A Few Thoughts...

Today I have a few thoughts on Iron Man 2…

I enjoyed this film for many of the same reasons I liked its prequel. It’s a fun movie. It is full of action and comedy; it’s a great choice for an early summer blockbuster. However, there was something about the film that bothered me. It was there from beginning to end, and then it left a sour taste in my mouth after I exited the theater.

A major theme in the film was centered on the physical might of the U.S. armed forces, and the promotion of the military industrial complex, which, to me, is like a plague on the U.S.A. My thoughts on the matter are as follows: why, in western society, are we still acting like war mongering is a good thing. Sure, no one wants the world to be torn apart by war. So, maybe a proactive stance on securing world peace is a good idea, but this movie acts like the only way to achieve this end is by producing the biggest guns and the strongest soldiers. I don’t think this is correct approach at all. I think world economic sustainability; the manufacturing of clean and reusable resources; and a stable human population is the way to go. I think if everyone goes around flaunting how sharp their teeth are, eventually someone is going to want to use them. Incidentally, I believe this is the true reason America went to the middle east in the first place, but that is slightly off topic.

Maybe if the US wasn’t the superpower that it is today the world would be a more chaotic place, and then again, maybe another country would be there to take its place at the top of the food chain. The whole thing frustrates me because I know the world would probably still be plagued with war if there wasn’t a major power to keep everyone in check. Yet, at the same time, I hate the fact that to ensure a general sense of world peace there has to be strong country around to act as the Earth’s bouncer. I fear the animal known as man is doomed to continue fighting each other like ants until we reach a new stage in our evolution and shed our violent ways.

Go see Iron Man 2 if you want to watch something light, simple, fun and action packed. Don’t see it if you dislike war.

Daniel Chambers