The Unreal War

Ten years ago, U.S. troops were sent into Iraq and Afghanistan to fight the terrorist group Al Qaeda. Since then Hollywood has made movies about war and soldier’s experiences in war, but are these movies showing what war really is? Do they show how soldiers are actually affected by war? No, they change what war really is and only show a soldier’s condition after war. This will make them money and make the movies more emotionally appealing to the audience.

These movies do not show what war is really like. They are set to the “after-war” condition, when the soldier has returned home and is trying to reintegrate back into their civilian life. The movies start when they are welcomed home with open arms by loved ones and seen as heroes. This is what the audience wants to see, it is what makes them leave the movie with a good feeling but also sympathy towards the soldier. According to Alyssa Rosenberg, “the movie Stop-Loss is about a soldier, who has come home from war, but his contract is reupped and he has to go back overseas. This movie takes place in the “after-war” condition of the soldier and doesn’t show footage of war events and experiences of the soldier.” This movie appealed emotionally to the audience. The audience felt sympathy for the soldier, they believed that he should not have to return and go through the horrible experiences of war again.

 Movies like The Hurt Locker and Black Hawk Down take place in the field, in the middle of battle and come the closest to showing what life is like in the field, but are these movies true? They are not entirely true, but are based off real life events. However, Hollywood still changed stories or added attractions to the movies to make them more appealing to the audience. For example, in the movie Black Hawk Down there was a scene when a group of soldiers took out a group of Somali soldiers under the cover of the night in a stealth like way, and then blew up the weapon-mounted vehicle. This appeals to the audience because it was a cool way to take the enemy out without being detected and end it with an explosion. Another example of the changes that Hollywood makes is in The Hurt Locker when William James defies protocols and orders on his bomb-defusing missions. In the military, no one is allowed to break protocols and orders no matter how high their ranking.
 

How do veterans feel about changes in war movies based off real wars or battles? Doing this angers the veterans that have experienced these battles and conditions first hand. In my interview with veteran Larry Beverly, he stated, “The movies are entertaining and may have some truth, but they do not show what really happens and do not capture the true feelings of the soldiers. They only show what they think will capture the eyes of their audience, the dangerous explosions and action packed fighting. Veterans put their lives on the line to fight for their country and war movies make it appealing and enjoyable. This is what makes me as a veteran angry about war movies.” I agree with him that war movies should exploit the truths about war, how the soldiers really feel, and show their experiences first hand.

If Hollywood is going to continue to make war movies, they need to make them true by gathering more information on what really goes on in war. Some movies do come close to portraying some truth about the war, but Hollywood leaves out a lot of essential information. War movies can be entertaining but also need to be truthful, to show what a soldier really goes through for their country, not to give a sense of false support and sympathy to our troops. Veterans may feel disrespected but that is not Hollywood’s intention. They do not mean to make veterans feel disrespected they are just doing what will make them money.