Did you know that Jabba the Hut was guarded by Iranians?

Rating: 6/10 (2 June 2013)

What about Argo? Well, it's no denying that Argo is an enjoyable espionage movie. The pacing is tight, there is some tension and an interesting story arc. It's easy watching and certainly no waste of time. But it gets lavished with all this praise. Just take a look at some professional reviews and you see what I mean. This movie is meant to show how much Ben Afleck (let's face it: he used to be a horrible actor) has grown over the years both in terms of acting and directing. It is indeed hard to deny that his acting skills have greatly improved (his directing skills I cannot comment on). He is far more reserved, and far less cheesy: just very composed and steady. But it's also not difficult to improve on the horrible performances he used to give. Only the smallest bit of self-reflection should do it. But let me ask: is all the praise he gets for the film really justified? I don't think so. Firstly: it's just an entertaining movie, no more, no less. We've got millions of 'm. Secondly: it's hugely patriotic; think the 'subtle' inclusion of American feelings/flags etc. Thirdly, and most importantly: the angry Iranians are either being portrayed as generic Orcs in Lord of the Rings, or as the generic aliens surrounding Jabba the Hut in Star Wars. When we see them driving the car through the streets we see exactly the same angry mob we always see on the tube: a false stereotype is being reinforced here, without any subtlety whatsoever. More importantly: when one of the American guys was talking to an Iranian official he started to talk in a Jabberish Irianian accent that sounded like "Jabba di Jabba", just like 3CPO said it. I thought that was a little dumb to be honest. I thought that at the time I was watching that scene. And guess what... right before the end credits they even showed us the friggin' Star Wars action figures for crying out loud (!), and lo and behold who figured prominently... 3CPO. You're honor, I rest my case.