Review of Okja (2017) by Josiah P — 15 Jul 2017

As the movie opened, I took in the surreal mood of the film, hoping for an enjoyable two-hour adventure, but then, at opening minute number five, the mood was instantly demolished with the utterance of the "mother-of-all-curse-words", such utterance having no place in what could have been a "full-family-viewing" event.

As anyone who consumes animal flesh must undeniably understand, the processing of live animals into edible proteins, fats and minerals is an intensely invasive process which begins with the taking of the life of an animal in order to create a food-stream to support the nutritional needs and to prolong the existence of other carnivorous and omnivorous animals.

While there are limitless alternative non-animal-based food-streams which provide identical or superior nutrition, food choices are based upon availability and individual or group preferences. The overstated theme of this film was to supposedly provide an affordable and efficient long-term supply of single-breed animal-based food products to feed the populations of starving people worldwide.

While the conflicts which ensued from kidnapping the Super-Pig were easily anticipated, the frenetic, nearly non-stop action and dialog was enjoyable, with the exception of the continuing objectionable language.

The win-lose, lose-win, win again, lose again struggles by the apparent heroine and the clumsy ALF were sufficient to comedically illustrate the extremes by which individuals and groups must drive themselves in order to quash their apparent nemesis; a good lesson to be learned by the youngsters, were it not for the cursing.

As the drama continued and the finale lingered just beyond the not-too-far-off horizon, the terminus was unsurprising, but as a "full-family-viewing" event (no bad language), it would have had far greater appeal with viewing youngsters dizzily running about the viewing room and jumping for joy, thankful that at least one such animal, out of the countless millions slaughtered and consumed, would spend an eternity in peace, friendship and life everlasting with her "foster parent".