Spring Break
Stop criticizing lack of realism, watch the movie
Scott Dennis
Issue date: 4/28/09 Section: Forum
On a recent Sunday, my friends and I watched "Kill Bill Vol. 1." I'd seen it once or twice before, but it was new for them. Hot chocolate and Cheez-Its in hand, we set about watching Quentin Tarantino's award-winning revenge saga. Now, it's fairly well-known, I think, that one should allow action films a bit of leeway concerning realism and the impossibility of certain over-the-top feats.
Yet as I took in Tarantino's stylized opus, remarks and criticisms of the film's implausible actions were frequently pointed out by the first-time viewers. I was treated to such insights as "The floor should be too slick for them to fight by now," or "She couldn't have pulled that person's eye out, the connections are too strong." Really? Because I totally could not have deduced that most of what happens in this movie is at all unrealistic.
We live in the age of the Mythbusters. Time and again they've busted movie contrivances, proving to filmgoers that Chief Brody couldn't really have blown up that shark or that The Bride couldn't really have cut that guy's Samurai sword in half. The illusions have been challenged and now we all know that it's just a man behind a curtain.
But where does that leave us? Cynical and looking for any reason break down a film's stylized world?
This is no way to watch movies. It's all well and good if you note that something on screen is impractical and silly, but in the case of films like "Kill Bill" and "Die Hard" or animation like "Tarzan," you'd better learn to file those observances away for later because it destroys the experience of watching these stylized movies.
You've got to remember that making a big move like those mentioned is not a cheap endeavor, and if it happens onscreen, you'd better believe it was the filmmaker's intention that it happen that way. Tarantino didn't have people performing ridiculously unrealistic swordplay simply because he didn't know any better. It was intentional.
We tend to expect a lot of realism from our entertainment nowadays, especially as we grow up. This could explain the distaste a lot of older teenagers have for movies with improbable acts, such as Disney movies. Maybe it's the "true love" thing that annoys them, or maybe the sincerity of heroes and heroines who don't seem focused on making as many pop culture jokes as possible - excepting the Genie in "Aladdin," of course, and he only gets away with it because he's awesome.
Yet as I took in Tarantino's stylized opus, remarks and criticisms of the film's implausible actions were frequently pointed out by the first-time viewers. I was treated to such insights as "The floor should be too slick for them to fight by now," or "She couldn't have pulled that person's eye out, the connections are too strong." Really? Because I totally could not have deduced that most of what happens in this movie is at all unrealistic.
We live in the age of the Mythbusters. Time and again they've busted movie contrivances, proving to filmgoers that Chief Brody couldn't really have blown up that shark or that The Bride couldn't really have cut that guy's Samurai sword in half. The illusions have been challenged and now we all know that it's just a man behind a curtain.
But where does that leave us? Cynical and looking for any reason break down a film's stylized world?
This is no way to watch movies. It's all well and good if you note that something on screen is impractical and silly, but in the case of films like "Kill Bill" and "Die Hard" or animation like "Tarzan," you'd better learn to file those observances away for later because it destroys the experience of watching these stylized movies.
You've got to remember that making a big move like those mentioned is not a cheap endeavor, and if it happens onscreen, you'd better believe it was the filmmaker's intention that it happen that way. Tarantino didn't have people performing ridiculously unrealistic swordplay simply because he didn't know any better. It was intentional.
We tend to expect a lot of realism from our entertainment nowadays, especially as we grow up. This could explain the distaste a lot of older teenagers have for movies with improbable acts, such as Disney movies. Maybe it's the "true love" thing that annoys them, or maybe the sincerity of heroes and heroines who don't seem focused on making as many pop culture jokes as possible - excepting the Genie in "Aladdin," of course, and he only gets away with it because he's awesome.
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