THE movie of the new generation

Rating: Null/10 (25 May 2001)

When I first saw a preview for Fight Club, I thought, "Hmm, another testosterone-filled, gratuitously violent movie. Next." I had no desire to see it whatsoever. One of my friends begged me to see it. I was VERY skeptical, but I watched it just so she would shut up about it. To my extreme surprise, I was drawn in within the first minute and had my jaw hanging up to the very end.
Now, even my friend who recommended it to me wishes I would shut up about this movie. I have to admit - I'm obsessed. This movie is one of the greatest films about current society (right next to Traffic). Fight Club is not about testosterone. It isn't even really about the fighting. It's about dissatisfaction with modern society. It's about what happens when people become too technologically dependent. It's about an anger that most Generation-Xers feel and never had a name for.
Many people think this movie is insulting to intelligent people. As one of the top ten from my graduating class, I strongly disagree. One of my fellow honors graduates is equally obsessed with this movie and actually had done some of things that are in the movie before the movie ever came out. I understood all of the characters in this movie because they are people that I see every day.
Others find the movie overly violent, saying it inspires children to be violent towards others. I've had personal experience from up to ten years ago (3rd or 4th grade for me) to show me that violence at school is nothing new; it just has everyone's attention now. That aside, the violence toward other humans portrayed in Fight Club shows how desensitized our generation is to violence. Some people rationalize the violence as a desire for attention. I really think it is. As the narrator (Edward Norton) says, "Would you rather be God's worst enemy or nothing?....At least this way he'll know our name."
Just like the teens in Traffic, this current generation is intelligent but bored. There is no war or economic crisis. There is nothing to rebel against. So they rebel against the norm and eventually are left fighting their own selves.
Why do I love this movie? Because it's blatantly honest and real. It answers no questions; it only states the problems. Fight Club, whether you accept it or not, is the perfect demonstration of what Generation-X is all about. Shocking? It should be. Disturbing? Absolutely. Fight Club should be a big wake-up call to everyone. The comfy "normal" people should be alarmed; the 'Tyler Durdens' should be thrilled to see others feel the same way; and everyone should be wanting to do something about this lifestyle. This film is important to society. Ignore all of the bashing about this movie and WATCH FIGHT CLUB.