THE APOCALYPSE ACCORDING TO DILBERT

Rating: Null/10 (28 July 1999)

When I saw DR. STRANGELOVE as a high school student, I thought it was silly, childish, and unbelievable. Now, after 30 plus years of working in the military-industrial complex, I think it's a documentary (or, at least, a docu-drama).
Though I believe Kubrick is generally overrated, he was in top form with this movie. By telling a serious story, but populating it with childish elements (gibberish names, bad puns, a Bob Newhart-like "red phone" call to the Soviet Premier), Kubrick assembled a film which delivers a far greater message than the sum of its parts. Certainly, the cinematography and editing (particularly on board the B-52) is par excellance, right up there with CITIZEN KANE (or any Sergio Leone movie, for that matter). In the B-52 scenes, Kubrick even had the camera set to realistically shake, simulating aircraft movement. (By the way, did anyone else spot James Earl Jones as one of the crewmembers?)
The White House's refusal to accept a collect phone call from a SAC base under siege, the former NAZI national security (and science advisor), the Air Force General whom views the start of World War III as a blaze of "glory" all are well grounded in similar, if not actual, events. One of of former NASA Apollo program scientists was deported for being a former NAZI (after he was no longer useful, I presume). During Granada, a Marine had to use his own telephone credit card and a pay phone to call in an air strike, because the different services were using different radio frequencies! The first Commander of SAC, as a Vice Presidential Candidate suggested we bomb North Vietnam "into the Stone Age." Finally, can't anyone imagine a President Steve Forbes using almost the same words and manners if HE had to call the Kremlin in a similar situation? Remember George Bush and "Deep doo-doo?
What is true about DILBERT is equally true about DR. STRANGELOVE: the truly scary part is that every joke, no matter how absurd, seems plausible.