Posts by nimblemarlin6

Elizabeth Ruiz65 said:It would be redundant if this were something like Indiana Jones, or some other pure
adventure flick that relies solely on a great story divorced from
everyday reality. But since the film also aims to be deeply
politically charged and connected to raising awareness about
real-world issues happening in places like Sierra Leone & Liberia,
those last 10 minutes are actually vital to fulfilling that purpose.
Fiction ends with a sunset, while reality operates on
entirely different channels. One has to realize that even if the characters are fictional, the film
is aiming for reality, providing entertainment while simultaneously offering
clear indications that the movie needs to be understood on a broader, more serious
level—one that goes beyond just satisfying the viewer's simple
sensory experience.

I don't see it that way—here's why... Everything we learn in the epilogue is basically just fluff: how exactly the journalist managed to get her story, all in redundant detail. (Like photographing that banker who comes off as such a pivotal figure...) We just get a play-by-play of exactly how the Black man reunited with his family... It's superfluous. To me, that 10-minute epilogue doesn't actually serve a purpose—because everything that happens after the main plot has already been established during the film itself.
We know the reporter got that little black notebook, so we know she'll land her story. We already learned who was responsible for the conflicts and how things stand.
We also know the man's family is safe and he's wealthy now, so it's a given that everyone gets a happy ending...
Then there's that extra scene at the end with the conference regarding Sierra Leone, which, if you ask me, feels almost racist. You get this impression that the climax of the movie isn't the action, but rather the Black hero appearing "civilized"—wearing a tie, standing before a group of white officials in London.
The whole film is politically loaded regardless. For anyone who didn't catch that from the plot, they even throw text on the screen at the end displaying actual facts about Sierra Leone...
So, that's why I think those last 10 minutes could have been cut—it wouldn't have hurt the movie at all; if anything, it might have actually made it stronger.

That’s a fantastic movie—a genuine, old-school adventure flick. If this had come out back in the 50s, people would be treating it like a total masterpiece on par with something like The Treasure of the Sierra Madre...
Leonardo DiCaprio is just brilliant. Honestly, I’m calling it now: he’s going to churn out a ton of great films throughout his career and just keep getting better and more iconic. The female lead is great, too—as are the Black actor, Djimon Hounsou, and Imhotep (was it General Koetscsze or something? Regardless...). I really dig the actress; she isn't some typical Hollywood bombshell. It was also refreshing that they didn't lean into all that cheesy flirting, even though it's pretty obvious everyone got absolutely wrecked. The fight scenes are incredibly intense and feel so real.

One gripe, though—those last 10 minutes are totally unnecessary. The movie should have ended right when the plane flies off into the sunset with the Black man and his son, but hey, whatever.

velvetmarlin24 said:I couldn't find an existing thread for this, so I figured I'd just start one.

I was wondering if being an attractive person—regardless of gender—actually makes things easier when it comes to landing a job or hitting your big life goals.

The answer is a resounding YES. Life is just fundamentally smoother when you're good-looking. And honestly? Height plays a massive role in success too. For people who fit those specific physical molds, hitting their targets is almost effortless. They glide through life with such ease that they don't even realize how much of a head start they have—mostly because they never really had to rely on anything else, like brains, to get by. It’s just the way the world works...