Green Zone

Green Zone: Waste of talent and time.

This movie suffered from what every propaganda film suffers from: sacrificing story to tell a message. It’s what most Christian films get ripped for as well. The “story” was obviously simply to spread the news we shouldn’t be in Iraq and that there never were any Weapons of Mass Destruction. That’s about all I took from the film. And what else could I grasp? I couldn’t appreciate anything in the movie, no sweet Matt Damon fight sequences, no cool military intelligence plot twists, nothing.

The story was hobbled together for one purpose: not to tell a good story, but to give the writer a soapbox, a pulpit, to preach to the masses who will come to the theater expecting Bourne. Instead they will be given a “sermon” on why America made a mistake and how screwed up the government is.

I’m not upset at this film because of its message, I can take a different viewpoint, that’s totally fine. What I can’t handle is bad storytelling, which this epitomizes. Give me the same message, but tell a good story while you’re doing it! I don’t want to spend money and 2 hours of my life to be beat over the head with a message you could tell me in two-seconds, and make me sit through a terrible story with stereotypical characters and a totally unbelievable storyline, leaving the theater not sure what I just saw, but knowing one thing: the writer sure thinks we should be out of Iraq. But that’s not why I go to the movies! I go to hear a story!

Well, at least I had a free ticket, so I at least didn’t waste my money. But my advice: stay away. If you need Matt Damon fight sequences go watch Bourne again. If it’s just Matt Damon you want, watch Soderbergh’s The Informant. Spend the money on some popcorn or something and find something productive to do for 2 hours. You will be thankful.