Leave it to woke MSNBC to go on the attack against a fun, patriotic movie that nearly everyone in America enjoyed. MSNBC opinion writer and editor Zeeshan Aleem did just that in a column published over the weekend in which he claimed the film sent an “insidious” and “poisonous” message to theatergoers.
“‘Top Gun’ is as insidious as it is entertaining. It does not merely revive a forgotten human-centered spectacle; it also beckons for a return to accepting the American war machine as a beacon of virtue and excitement,” Aleem wrote. “It’s a poisonous kind of nostalgia, one that smuggles love of endless war into a celebration of live action.”
Perhaps Aleem would have rathered the film been about trans women of color using their fighter jets to defeat racism and bomb those that don’t want to trans the kids.
In any case, the diatribe didn’t stop there. Instead, Aleem next suggested that the film was “literal propaganda” since the military gave filmmakers access to real aircraft and provided oversight during production.
“In exchange for access to military aircraft, the producers of the movie agreed to allow the Defense Department to include its own ‘key talking points’ in the script. Perhaps equally important, the script had to be written in a manner that flatters the military in order to secure the buy-in of the Pentagon,” he wrote.
For reference, that’s a common practice. If a film isn’t overtly hostile to the US military, filmmakers can generally work with the Pentagon to use military equipment to produce the film. The same was the case with Michael Bay’s “Transformer” series, for example. Was that “literally propaganda”?
The MSBNC editor went on to say that the film was simply a stunt to “rehab” the military’s current image and prepare it for possible hostilities against other aggressive nations.
“I don’t object to anyone’s enjoyment of the film, but I hope it tanks at the Oscars,” Aleem concluded. “It’s possible to make thrilling action without so brazenly priming the public for warfare.”
It’s hard to figure out what Aleem actually wants to say, other than the fact he hates things that depict America in a positive light and that Hollywood produced a film without obnoxious woke elements. Aleem has previously written about his support of the Biden administration’s handling of efforts overseas, so the notion that he’s reticent to get involved in foreign entanglements is just bizarre.
“Top Gun: Maverick” was up for six Oscars, including Best Picture. It was also up for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Original Song, Best Visual Effects and Best Sound. It only won for best sound, so it wasn’t completely snubbed as Aleem hoped.
Sadly, many in the elite agree with Aleem and hate patriotism, particularly in popular culture. Though Maverick received exceptionally good reviews from audiences, many critics snubbed it because it wasn’t diverse enough for their tastes or was too patriotic for their globalist views.
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