This is definitely NOT history the way that a lot of us were taught in high school. And yet, it’s glorious all the same since it’s George Washington wielding chainsaws, a person of color wielding what looks like a replica of Thor’s hammer, and historical figures running around acting like badasses. Imagine the kind of attention span kids would have had if this kind of thing was their reward back in high school? A lot of us might have been getting straight A’s in history just so we could get the chance to watch something like this. But then one can easily think that someone would have piped up and said that it was ruining history and that there was no place for such madness in our lives. See, it’s that kind of negative thinking we really don’t need. To tell the truth, America: The Motion Picture does look absolutely nuts, but it also looks and sounds as though someone finally had the right idea about revisionist history.
Just have fun with it and don’t be so insanely serious. A lot of movies get criticized when they try to make a reenactment of history since those making the movie tend to take certain liberties and don’t go by what actually happened since showcasing something else is far more interesting and keeps the attention of the audience. The downfall of this unfortunately is that a lot of the audience will be bored to death by the time the second act is just getting started. Biographical movies and moments in history are all well and good, but if anyone’s thinking that filmmakers don’t spice them up that much they’re fooling themselves since many historical movies tend to use this tactic in order to sell more tickets. This movie might just sell tickets on the ridiculous ideas it’s pushing, which would be just fine really.
This movie looks like a cross between several different cartoon ideas and even better is that it’s rated for adults, which means things are going to get even crazier than the small bit that was shown in the clip above. As far as revisionist history goes this one could be great since it’s obviously being silly on purpose and it’s meant to be enjoyed for a good time. That’s what a lot of us have been missing with some movies it feels like, the need to just sit and enjoy without having to tear it apart bit by bit looking for flaws that can be used to state that the movie is any less effective than it should be. This movie is putting its flaws front and center, almost as though it’s daring anyone to say anything. Kind of like the final rap battle in 8 Mile, it’s going to expose itself in a number of ways that will challenge anyone and everyone to say anything about it that they want to, and probably just laugh it off since it’s not meant to be a serious movie. It’s something that will have fun just being what it is, an over-the-top, wild ride that isn’t meant to be taken seriously and isn’t trying to mock history, but is taking advantage of it just enough to provide the story and appearance, kind of. Trying to argue with that is bound to be difficult for some, but one can bet that others will attempt to make themselves look intelligent by coming up with an explanation on why the movie is simply immature and for those of lesser intelligence. Just wait, that’s likely to come.
If it doesn’t though, then it might mean that people will have loosened up just enough to enjoy something that looks like it’s going to be funny and possibly something that might not be worthy of awards but will at least give a lot of people a good chuckle if not more. Taking things so seriously when it comes to movies isn’t always the best way to enjoy oneself since, in the world of fiction, enjoyment is usually best when a person can relax enough to take a joke, to let flaw in a movie go, and just take what’s there without feeling the need to ask for more. It’s interesting to think about what else we’re going to see pertaining to American history in this movie, especially since it’s geared for adults, but it’s good enough to wait and see what will happen since it might be a nice surprise that Netflix will unveil when it’s time. An animated series detailing American history is something that feels like it could go many different ways, but this particular direction is something that someone might have given a second thought about and then just said ‘ah hell with it’ before finishing it up. This should be kind of interesting.
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