Review of The Wraith (1986) by Nate A — 01 Jul 2009

Really scraping bottom of the barrel with this one, 'The Wraith' reeks of 80s putrescence, which despite the insistence of hipsters, is one of the worst decades in human history. It's depressing to revisit the era where capitalism had its renaissance under Thatcher/Reagan, as well as the end of the Left as a vital force in Anglo-American politics and the almost complete eradication of the 70s except the afterlife of disco and cultural kitsch.

Not too much to say about the film. The dialogue and story are very weak, the sf premise paper-thin (typically exploiting the genre), and yet again good clean-cut teens, ie. Charlie Sheen and Sherilyn Fenn, are confronted by predatory ones, who must be shown the error of their ways for daring to defy American values. The lame slices of teen everyday life are punctuated by the dark other, road racers/pirates, and the usual teen love triangle. As a symbol, the road and car are highly charged with consumerist values, and what pollutes this utopian space are nihilistic youth with their dangerous counter-cultural values and sleek cars. Instead of an interrogation as to why American life is punctuated by anomie and violence, what is presented instead is the conservative critique of culture. This is an evident 'strategy of containment' which disingenuously misses the point; instead of looking at the cause of violence one attacks the cultural symptoms - an ideological concealment to dissuade investigation into the forces shaping society as a whole.

This film, in a rather straightforward sense, is training for everyday life under capitalism. (1) Narrativise your existence with 80s electro-pop and Ozzy Osbourne when you're driving at 200 mph down the highway. (2) Buy your flashy, overpriced American cars, don't steal them. (3) Saying to girls that you love them is the best way to score, so long as it leads to another proud American family unit and the girl in question is Sherilyn Fenn. (4) Annihilate the wicked, who are presented in as black and white a fashion as possible. (5) Winners go home...

This classical move from conflict to reconciliation in narrative terms has become thoroughly co-opted as advertising to a young target market, ripe for the graphic utopia that is Sherilyn Fenn + a Dodge Turbo Interceptor...

Congratulations, Wraith, you have proved the justice of our late capitalist culture.