Why is it that 'Taps' seems such a weak film?
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ArizonaKnightWolf — 19 years ago(August 21, 2006 07:56 PM)
Aren't all movies unrealistic? Man, if stuff that happened in the movies happened in everyday life, no one would go to the movies! I recently re-watched it for the first time in a long time, and I really enjoyed it. Given the circumstances set up in the film, it is quite possible. Remember the kids who shot up Columbine weren't that much older than the youngest guys in the film. Hitler was training young kids as soldiers as well. And there were a couple of 12 year old warlords in Africa a few years back. Age is no deterent to violence these days.
It's a tough universeIf you're going to survive, you've really got to know where your towel is.
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burt_hamil — 19 years ago(September 13, 2006 03:48 PM)
Good post and thought. Just let me add to my original post that you are absolutely correct that "Taps" is a story that is much more feasible in today's world. Actually I thought the story was great, but the filmakers just could not pull it off at the time. Perhaps now the way things are , a remake would definately be in order. Whoever does, a brave remake would have to be done that would brutally bring home this story up front.
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hnt_dnl — 15 years ago(April 24, 2010 04:11 PM)
I think at the time the premise seemed ludicrous. It still in general probably is that the ENTIRE academy would go along with it, but it's not so ridiculous anymore that something on a smaller scale could happen (maybe a few rebellious cadets). The acting is actually pretty good given the convoluted nature of the film itself and the ending is very powerful. I actually think the film speaks a lot about military life and the fine line between patriotism and lunacy. If you accept the premise, it's a darn good movie!
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Kurt-150 — 15 years ago(May 28, 2010 02:36 AM)
Does anyone here belong to the Armed Forces? I think it's implausible that the public wouldn't side with the kids and put OVERWHELMING pressure on the authorities to back off and let them keep the school. The government would have to really make up some tall tales and convince everyone that the kids were not only completely insane, but dangerous to civilians. Certainly not above our government, but in this era of the internet and 24/7 reporting, could they really pull it off and not get the President impeached? I would love to hear some feedback from anyone with knowledge of SOP in these situations and knowledge of the military's attitude toward patriotic mutiny. My girl is a Marine and agrees with me, but she might just be playing sympathetic so as to be supportive of my screwy ideas at 4 am. Post!
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bingoboss — 15 years ago(May 31, 2010 09:12 AM)
Yes the premise was implausible. I remember watching this in the theater when I was a kid - I always saw the film as a cautionary tale aimed at young men. It was extremely upsetting to watch, and I saw it several times because I thought it was the best movie I'd ever seen. It takes an idea - violence only leads to more violence - and plays it out to the logical conclusion. (I've re-watched it as an adult and only saw the film's shortcomings that have been pointed out elsewhere - for that reason I probably won't watch it again.) I'm not saying this is an after-school special or anything, but I think it was an effective film for its time. The actors are all excellent.
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gabby_bm — 15 years ago(June 20, 2010 12:12 AM)
I think the weakness comes from the lack of examination of the characters. We're allowed into Hutton's Morlan, but that's it. Everyone else is just a pawn to be moved throughout the movie.
But most importantly is the message of idol worship and how easily children can be led (misled) by an ideology- especially when combined with peer pressure. The younger kids will die trying to emulate the older kids despite their fear. The older kids will indulge themselves with a casual disregard of morality in favor of some new ideology that fosters acceptance and a sense of being special in an otherwise un-special existence.
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Desertman84 — 14 years ago(October 10, 2011 09:33 PM)
Well,we have to consider that Taps was done 30 years ago.Normally,a film done 30 years earlier will have a lesser impact and would normally be less appreciated at present UNLESS it was a classic or legendary film.
Besidse,Taps did not fall into that category.But to fair,I think that it was still a good film the year it was released.
With regards to the theme,I presented it well with regards to how cadets can fall into the so-called military ideologies and false sense of idealism especially when they have yet to realize what the real world is all about. -
ralfy — 14 years ago(November 21, 2011 08:41 AM)
It's not so much the actors or even the probability of such an event, but that there wasn't much from media, reactions from townies, visits from politicians, the willingness by the board members to just talk with the cadets, etc.
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cmeyer38 — 14 years ago(December 15, 2011 05:37 PM)
I think the film is weak because the whole premise seems to imply that the General was the only adult to oversee the situation. Even if the other teachers and officers had left, by golly they WOULD HAVE COME BACK!! So the general's influence would not have been the only adult influence over the boys. So all of this action never should have happened.
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kaskait — 11 years ago(July 26, 2014 10:13 PM)
When I first saw this filmyears and years agoI did nothing but laugh through it. And I was the target audiencepre-teen/teen. It was so over the top and the performances so corny, I just laughed. To the annoyance of my friends who were crushing big time on Hutton.
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jgroub — 10 years ago(July 30, 2015 07:18 PM)
I know I'm 9 years late to this post, but yeah, I have to agree. I was the age of these kids when I saw it 30-odd years ago, and I liked it for that reason. I think I also saw it after Tom Cruise had exploded, in Risky Business and All the Right Moves and such, and he actually does a helluva job here.
But revisiting it 30 years later, you're right, there's not a lot going on here. Sean Penn is wasted. I didn't care too much about the school or the characters. The filming did seem off. I also don't think it would have been handled in real life the way it was in the movie.
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