An all-time classic.

Rating: 10/10 (14 July 2011)

I first viewed Fight Club when I was a young teenager and loved it not only for its quotable aphorisms and graphic violence, but for its raw emotional angst. I never grappled with its philosophical underpinnings or its moral instructions.
I hadn't seen it for years until my (rather brilliant) cultural history professor mentioned it during a lecture. After re-watching it, I see it for what it is: a commentary on the frivolous nature of the consumer- capitalist culture of the 90s. It infers that nihilism is the only rational way to cope with a society characterized by excessive materialism and controlled by a small coterie looking to exploit the average man's insecurities and impulses. Such is a fascinating way to consider what we have arrived at in terms of our values. And considering the cult following this movie has garnered, this idea has clearly resonated with people.
Movies that are able to define something as complex as an entire culture are infrequent, extraordinary works of art that must be appreciated for what they are. I'm glad Fight Club has become so highly regarded and is widely seen for what it is, not just what it appears to be.