The historical events of World War II and 9/11 have been subject matter of a number of acclaimed films such as Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, United 93, American Sniper, Dunkirk, Zero Dark Thirty, The Hurt Locker and among others. But these events have impacted viewers when it comes to the subtle representations of the aftermaths of these events in movies, particularly in mainstream popular films, which complements the storylines and themes of the movies.
The villainous Empire and its successor The First Order in the Star Wars series was inspired and was a representation of Nazism in the 1940s, wherein the soldiers additionally had no freedom and choice but to take part in the war. The Stormtroopers in the films are soldiers who are brainwashed as children and are drafted into the Empire.
The character of Magneto from the X-Men film series, played by Ian McKellen and Michael Fassbender and of Voldemort from the Harry Potter series, played by Ralph Fiennes also reminds one of Nazi ideologies as they propagate the ideals of one group of individuals over the rest of society – in their case, mutants and wizards, respectively, with their characters also engaging in and leading acts of terror.
Coming to the world following the September 11 attacks, filmmakers depicted a far more realistic albeit sometimes hyperbolic view of terrorism. The third acts of the films Transformers: Dark of the Moon, The Avengers and Man of Steel portray an exaggerated view of modern day terrorism, with fiery and destroyed locations conveying the message.
Along with this, viewers are also provided with portrayals of realistic urban terrorism, The Dark Knight Trilogy being the most famous example. The characters of the Joker, Bane and Khan from The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises and Star Trek Into Darkness, respectively are representations of modern day terror ideologies.
Along with subtle references to the act of terrorism, filmmakers have also focused on the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, particularly how the United States engaged in worldwide surveillance through drones to know of potential attacks and combat terrorism, with the Jason Bourne series, The Dark Knight, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and the Jack Ryan tv series being major examples.
In this way, the World War and the September 11 attacks have been major historical events that have been immortalized on screen and television and have continued to have a profound effect on audiences due to it’s deep seated themes and references.
Texts of A Pop Culture Buff 