A reality TV series (The Contenders) randomly selects people to attempt to kill each other; only one will survive. Each series shows 5 new contenders plus the survivor from the previous series. We follow Series 7, in which the current champion is 8 months pregnant.
The conceit of the movie is that we are actually watching the series; it never steps outside itself, and by and large, this works remarkably well. It forces the viewer to observe himself and his own act of viewing; as I watched, I became caught up in the television series, and had to stop myself and say 'waitaminnit, this is a movie.' The parody of reality TV is vicious, and actually much more complicated than at first it appears. The initial reaction is that it's a one-note parody, no different from The Running Man in its dark vision of where reality TV will lead. But it is more than that, showing us how we are manipulated by the images we see, how we become desirous of seeing more, how easy it is to overcome revulsion...no, for revulsion to become part of the pleasure. In the course of it, it also shows the effects of distorting random violence into heroism while still pretending that the rest of our values about violence and justice remain untouched. None of this is heavy-handed or preachy because we are participants; we are "tv viewers" watching the series, and things are unfolding. No one is talking at the viewer, and when they are, watch out; it's part of the manipulation.
The movie didn't try to explain how such a thing became legal, how a television show got the right to randomly select any American citizen and force them to participate. This was a problematic omission, the movie bespeaks a dark future but doesn't have the wit to tell us how we got there. This could easily have been done without breaking the bounds of "it's all the show" that the movie sets for itself by having it be part of the opening credits.
The conceit of the movie is that we are actually watching the series; it never steps outside itself, and by and large, this works remarkably well. It forces the viewer to observe himself and his own act of viewing; as I watched, I became caught up in the television series, and had to stop myself and say 'waitaminnit, this is a movie.' The parody of reality TV is vicious, and actually much more complicated than at first it appears. The initial reaction is that it's a one-note parody, no different from The Running Man in its dark vision of where reality TV will lead. But it is more than that, showing us how we are manipulated by the images we see, how we become desirous of seeing more, how easy it is to overcome revulsion...no, for revulsion to become part of the pleasure. In the course of it, it also shows the effects of distorting random violence into heroism while still pretending that the rest of our values about violence and justice remain untouched. None of this is heavy-handed or preachy because we are participants; we are "tv viewers" watching the series, and things are unfolding. No one is talking at the viewer, and when they are, watch out; it's part of the manipulation.
The movie didn't try to explain how such a thing became legal, how a television show got the right to randomly select any American citizen and force them to participate. This was a problematic omission, the movie bespeaks a dark future but doesn't have the wit to tell us how we got there. This could easily have been done without breaking the bounds of "it's all the show" that the movie sets for itself by having it be part of the opening credits.