I attended the first Flora’s Film Friday programming, and although I had heard about it before and certainly about the first rule, Friday was actually my first time seeing the film Fight Club.  I had assumed that the film would be about a secret fight club (which, in a sense, I suppose it was).  However, I was surprised by the other aspects of the film: how the group went from being an underground fight club to a cult-like, almost military structured terror/chaos organization, the social commentary on things like masculinity, etc.

I thoroughly enjoyed the film, and from the flashing images of Tyler in the beginning (which I initially was unsure whether they were actually there or if I was just seeing things) to the twist at the end, Fight Club was definitely more than what the name implies.  But what stuck with me the most was not necessarily the frequent and visceral portrayals of violence and terrorism (elements from which I was not personally put off by, but I certainly understand why it might for others).  Rather, the realization that the film is perhaps just as relevant (maybe even more so) as when it was released.

Dr. Hill gave a small introduction and spoke briefly at the end of the film regarding his own analysis of the film, from the scenes themselves to themes to the social implications that arose when it first came out, as well as how the film might be applied to the world 18 years later.  For one, we watched Fight Club in a post-9/11 world, and thus the imagery of buildings falling due to an act of terror certainly carries more weight and perspective than perhaps it did in 1999.  One could draw connections between people of the contemporary world and the anti-corporate and anti-capitalist members of Project Mayhem.  I believe that Fight Club is one of those films that you could watch and every time notice something new or something that makes you consider something in a way you may not have thought of previously.

Back in high school, we would make the (obvious and although actually relevant) connections to our lessons on power projection and US Naval aircraft capabilities to justify to the substitute teacher why we should watch Top Gun during Naval Science class.  And while the relevance of Fight Club to our world today may speak to things that a (honestly) unnecessary beach volleyball scene would not, I would highly recommend watching Fight Club, and looking at it as more than a violent movie.  Just don’t talk about it.