Review of Act of Valor (2012) by Michael K — 24 Sep 2012

I am struck by the consistently negative reviews by critics and consistently positive reviews by normal people who watched the movie. This tells me two things: 1) critics are out of touch and impose their bias on their reviews; and 2) people who watch this movie are at least somewhat self selected - namely those who honor Navy SEALs and those like them fighting for freedom.

I thought the movie was good. The acting was nowhere near as bad as many critics say. Characters being "underdeveloped" is really in the eye of the beholder. The point is to highlight their selflessness, not explain their childhoods. I wonder how often someone who would say it's like a recruiting poster for the SEALs said the same thing about morality messages in Brokeback Mountain or even Lorax for that matter.

I would say that it is an extremely violent movie. My 9-year old son wanted to watch it with me and I didn't let him, which was the right decision. Had he been 12 or 13 I probably would have let him.