta agree with you on this not being the most gruesome having seen films by Quinton Tarantino. I’ve only seen the Scream series and Nightmare on Elm Street from Craven’s work but I’ve heard he has some creepy stuff out there as well. However, apart from Saw, I think that Natural Born Killers had the most unnecessary violence and gore of any movie I’ve seen. Heads, limbs, and torsos were getting sliced, diced, and shot up left, and right and I can see how that can be a bit much. Even though films like this are sometimes questionable, we still go to see them. So the controversy comes from whether or not our living out that disturbing alternative reality is healthy or not.
ReplyDeleteFrom the beginning of the film I thought I was going to be absolutely disgusted, but by the end of the film I would have to say I now have mixed emotions about the film. I thought it was interesting. It at some points made me wonder why this movie was ever made, but at other points it really drew my attention into the screen. I feel that Mickey and Mallory were perfect actors picked for this film. They played the part perfect, and they are what made the movie interesting. I would have to say the "Natural Born Killers" is the most violent, and disturbing movie I have ever watched. It just made me think, why are they doing this? Every time they would murder someone. I think the media blew up the story more then it should have been, just like media always does. It is truly rude for them to be all over someone like that, when they just need to be in jail. For example, the jail scene caused the most ruckus of the movie, because if the media had not come, everything would have been fine, and I believe that Mickey and Mallory would not have gotten out. I just found the movie to be completely bizarre. Before this movie was brought up in class, I had never heard of it. Therefore I am glad we watched it in class, because I would not have watched it any other place.
ReplyDelete@maxwell
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree with your first statement about the movie, that is truly all it contained, and it made the movie extremely controversial due to those facts. The clips of the children and teens that supported the killers also got to me. I thought it was crazy for them to have shown teenagers supporting Mickey and Mallory. The movie just all around got to me, and all of the scenes were so different that it almost made me get lost while watching the movie. I can also agree with you on the fact that good guys in the movie always overpower bad guys. In this movie it was the opposite as it was only about the bad guys (Mickey and Mallory) and it was weird to see that in a movie, because our culture is not accustomed to that.
I actually like the movie Natural Born Killers. Everything about it is different especially the way it was filmed. The story line was messed up but when I watch movies I look more into it. I think it’s amazing how they use music, color, tone, and cartoons to make you believe the movie is actually violent when in reality you barely see anything. That takes a lot of work to put in a movie and it’s very deceiving. This was defiantly not the most violent film I’ve ever seen and doesn’t compare to anything I have ever seen before either.One thing I liked was the cast was well picked. Woody Harrelson and Juilette Lewis played a great role together as Mickey and Mallory Knox. I did watch the movie two times but I would like to watch it again. To really get the whole meaning of the movie. It always makes me laugh on how we always root for the bad guys. For example, during the jail riot I was crossing my fingers they would get away and be free even though they where mass murders. That’s where the media plays a huge role making them celebrities. Something I wanted to bring up is people blaming Oliver Stone for the “copy cats” that’s outrageous. It can’t be his fault and I don’t think you could prove that in anyway possible. Just like someone mentioned in class about video games you can’t blame the creators it’s the own person’s fault for there actions.
ReplyDelete@maxwell
ReplyDeleteI agree, this movie was very interesting. At first I was not into it but the jail scene was where I enjoyed it the most. I didn’t think the movie was really violent compared to a lot of crazy movies I’ve seen for example Kill Bill. I could say hands down that was ten times more violent the Natural Born Killers. I absolutely loved the the cast and everyone played their part extremely well. If it wasn’t for the cast I don’t think this movie would have had a chance. I was expecting them to die even though I did want them to escape. So that defiantly threw me off.
It was definitely one of the strangest movies I have seen, but I enjoyed it. There weren’t any boring parts, so Mickey and Mallory had me wondering what they were going to do next. The animation gave it a different twist, but it was a little too much at some parts because it was quick transitions back and forth. I knew Robert Downey Jr. was supposed to be portraying someone in real life, but I couldn’t figure out the name of that person. I think the movie was supposed to be a satire because they went on their killing spree knowing that the media would immediately find out which make it kind of funny. They always left someone alive to talk to the reporters about the murder that had just been committed. My favorite character was the warden played by Tommy Lee Jones because he was such a nut case, and I have never seen him play a role like that. I could see how there would be controversy with this movie because they made killing like a fun game they were playing to see how the media would react after everything. The scene that I thought was the most interesting was when he shot the Indian because that was the only time that they felt bad about killing someone. Perhaps they felt that a lot of Americans do not appreciate what they have, and this Native American lives in quiet solitude somewhere out West. Maybe it was because they took the two in.
ReplyDeleteNatural Born Killers was possibly the all time strangest movie I have ever seen in my entire life. All be it there was never a dull moment during this movie, I found everything that was happening during this movie repulsive and at times just plain weird. I very often found my self saying to myself “what is up with this movie?” or “ this movie is so beyond ridiculous”. I could not stand watching this movie. Regardless of even if the actual murders were not shown on screen, the fact that I as an audience member knew the Mickey and Mallory were killing people left and right was, I think, just as bad if not worse. Something about this movie that I did like was the actors and actresses that participated in Natural Born Killers, even though I hated the characters they played. This movie was very intense in that these actors and actresses really had to show no mercy and play such spiteful and strong characters. I really applaud all of the actors and actresses because this must truly have been a very emotionally demanding and challenging movie to partake in. Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis did an exceptional job with portraying their characters. Not many actors and actresses could have handled a role such as this and they both really captured Mickey and Mallory’s character and brought it to life during this movie. I have to say that this is definitely not a movie that I would recommend anyone to go see.
ReplyDeleteNatural Born Killers is unlike any other movie I have seen before. I found myself asking classmates sitting next to me, “What is happening?” They had no answer to this question, and by the end of the movie, I still didn’t. I think what made this movie so bizarre and twisted were the different mediums used, specifically when the screen would quickly change to an image of a dead person then switch back to the plot. I was very confused by this, and it actually distracted me from the film itself. However, I will admit that I was never bored during Natural Born Killers. It was almost as if I was reluctant to take my eyes off the screen just for a second, because I thought that I would miss a crucial or exciting scene. I never knew what Mickey and Mallory had planned next, so I wanted to keep watching it until the end. In addition, I felt that the actors and actresses in this film were excellent. The director casted this film very well. I didn’t necessarily like the characters of Mickey and Mallory Knox, but it definitely takes talented actors to pull of their roles. Overall, I would not say I enjoyed this film, although it kept my attention. After discussing the film in class and reading the reviews, I understand why this was a major controversy. It gave me a better insight into our second project, especially realizing that you have to look deeper than the surface of the film.
ReplyDelete@JKurtz
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way as you do. I have never seen a movie quite like Natural Born Killers before. Mickey and Mallory were always up to something and you never knew what they would do next. I also agree that the animations were a little much at times, especially the quick transitions as you mentioned. I think it took away from the film. It’s interesting that you chose the killing of the Indian as your favorite scene. It was unlike any other in the entire film, maybe that’s why it stuck out to you. I was actually very surprised that they felt bad about killing someone. Throughout the entire film, I was waiting for this remorse to finally show through a bit, even though it only happened once.
Natural Born Killers was interesting for me. I’m not usually a person who likes to watch violent movies, so even though a ton of the violence that when on wasn’t actually shown, it still seemed pretty gory. It did have a good plot and underlying theme though. Many movies that are R-rated or whatever or just have a lot of violence don’t really send out a message like this one does. And I can see how it is true, how involved the media was, and just as Ebert stated, “the film isn’t [just] about violence, it’s about how we respond to violence, and that truly is shocking”. And it’s shocking to see how some people respond to movies in general as well. People look into movies and songs too much. They are the idea or ideas of one or a few people (songwriters and directors), and when someone lets that influence them so much as to want to go and do something so random, it’s ridiculous. But overall, I’d have to say my feelings about the movie aren’t one way or the other. I didn’t absolutely hate the movie like I thought I was going to in the beginning, but I didn’t absolutely love it or anything. It was more interesting that I thought it was going to be, and for two mass murderers, Mickey and Mallory did have good chemistry. It was just crazy to see how it all unfolded with the riot and how they got back together in the end.
ReplyDeleteI think Natural Born Killers was well directed and well cast, but I did not like the movie. I thought the movie was far-fetched and although I do have an imagination, the movie was a little too much for me. The timing for different scenes also seemed to be distracting. I would be watching an ordinary scene of the two main characters, and all of a sudden a flashback occurs and I found that it was distracting, especially because the flashback was based on a comic show and was odd. I didn’t like the fact that the flashback was so vulgar and demeaning towards Mallory while the “studio audience” laughed at the sexist jokes. Also, I didn’t like the ending of the movie. I thought the movie would have a better ending if Mickey and Mallory were caught again and sent to prison for life and didn’t escape a second time. Personally, I didn’t like Mickey and Mallory’s characters and thought that they belonged in prison and it was frustrating for me the way the movie ended. I also found the movie to be somewhat violent, however, most definitely not the most violent or most gory movie I have ever seen. The cast for the actors was good and the actors played their parts well, which kept me focused on the movie and didn’t leave me bored. Overall, you would not catch me watching this movie again unless it was to further analyze it.
ReplyDelete@Maxwell
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that one of the most unusual and disturbing parts of the movie was the fact that the teenagers were actually supporting Mickey and Mallory and it’s unsettling to listen to that and see that all of those people were rallying for Mickey and Mallory. The sign that one teenager had said “Murder me Mickey” was also disturbing and I can’t imagine people for villains that murder innocent people almost for pleasure. I also agree that the cast and the actors played their roles very well.
I actually thought Natural Born Killers was a really good movie. Not only did it keep my attention the whole time, it also had shock value and really made me think. At first I couldn't figure out where all the controversy had come from, but after reading the reviews and article about it, I have even more interesting insight on the discussion. I thought Natural Born Killers was cast very well and that the acting was superb. I also thought that the film work really added a lot to the tone of the movie. It really isn't too much of a violent movie but the way it's filmed and made and all of the creepy images that pop up really contribute to the violent and disturbing tone of the film. I would actually really enjoy watching this film again because I feel like I would discover a lot of smaller things in the movie that I didn't notice the first time. I've even recoommended Natural Born Killers to my friends, which deffinately means I enjoyed the movie. It's totally different than any movie I've seen so I can't really compare it to anything. I think it's a truely artistic film and it deserveas alot of credit.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that Natural Born Killers is one of the most disturbing movies I’ve ever seen. I’m not a big fan of violent films so that is why I don’t have many movies from that genre to compare it to. However, even if I had seen other violent films, I would still think NBK was one of the strangest movies out there. I guess I should have realized ahead of time that this would be such a different movie since it caused controversy, but I didn’t know what to expect. There were numerous times during the movie where I had to look away because it was incredibly gory and that makes me uncomfortable. I also found the scene where Mallory’s Dad is treating his daughter with the utmost disrespect and being incredibly inappropriate to be quite depressing, honestly. There was not one joke the Dad said that I thought was funny- it made me feel incredibly sad to see the way a family is treating their child, despite the fact that it’s just acting roles in a movie. Once that scene was over, it didn’t seem as hard for me to sit through the rest of the movie. I couldn’t keep my eyes away from the screen because it was that intriguing of a film. I do think Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Tommy Lee Jones, and Robert Downey Jr. did an outstanding job playing all of their roles. I think that NBK should have ended with both of them in jail after everything they did, but instead it implied to its audience that the killing spree will continue, unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteThere is a genre that The Ring, and The Unborn fit into. There is a genre that the whole Saw series, and that Human Centipede also fit into. But to classify a genre for Natural Born Killers, well that is similar to asking me what came first the chicken or the egg. You just can’t do it, no matter how many theories are put forth. Natural Born Killers is by far the strangest movie that I have ever seen. The awkward violence scenes, Mallory’s sex appeal, and the devil scenes that pop up seemingly at random all can be summed up to an interesting movie. Something interesting that we pointed out in class though was the fact that there was a very low amount of on screen violence. The tone of the movie is what makes the film seem so violent. Yes out of the frame there is violence happening but nothing is taking place on screen that hasn’t been filmed before. I would have to watch the film a few more times to catch all the messages and really interpret it, but for the first ride I didn’t find it too bad of a movie. Yes it was strange, but that doesn’t make it bad. I did like how the director developed the characters that were Mickey and Mallory. I felt as if I knew who they were. Overall good film, but odd, its going to take me a few more passes to give it my final critique.
ReplyDeletei enjoyed watching Natural Born Killers. I admire the strength of Mickey's argument about killing people being natural, even though i do not agree with it. I think that is what i like about the movie the most. That it made me realize that no matter how ridiculous an argument's idea is, if you can back it up correctly, you can influence your audience to at least see where you are coming from. Some people might see the movie as grotesque, and inappropriate. i see it as a work of art, that even though dangerous because of how influential it can be to people with a weak mind, It opens people's eyes and makes them realize just how cruel their nature really is. I think thats what pisses people off. They dont want to accept the fact that we are all natural born killers like Mickey and his wife. Some of us kill in different ways. Even if we think about killing someone, its the same thing as actually doing it. Just cause you dont have the guts mickey and his wife did, doesnt make you a better person. Some of us would even kill our own species if we could if we werent scared because of the consequences im sure. Mickey and his wife where fearless of the consequences and most of humanity is but that doesnt make us better than them. Yeah i know the idea is terrifying, but it is what it is. Humans are natural deadly killers, and we are hypocritical about it. But thats just my opinion (:
ReplyDeleteI didn’t find this movie as violent and intense as I was originally expecting. After discussing all the controversy it stirred up as well as all the murders it supposedly influenced, the movie really wasn’t too shocking at all. The murder scenes weren’t too graphic and the movie’s message overcame the violence. This movie wasn’t made for shock value; the producers were just trying to portray how the media influences America’s response to criminals. The film was very Tarentinoesque with all the killing sprees and muscle cars but I’ve honestly seen more harsh films from him in recent years by comparison. I thought the story was pretty interesting and it was fun watching it play out but I’m not much of a fan of the trippy random animations throughout the movie. I’d have to say the only other films this movie can really be compared with are other Tarentino films as the tone and styles are mostly similar. I definitely wouldn’t prefer it to Inglourious Basterds and I didn’t find it anywhere near as chaotic as Reservoir Dogs so this movie has basically ended up in the middle ground for me. Natural Born Killers was certainly not a bad movie and worth watching for the entertainment value especially with a cast of such popular actors. It didn’t quite make my favorites list but I would probably recommend it to friends.
ReplyDeleteNatural Born Killers surprisingly wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Any movie with the word killers in the title I would expect to be a film with basically nothing but gruesome murders and blood and guts everywhere. But that wasn’t the case with Natural Born Killers. This film did show a few murders but not as many as I expected, and there wasn’t much blood or any guts. Not that I enjoy seeing blood and guts in movies, I just expected more from a film titled to be about killing. The movie was also a lot weirder than I expected. The random shots of a bare breast, the random cartoon clips, and the fiery background as they rode down highway 666 was way more creepily weird than I would’ve imaging it to be. Compared to other weird movies I’ve seen this has to be the worse, and I give it 5 stars for weirdness, though this isn’t the most gruesome movie I’ve seen. I saw Wolf Creek when I was still in middle school. Wolf Creek is a film about some backpackers in the remote areas of Australia who get subjected by a murder who offers to fix their car. In the movie there are crazy, bloody, and gory murder scenes. There is even one seen where a guy is knocked un conscious and then waken up only to be in a position where he can’t fight but can feel every ounce of pain. As he is stabbed with nails through his main arteries in his wrist and hung on the wall of a garage. Seeing this when I was around the age of 13, I was first scared for my life as me and my friend ran out of the theater so we wouldn’t be the last ones left, but then eventually after I watch the final destinations and all the Chuckie movies I became pretty immune to the killings.
ReplyDeleteI thought Natural Born Killers was great. If I were to see it just sitting on a shelf in the store I probably would have skipped right over it but since it was shown in school, I did not really get much of a choice. When we first started watching it I thought it was really weird how it would switch from black and white to color to animation and my first reaction was that it was going to be an annoying movie that couldn’t get its style straight and was all over the place. However this was not the case at all. The different types of film added to the style and made the movie more interesting. I do not think there are any other movies that can compare to this exactly. I have not seen a lot of action or violent movies because that is not the types of movies I would generally be into so I do not have a large variety of movies to compare it to in my own personal library. Of the movies I have seen, this was one of the most violent. While it does not always show the gruesome parts of the killings, the general concept is in everyone’s heads and they know that all the characters are being brutally murdered. The bigger concept is that people are thinking about what Mickey and Mallory are doing to the characters and that’s what creates the real violence in the movie.
ReplyDelete@ arocha:
ReplyDeleteI thought the movie was pretty strange myself. I’m not one who usually watches horror movies or movies with a lot of violence, so when the movie started out, I asked myself, “what in the world are we watching?” The rest of the movie was more interesting to me than anything, but it was not at all what I expected to watch. The fact that the media was so involved really relays an underlying message that most violent movies do not offer. And I have to agree with you, I give it up to the actors and actresses because they really played these roles well.
@maxwell
ReplyDeleteGotta say, good description of what Natural Born Killers contained; really hit the nail on the head with that list of subjects. I admit those scenes with the teenagers who glorified Mickey and Mallory were revolting, not because it contained anything inherently “evil” but because even though it was over-the-top I know that some people have that reaction to people like Mickey and Mallory. Your last statement, about our morals not aligning with the villian’s morals, I agree entirely – couldn’t have said it any better.
When we were first told that the movie we would be watching in class was Natural Born Killers, my first thought was that it was going to be a documentary about serial killers or murderers. I was not expecting to be watching a movie about a couple who go around killing what seem to be random people. At first I was thrown off by the way the movie was filmed, and it confused me for a while. I did not understand what the director was trying to do by filming in so many different styles, and for at least the first half of the movie my reaction was one of wondering what the heck was going on. My interest really picked up the second day, I was still thrown off by the way it was filmed, but the story got more interesting as it was not just about seeing the pair kill other people. By far the most interesting part of the movie was the last part that we watched on Friday. The only movie I can think to compare this too is the Saw series, although I don’t feel like the two movies are on the same field, but that is all that comes to mind. I did not see a point in Saw, other than to be disgusting. However Natural Born Killers made a good point about murderers and the way the media portrays them. Overall it was a very interesting movie, I feel like I would need to watch it a few more times to fully understand what was going on and to really see what the director was saying.
ReplyDelete@Lindizzy91
ReplyDeleteI probably would have skipped over this movie too if I had seen it in the store, but I’m glad we got to watch it because it was very interesting. I also thought I would get annoyed with the way the movie was filmed in all the different styles but I agree with you about the different styles making it more interesting. I had a hard time thinking of movies to compare this one too, but I finally came up with the Saw movies, although I don’t think those can really be compared because the only thing they have in common is the violence. I completely agree with what you said about the bigger concept being what people know Mickey and Mallory are doing to people, and that is what creates the real violence.
@kwalton 11
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you! I was definitely disgusted and had such mixed emotions about Natural Born Killers. It was also definitely the most bizarre and strangest movie I have ever seen as well. It was funny that we sit so close to each other that we could hear each others commentary all throughout the movie. I also must say, like you, that this was one of the most disturbing and violent movies I have ever seen. Regardless of even if we did not actually see every person they killed murdered on screen that does not change the fact that they were still killing all these people and as audience members we knew for a fact that both Mickey and Mallory were on this huge killing spree. I also agree with your view that the media played in this movie. I don't think Mickey and Mallory would have gotten out if the media was not in the jail doing that huge cover piece on Mickey and Mallory.
@ Jkurtz:
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you- there were not any boring parts at all in Natural Born Killers and I could not take my eyes off the screen. I also think the animations added so much more to the movie but at some points I would get a little confused because it would switch between so many different forms of media and color. I also can definitely see why this movie was considered controversial due to the uproar the media had after Mickey and Mallory committed all the crimes. I forgot that the Indian was the only person that Mickey and Mallory felt so guilty about, until you mentioned it. I think they felt so terrible about what they did because the Indian was the only person who took them into his home and took care of them.
@S.Spear
ReplyDeleteI’m sorry that you didn’t like the film, but I think your reaction is sort of what Oliver Stone was intending. Manipulating your audience’s emotions is what a director tries to do in his/her movies because they want you to keep watching. It was very screwed up the way Rodney Dangerfield was treating Juliette Lewis, but it was also funny when one thinks about it after because he is a comedian; and this role was so different from what he usually does. Maybe watching this movie has helped you a little bit in trying to stomach other violent films.
@arocha
ReplyDeleteEven though I actually enjoyed the movie, I have to agree about what you said about the actors. I think Mickey and Mallory were fabulously casted and did an amazing job with their roles. They really portrayed the unattatched ruthlesness of cerial killers very well. It was very impressive. The warden and news caster were also very good at their roles. Everyone portrayed their character's personality very well and it was enjoyable to watch such great acting. I also agree with the statement that there was never a dull moment in the movie. It always seemed like something was happening, and if nothing was going on there was always the crazy animated stuff and flashes of random things to keep the mood flowing. It almost felt like the movie was on high speed. I did however like this movie alot, and I'm glad taht even though you didnt, you can appreciate the acting. :)
@ Ibass
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you when you say that Natural Born Killers needs to be watched more then once. There are some aspects of the movie that you miss during the first time you watch it, but you catch the second time around. like the reappearing snakes, and the yin yang symbol, which appears more than once and the number 666. The movie is also very difficult to understand if you see it just once. But i can understand that for some people, just once is enough due to the movie's content and the fact that there were alot of people that didnt like the movie. I hope that was a hundred words, :)
@kmurray
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with what you’re saying about the no gore factor to Natural Born Killers. It’s not that I particularly needed to see it, that’s just the main thing that dictates whether or not a movie is truly violent in my opinion. The movie wasn’t even that graphic when it went into detail about how the people were being murdered. It would usually cut to another scene or the camera would zoom away from the victim, and this really took away all the gore. Not a negative thing though because like I said in my original post, this movie isn’t about violence, it’s about the influence of violence.
This was one of my first extremely controversial movies and I’m happy it was Natural Born Killers. I feel that it went to extremes throughout the entire movie with every controversial topic that society has brought down to, if you had to say, taboo almost. It was an interesting film, and it was sometimes hard to follow, because I got confused throughout the movie. A lot of people would consider that as a negative, or a downside, but I found that it kept me entertained and kept my attention because I was constantly putting ideas together and figuring out symbolisms in the movie. I found it eye opening, and I liked the insight it gave on the media and how society thrives off of extremities, like the ones shown in this movie. I loved this film, because it was controversial. I thrived off the fact that people would make a big deal about this movie, or hate it because of the context, instead of actually just understanding the symbolism behind it all. I did not find it controversial on my behalf because I am not one that is offended by much, but it is a controversial film for those who do and that is what makes this film even more interesting to watch
ReplyDelete@lbass
ReplyDeleteIt was my first time watching the movie as well, so I was just as clueless as you were about what to expect from the movie. I feel the same way with the confusion because I couldn’t follow the way the movie was filmed either, but then again that is why I liked it so much. He filmed it in different ways, in my opinion, because he wanted to show that no matter how you put it out there and no matter how you film it, the same reaction is going to happen with society as long as the context is the same. I feel that Saw was a movie that was more for the thrill to keep the viewers interested, not actually meaning to be a controversial film whereas the director of Natural Born Killers, deliberately made this film in direct response to society and how they view media.