I do not consider myself a very harsh critc of movies, but Syriana has to be one of the worst movies I have seen in a long time; it is a wonder it got a fresh rating on rottentomatoes.com. I do not know who the film reviewer Nick Schager is, but he writes a good review of Syriana. I generally find movies with multiple storylines converging in the end intriguing, but Syriana overextended this plot device by offering too many characters and plots at once. No one character is on the screen long enough for you to get to know the character, care about the character, or even remember the characters name. What is even worse is that you realize in the end that most of the characters weren't even needed in the first place!
Furthermore, Syriana tries to hard to take itself seriously. I don't need a bad civics lesson on how oil rules the world and makes men corrupt. Anyone who can follow the news a little deeper than Fox News knows the world is dependent on oil and lots of corruption is happening with oil and energy companies -- Enron anyone??? The United States has a dependency on fossil fuels and Americans like to consume. It's not a good combo, and the type of people who are going to give Syriana a chance don't need a bad lecture on what's gone wrong. What we need is some answers and story about how we get beyond the slimy mess of oil. And can anyone tell me what the name Syriana has to do with anything???
Finally, as I said, what is really needed, whether in American politics, American media, World media, or Hollywood, is a real debate about how the United States can become energy independent. We need to use our ingenuity and technology to discover new energy sources, invent new fossil-fuel-independent cars, find new transportation modes, and empower a new generation of Americans who conserve. If we do not have leaders who step up to the plate on this issue we will face a major crisis. A crisis of environment and energy of catastrophic proportions. Global warming is real and fossil fuels aren't going to last forever, not to mention that depending on countries that hate the U.S. does not help our security any. I believe if we start preparing now, by uniting in the name of energy independence Americans can be a leader on these issues! Write a movie about that and I'll be the first one in line to watch!
2 comments:
This movie sounds like a total stink-bomb. Too bad - I had high hopes for George Clooney. I loved Clooney in the 1998 film "Out of Sight" and the 2002 film "Solaris". If you haven't seen those films, check them out!
I will check those out. Another good one that Clooney was in - Good Night and Good Luck - did you see that one? I thought it was very different, very classy, and a little artsy - all combining for a good story that keeps your interest and attention without blowing things up.
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