Zorro

It seems sort of unkind to object to something as wholesome and PG-13 as the version of Zorro with Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins, and La Zeta-Jones, but I do object to it.  I saw this movie this morning for the first time and the movie is action-packed and fun and a good time and all that, but what I object to is the violence.

I hate hate hate violence that is cartoony.  Anytime people are being punched instead of shot or stabbed or anytime two guys' heads are bashed together and that is supposed to knock them out.  This feels not only fake, but really irresponsible.  For me, in addition to being totally dishonest, I feel that because we let children watch stuff like this, we teach them that violence isn't bloody.  That people don't die or bleed or anything like that.  We teach them that you can hit people and nothing happens.

Now I am opposed to violence in real life.  I think it is almost always the wrong way to solve problems... that goes for war and murder and domestic violence and anything like that (it is rare that I want to hit even people I dislike intensely.)  In movies, I don't object to violence at all.  It exists, therefore we should show it, if we want to, but by forming enormous lies about violence and its results, I think we do the public a real disservice.