vs. 
We are on the brink of a major motion picture extravaganza.
In just a little over a week from now the final installment of the Hunger Games
franchise will be released followed shortly thereafter by the first Star Wars
film in over a decade. I’m not here to talk about any of that yet. We have a
short window of dead space between now and then where you may find yourself at
the movie theater deciding what to watch. I’m here to help you make that
decision.
Chances are you will end up seeing a spy movie. I know that
because there are only two new films at the box office worth seeing (not
counting Matt Damon in Space) and they both revolve around espionage. You’ve
probably heard that James Bond is back in his newest film ‘Spectre.’ You may
not have heard that Tom Hanks is running around lawyering the hell out of the
Soviets in the film ‘Bridge of Spies.’ Speaking as a millennial, I believe that
younger people will gravitate towards the former and not the latter. Huge
mistake! “Big deal” you might say. “Sounds relatively inconsequential” you
might say. “Still enjoyed the Bond film” you might say even after you realize YOU
BLEW IT once you finish this post. Wrong-o. Indulge me.
Generation Y people have grown up with total national
security. I would argue that September 11th even deepened our belief
that this nation will be made safer at all costs. We truly have never feared
being attacked by another global power. We can’t even comprehend what that type
of fear feels or looks like. Generation X lived during the Cold War. They
learned to fear the danger of nuclear war and tried to grasp the threat of
another global superpower, Soviet Russia, usurping the United States. Communism
was an ideology that swept over Eastern Europe and changed the entire
international climate for better and, often times, for worse. Speaking for Gen
Y, as people who weren’t alive during that time how can we possibly understand
what that was like? The answer is film! Specifically a new film titled ‘Bridge
of Spies’ starring Tom Hanks. Because this blog is titled ‘No Spoilers’ I’m not
going to dig into the plot here. I just want to appeal to the reader to
consider seeing an incredibly intriguing, slower film that is sure to broaden
your horizons as opposed to an entertaining, cookie-cutter, action film
(Spectre) that is sure to make you appreciate Daniel Craig’s fashion sense. The
story telling in ‘Bridge of Spies’ is top notch and it will not only give you some
understanding of a past generation, but it will help you empathize with the
dangerous international climate that still exists in other countries today. The
situations in Syria, Iraq, and the heightened Israel/Palestine conflict all
feel more ‘real’ after seeing this film. People abroad are still living in this
state of fear and imminent threat. We shouldn’t do our best to avoid
understanding real conflict, historical or current, because it seems like a slower
story.
Don’t get me wrong, James Bond is fun. But going to see a
film can be used as an opportunity to change the way you think about real life. Movies as a medium can be
incredibly educational and eye-opening, though we must take special care to
acknowledge inherent bias. ‘Bridge of Spies’ is an American movie opening in
America so you can expect the Soviet Russians to be demonized a bit.
Regardless, the film will have you thinking about international diplomatic
relations in a way you probably haven’t thought about before. This is in large
part a result of some truly great & honest acting from the entire cast - most notably Tom Hanks. If you find yourself at the theater I implore you to
take the opportunity to absorb a worthwhile message. But hey, James Bond is
guaranteed to blow shit up by shooting a gas tank so whatever floats your boat.
