Post date: Aug 29, 2011 6:51:11 PM
(★★★ out of ★★★★★)
Full Metal Jacket is quite the trip. I’m assuming that many of you have either (a) already seen the movie or (b) actively avoided it, but for the sake of consistency, here is the gist of the plot... some Marine recruits go to boot camp and then eventually get shipped off to Vietnam. While I personally enjoyed the movie, it’s definitely not a film I could universally recommend. If ruthless insults (and I’m talking psychologically traumatizing levels of abuse here) or war violence makes you uncomfortable, then there is really nothing for you to see here. However, if you can appreciate a good war flick and/or you are intrigued by depictions of the descent into insanity (à la Jack in The Shining), then you will probably really like this movie. Personally, I’m pretty indifferent towards war films (it’s not a reason for me NOT to see a movie, but it’s also definitely not a reason FOR me to see a movie), but I do tend to enjoy movies that examine psychological pain and its effect on individuals. I think my personal tastes are reflected in my general impression of the film... I really enjoyed the first (more psychological) half, but the second half, while keeping me immersed and entertained, was not something I found particularly amazing. Despite my relatively underwhelming opinion of the film, I still think it might be worth watching for many, if only to appreciate Kubrick's directing chops. As I was watching Full Metal Jacket, two qualities in particular about the movie stood out for me: (1) its "timelessness" and (2) its "immersiveness"[1]. In this case, I'm not using "timelessness" in the cliché “this movie will stand the test of time” sense, but rather, I mean to say that I could not tell you, just by viewing the movie, when it was released. I'm not sure how Kubrick was able to give his films such a "timeless" quality so consistently, but I believe it was at least part of the reason why he was able to craft such an immersive experience for movie viewers. That being said, while I have personally enjoyed all of the Kubrick films I have seen[2], the only one I loved was Dr. Strangelove[3]. However, despite only being particularly fond of one out of his many films, I am still always completely immersed while watching any of his other movies, a quality, I think, that is worth praising.
[1] These qualities have been discussed and raved about by professional movie critics for quite a while now, this is just my personal reflection on discovering those qualities.
[2] Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, the first and last half hour to hour of 2001: A Space Odyssey[3], A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, and, now, Full Metal Jacket.
[3] I know, I know... I have to watch the whole thing (2001: A Space Odyssey).