Act of Valor

great movie.

nobody moved here until the screen was done and the house lights were on.

really enjoyed it.

I'm going to see it this week - but I can tell you the reason for the poor reviews is that they are reviewing it as a movie, not as what I believe it is (and why I am going to see it) - a chance to see SEALS in action, doing the things they do on the job. SEALS are not actors, and the target audience is people who want to see action, not people looking for nuance and areas of grey with complex and subtle characters, or ambiguity overall.

Most of the reviews I read describe it as being essentially a long recruitment film, similar to the propaganda films of WWII. So I am going with the expectation of seeing adrenaline pumping action, and no doubts about who the good guys are and who the bad guys are, and no morally ambiguous central characters. I'm looking for some good old-fashioned jingoistic butt-kicking, not to be challenged to think.

We got to see it at a pre-screening last week.  Our friend was a SEAL and his brother is an event producer in LA.  By strange coincidence the LA brother works with the Act of Valor production company and was in charge of the events surrounding the film. 

I'm not normally interested in war type movies, but having the connections on this one made it great.  It was cool to sort of see what our friend did in combat and it was emotional sitting next to his parents while we watched.  True, the SEAL actors weren't great actors during the non-battle type scenes, but when they were doing their SEAL stuff it was perfect.

There are some pretty graphic scenes of torture; there is a lot of shooting and killing. And it's rated R. 

I wouldn't have taken my kids at that age to an R-rated movie. OTOH, I have a friend who lets his kids play first-person shooter games that are rated M, and a fair amount of the action looks very much like that. 

So is it appropriate for your kids? I guess it depends on your parenting approach. We took a very conservative approach to media - no PG-13 before turning 13; no R before 17; no M video games; no TV-MA (e.g. South Park) before 17. It certainly simplified a lot of the parenting issues, since we did not have to battle over every movie/video game/tv show.

I think if you go to this movie understanding that it is what I call a fictional documentary, it is very enjoyable.

I saw it yesterday with a buddy who has a son who just entered the Marines.  We both had been in the military ourselves.  We left appreciating the "brothers in arms" attitude that is prevelant in the military.

It will choke you up if you are American.

As a movie, the acting wasn't great, but the men are real SEALs, not fakers.

Loved the HALO, boat, and truck scenes; they were some of the best shot action scenes I've ever seen.

I say great film. It was not a movie. I learned that the movie actually started off as a training film that morphed into what it is. Also heard that they used live ammo in the movie. Having spent 20+ years in the Army I will tell you that the brotherhood you see is real.

As for letting kids see it, I agree with the person that said it is up to each parent. I personally WANT my kids to see things like this. As a current Police Officer and having lost friends in th eline of suty, I have taken my kids to Police funerals, and let them watch other movies like Black Hawk Down. I want my kids to appreciate what others do for them. Appreciate what we have here and maybe one day, go up to a guy/gal in uniform and say Thank You.

As a former Soldier and as a current Police Officer I tell you that when a kid or adult walks up, shakes your hand, says "Thank You", and walks away it makes me feel good about where we live and in humanity overall.

Now that I am off my soap box, it was a great movie.

That makes a lot of sense. The briefing scenes and the jungle rescue/river battle made me think of the books I have read about the military. Direct, to the point, and with purpose, as well as the ability to re-analyze the situation on the ground and respond accordingly, with good communication and coordination amongst the team members.

We took the 14-year old and 11-year old, both boys, last night. The 14-year old LOVED it - his dad is a Police Officer and I work with our Incident Command Team, and he just peppered us with questions after (and during, when he could find a breath) - and I know DH really enjoyed explaining the language and procedure to him, like sharing a little part of the life.

The 11-year old? He slept thru it. No idea how, but he got a good 90-minute nap in.

ETA: I suck at grammar today.

It's an awesome movie.  I went with some of my neighbors and took my 17 year old son.  After watching it I would have certainly taken my 15 year old as well, but I wasn't sure before I saw it based on the rating.

The hot extraction into the river was one of the coolest action scenes I've ever seen.  I seriously had goose bumps and everyone in the theatre was going daaaam.  That movie made me so dam proud to be part of the Navy family.

I'm a little late to the game, but I don't get out to the movies very often.  It was my birthday so I was able to talk the wife into seeing any movie I wanted, so we went to see Act of Valor.

Couldn't agree more that its a great movie.  Much better than most military movies.  The wife even liked it, and she hates military movies. I was upset that people got up and left when the credits came on and they were listing the Navy SEALS who had died in the line of duty since 9/11.

Anyway, it was very moving.  Go see it if you haven't yet.

Sorry for the derail, but this is exactly what my ex and I did. Made it very easy to make entertainment decisions. My favorite Dad line; "I'm the P who's giving the G"