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While it doesn’t surprise me that Jodie Foster’s new thriller, The Brave One, did exceptionally well at the box office this past weekend, what does surprise me is the popularity of this genre.  The popularity of "revenge" movies seems to contradict the very ideals of the liberal/democratic side.  Why is it that these movies that seem to go against the very tenants of the "liberal faith" are popular?  Why aren’t there more protests against these types of movies?

Personally, I think deep down, we really want to be these heroes.  I think author John Eldredge said it best: "The movies a man loves reveal what his heart longs for, what is set inside him from the day of his birth."

Let’s take a look at some of the most popular movies in the last year.

Spider-Man

Starring the hunky Toby Maguire as the main hero and protagonist, he becomes a vigilante fighting crime.  Most of the liberals will forget the fact that he uses weapons and violence to catch these enemies.

Had this been a true democratic movie, Spider Man should not have attacked these villains.  Instead, he should have called the police and had them deal with the evil-doers.  Oh, wait.  We should say alleged evil doers.  Because remember, we have to remember the Goblin’s civil rights.  He should be considered innocent until proven guilty.  Spider-man should not be tripping thieves or taunting them, because it makes them feel bad.  Instead, he should be politically correct and try to rehabilitate them back into productive members of society.

Harry Potter series

Ah, the classic battle of good verses evil.  Every year, Harry Potter seems to have a knack of getting himself almost killed, along with anyone else.  He uses magic to defeat the minions of Lord Voldermont.

Had this been a true democratic movie, Harry Potter should have taken all the money that his parents left him and created a scholarship for disadvantaged students.  He still would have played Quidditch, but with an average broomstick, instead of his flashy one.  Furthermore, anytime he was hassled by He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, he should have reported him to the Ministry of Magic.  And instead of fighting him with magic, he should have written him a strongly worded letter encouraging him to seek diplomatic channels to air his grievances.  If that didn’t work, a second strongly worded letter should be sent.  This would continue until all the paper in the world was used up…and only then would should Potter take up his wand.  And because all people are inherently good and there are no truly evil people, this "war" against dark magic is pointless.  The Ministry of Magic should pull their troops out of the magic world and put them to better use: providing universal health care for those that can’t afford it.

 Live Free or Die Hard

YES!  Another Bruce Willis flick, back as bad dude John McClain.  He’s the kind of guy that shoots first and asks questions later.  No one can deny that he gets the job done!

But, had this been a true democratic movie, John McClain would have been arrested for destroying public property.  Instead of trying to fight an under-appreciated government contractor, he should be performing community service at the local soup kitchen.  And let’s not forget his gun!  He’s in the middle of DC!  Guns are killing people.  So instead, anti-war leaflets are his side-arm.  While doing his community service, he finds out that most of the homeless in DC are poor because of the war in Iraq, which leads McClain on a thrilling adventure to nag President Bush to bringing the troops home.  Ignoring the fact that there is a "fire sale", he pleads with congress to create a constitutional amendment to limit the president’s ability to have an army and bring treason charges against him for not preventing the financial collapse taking place.

But see, if a movie like any of these were released, by guess is that they would do poorly.  To my knowledge no movie that has been politically accurate has been as popular as any of these movies.

Does anyone else see the same trend?