Although I agree in spirit, I would have to disagree with individual details.
I thought Iwo Jima was brilliant because it showed that soldiers’ sacrifices aren’t limited to combat. I figured that it wasn’t successful precisely because it pointed out that propaganda is part of war, and most of the media is essentially on the other side of this prpaganda war. (I’m not sure what other conclusion you could come to, really.)
I agree with “levi from queens” that Iwo Jima didn’t glorify the Japanese so much as humanized them. There was no implication that they weren’t, at the national level, absolutely demanding to be put down.
Meanwhile, it’s fashionable to diss Private Ryan but give it credit for bringing the war film into a new age. Besides, what’s wrong with a message that says: Not just Ryan, but all of us, owe it to those who have sacrificed to be worthy of those sacrifices?
Note that 300 is a comic book, and uses all the conventions thereof. The underlying moral is painted with broad strokes, naturally, but–it’s a comic book!
Which sort of brings me around to this: Arguing against contrived plot devices is like arguing against narrative in drama. If that sort of thing’s not your bag, then go to a documentary, not a fictional feature.
