Every so often, a movie comes along that does so much more than entertain an audience”” it is a movie that ignites passion, nostalgia, revolution! It takes its viewers on an adventure through the art of visual imagery. It entice and calls to action, defining a generation of youths that have been searching so long for one unifying factor, so they can feel a sense of completeness in this increasingly fragmented world. Films that come to mind include “The Godfather,” “Casablanca,” “2001: A Space Odyssey,” and, now “One Direction: This Is Us.” I have recently viewed – no- experienced this cinematic masterpiece and I’d like to share the details of my time with the public so that they, too, may wander in on one of the greatest things the universe has to offer.
Because I wanted a completely Because I wanted a completely ever seen. objective opinion of the movie, I went to the theater by myself. Also, for some reason, when I asked my “peers” to join me, they declined the invitation. It’s like they don’t love One Direction or something. It’s like they haven’t watched every single Video Diary since their X-Factor days., It’s like they don’t have the title of every single song tattooed across their chest. It’s like they don’t know they’re beautiful. I wasn’t alone in the theater”” there were dozens of tweens gasping and squealing next to their apathetic guardians. Normally, this might have been a little weird, but, at that moment, I felt as though age was nothing but a number. The hormonal teenyboppers and I were one.
Suddenly, the lights dimmed and onscreen were the stars of every piece of fanfiction I have ever written: Liam, Harry, Niall, Zayn and Louis. Their teeth were the color of actual white, their skin was the color of a Wheat Thin and their hair swayed in not one, but many, directions. It was like I had died and gone to boy band heaven.
I recognized Morgan Spurlock, the director of many critically- acclaimed documentaries like “Super Size Me” and “Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?” Usually his work deals with current social issues and attempts to educate the viewers on how they can eliminate inequality on a local scale. I’m happy that he threw that whole concept out the window to make This Is Us because this film had no room for “social commentary”.
inequality on a local scale. I’m happy that he threw that whole concept out the window to make This Is Us because this film had no room for “social commentary”.
To sum up the film, the boys are just like us. They eat like us, they dress like us, they probably even sing just like us. They were just five beautiful, naive boys who happened to stumble upon glory. They demonstrate their total normalness through acts like having people bring them cheap food, calling their mums (their word, not mine) and making rehearsed jokes. It was absolutely delightful. The best part was that it was all composed by (guess who) them. So, even though some of the more speculative audiences may have not been won over by the overall cuteness factor, they’ll find beauty in some of the greatest music ever sung. I wish I could provide more of a summary, but the plotline wasn’t exactly “conventional” in the sense that it didn’t exist. It was mainly a series of ten-second- long clips all strung together in a random order, all containing one member from 1D.
When the movie was over, I realized that I had learned one of the greatest lessons I could be taught: you don’t have to be talented if you’re beautiful. These boys couldn’t care less about actual music, but they’re cute so, if that’s good enough for humanity, it’s good enough for me..
