The Doom Generation

The Doom Generation

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This is definitely one of the most misunderstood and underrated films out there. (Before I go any further, though, I would like to comment on how funny it is when people write a few hateful sentences about a movie they couldn't understand, only to give it a minor point for nudity before calling that a "critique".) Now, a DEFINITE SPOILER ALERT! I am about to explain what I got out of this EXTREMELY ARTISTIC FILM, and why. I myself have not read a lot of Nietzsche, but I am familiar with that hard-to-forget quote of his, that which is "God is dead." That may sound blatant, simple, and ridiculous, but I myself have heard different theories on what the meaning behind that quote was. Now to get utterly to the point: Jordan WHITE (as in the color of light) is basically Jesus, in a sense. Early on, a hint is given toward the eventual point when there is a shot of Jesus' face in a rear view mirror (as a decoration), with a little skeleton hanging under it. Jordan (played very well by James Duval) is an easy-going, rather pacifistic character who is very non-judgemental of others and seems to love anyone who isn't infinitely evil. He only becomes truly angry during the rape of his girlfriend by the neo-nazis. HIS GIRLFRIEND, not a guy. When he is killed, he is castrated in a Jesus-type pose, his arms held by assailants. I have known people who were into fascism, and I know from that experience that they aren't simply evil, they are evil people who truly believe that they are doing the work of God (at least, in the context shown here). These fascist types try so hard to be good people that they evolve into oppressors who are essentially evil. When the neo-nazis in this film kill the Jesus-like character, they are shown to be killing their own god when they take good intentions and pervert them until all that's left is death and sorrow. This is what I've heard Nietzsche meant by saying, "God is dead." I admit this film looks pretty simple and exploitative, but art fans are supposed to be detail-attentive, open-minded, and deep-thinking, and, unless you're all of those, this film won't do anything for you but show you a world of sex and violence. I actually believe that it's highly possible that Gregg Araki was wanting to make sure this was aimed at the right crowd by playing down the deepest and most intellectual elements of this seemingly ditzy splatter film. Maybe I'm right, maybe I'm wrong. Still, this is one of the greatest films ever, ever made, regardless of the big picture behind every nuance Araki used in creating this.

Bad acting, no plot, pointless, generic, with poor-excuses for unmotivated sex scenes. If you have nothing worth living for, or feel like throwing your life away, watch this movie. I have no idea what people see in this movie. If you have a choice on watching this movie, or a video of a root canal, choose the root canal.

This is one of the most monumentally pointless movies I've ever seen. Many have said that this is a dark look at youth, or that it is a daring indie film, and similar diagnoses. However, it's really just a movie for all the Beavis and Butthead fans out there, for whom plenty of sex and a bit of gunplay makes a film. The utter trashiness of this movie is found in the whole 666 gag. Whenever the protagonists purchase something at a store, the bill totals $6.66. That basically sums up this movie's ambition to be daring and rebellious, but exposes how pathetic these attempts are. Everyone who has branded this movie as dark and daring probably just read the tagline. Maybe that's what makes this movie so 'daring.' I suppose that, in a way, making a pathetically bad film is daring, especially when you put your name on it. Simply put, watching this movie is a painful experience. Hopefully it will claim it's rightful place on the bottom 100 before long. However, maybe that's too good for it.

source: The Doom Generation

this is one of those movies targeted towards pseudo-goth teenieboppers who think they know about film...and it gives them their own little cult flick so they can say anyone who doesn't like this movie "doesn't get it." i got it, and it sucked. the most pretentious movie ever made.

This movie rocks. I had been wanting to see it because I had heard it was good. I couldn't find the unedited version to rent, so I hadn't seen it until this year. We watched it in my Film and Video class here, and I loved it. I seemed to be the exception to the rule, however. I'd say about 97% of the class disliked to downright hated this movie. Why did I love it, and everybody else hate it? I loved it because I could see it for what it is. It was a movie made for high school kids, and it looked and felt like something a high school kid would make. It was chock full of swearing, sex, violence, and crude humor. There was no plot. But, it obviously had a budget, and became a satire of itself. In fact, it could be seen as being a movie that force feeds sex, language, and violence (all the things that high schoolers may think as cool) to kids and shows them that it is not cool. The movie was downright hilarious, and the repetitiveness got hilarious. Everything was run straight to the ground. And it was all so over the top that you couldn't believe that they actually went as far as they did. The movie, in my opinion, truly grasps the Goth mentality in all of its glory. Disaffected, removed, and yet sweet in a way, with extremes running through it all. The one thing that this movie is not is nihilistic though. Somebody referred to it as "nihilism for nihilism's sake." How is this different from the stylistic nihilism of Pulp Fiction? Not to mention, they did not fully grasp the movie. *SPOILERS SPOILERS* In this movie, they are at first shocked by the death, and show more emotion for the dead characters. "Why do you have to kill someone everytime we stop somewhere?" They feel sad about killing the dog, and give it a burial as well. The ending is also shock in that, if you even semi-cared for the characters (which should be the nature of film), you felt sad for them, and was shocked by the scariness of the violence and oppression of them. It had emotions through it about violence, making it not nihilistic. The ending could also be seen as mourning and dealing, as Amy doesn't reply to the final question. The sex issue was treated with unemotion because sex is seen as detached from love. Sex is sex. It is a pleasure. That's what its seen as in this movie. It could be heterosexual or homosexual, but it is just sex. The ending could be seen as the repression of homosexuality by the all-american norm. *END SPOILERS END SPOILERS* So, I say if you can handle ultra violence, and rampant language, and disturbingly close sex, run to the store to see this movie (if they have the unrated version). Otherwise buy the unrated version. I did. This is a great movie. Hilarious and entertaining with a message, unlike some other modern movies. 10/10

"The Doom Generation" is quite possibly the worst film ever made. I stand by this statement very strongly, for this is the third film I have watched by "director" Greg Araki - "The Living End" and "Nowhere" being the others. Araki has made an offensive, horrendously written (dialogue example: "Shut up hamburger face!"), poorly directed film in "The Doom Generation." It's one of those pictures that knows it's trying to be cool and wants the younger, angst-ridden generation it attempts to portray to buy into such low-rate shock value(Example: Each time the characters enter a convenience store, someone is killed.). Each of the three leads in the film are completely unlikable and poorly acted and they know it - note the terrible over-acting by James Duval. The word "subliminal" is something Araki needs to look up as he douses his composition with such over-the-top "symbolism" - Every time they order something at the convenience store the price comes to $6.66. Get it? Ho-hum. It's enough to make one puke. Araki has absolutely no respect or passion for his craft and even less for his audience. In a Premiere magazine interview, when asked what advice he would give to young, aspiring filmmakers he responded, "Don't do it." He acts as if to offend his audience is a chore when it is obvious that he wants so desperately to get a rise out of us with such cheap shock-value. All of this is offensive, low-rate drivel. It wants the teen generation to think that they are doomed and to immerse themselves in such fake, melo-dramatic angst. This is a film that wants to give kids an excuse to shoot their classmates. It creates problems that never existed in the first place by romanticizing the alienated attitudes of many teens. This is Araki's only mission in "The Doom Generation." It can be seen just as clear in the aforementioned "The Living End" and "Nowhere." The film is a mess from start to finish, a total hack job. Greg Araki is the an entire level below fimmakers like Ed Wood, who at least had passion for the crap he produced. Hope Araki sleeps well at night. Or let's hope he stops making films... forever.