Both films are very similar in genre; what makes them different is how they handle the issue of death and violence.
The two movie trailers for “Black Hawk Down” and “Shoot ‘Em Up”, both have similar qualities as movies but are portrayed in two very different circumstances. Both of the trailers have extensive scenes of guns and violence but each trailer handles it differently. In “Black Hawk Down” the mood set by the background music is somber and ominous; contrasted by “Shoot ‘Em Up” where the music is more upbeat. At one point the music in “Shoot ‘Em Up” is actually very similar to the James Bond theme song, which is a franchise known for its exciting action sequences. In making this connection, the viewer feels that the trailer will be similar to the James Bond films in the past; thus the violence will mostly be mindless and without reason. In contrast to this, “Black Hawk Down” uses the sober music to illustrate the point that each death is a tragedy and no life should be wasted.
In “Shoot ‘Em Up”, killing is put in a positive light, with many scenes of fancy firing techniques and elaborate ways that the characters kill each other. For instance, at the end of the trailer, the ‘good guy’ kills a ‘bad guy’ by shooting the end of a file cabinet and the force of the bullet causes the cabinet to shoot out and smash the man’s face. Now that’s an elaborate way to kill someone. “Black Hawk Down” is toned down significantly, with all the fancy techniques stripped away. The soldiers are fighting for their very lives and are ducking and hiding behind anything they can find. In this trailer, no one is doing flips over a mailroom and shooting people while jumping down stairs.
Bothe of the trailers use the pathos appeal to audiences but in two very different ways. Pathos is used in “Shoot ‘Em Up” by appealing to the audiences’ sense of excitement over guns and the thrill that comes with shooting a gun. The fast paced nature of the trailer also helps build this excitement. If the trailer had been the speed of “Black Hawk Down”, then the same emotion would not have been accomplished. Even though pathos was used in “Shoot ‘Em Up” by the excitement and speed of the trailer, pathos was also achieved in “Black Hawk Down” by the slower, somber pace of the trailer and the choice of music for the trailer.
You made a very valid point talking about the pace of both the films trailers. Having seen both of these movies I can say that both trailers did a good job of letting the audience sample the mood of the film. Black Hawk Down has a more serious tone strictly because it is based on real events that took place in Somalia, while the title alone Shoot’em Up lets viewers know they are about to watch a pretty corny all action flick. Good job and great point.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your analysis of the way that death is dealt with in the two movies, and I also liked how you pointed out the differences in the type of action. When I watched the "Shoot 'Em Up" trailer, I did not realize that the theme of the trailer sounded like the James Bond theme, but now that I listen to it, it does. The comment that "No one is doing flips over a mailroom and shooting people" is very accurate for "Black Hawk Down." Since the is based on real events, people feel the need to see reality in the movie, and I think that this post sums up that feeling in the viewers.
ReplyDeleteRussell, I also compared Black Hawk Down with Shoot Em’ Up. I feel that you had many strong points about the movie’s attitude towards death and violence. I like how you conveyed the point about how Shoot Em’ Up’s action violence was exaggerated when you stated how it shows the many “elaborate ways that the characters kill each other”. This sharply contrasts with the realism of Black Hawk Down with “all the fancy techniques stripped away”. You also had a great point about the Spy themed music. I also examined the pathos in both the movies and Shoot Em’ Up definitely aims at targeting an excitement seeking crowd.
ReplyDeleteI like how you made the point about how similar they are in content but very different in the purpose. Shoot 'em Up is clearly an entertaining violent film. The shooting and killing in this movie is very entertaining. This is not the case in Black Hawk Down. The shooting and killing in this movie provokes emotions not present while watching Shoot 'Em Up.
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