Fight Club
Fight Club has always been a pretty polarizing movie to people and I have finally watched the movie on DVD where I think the low resolution really helps. There are many different ways to interpret the movie. Some people see it as a way of life while others think it shows toxic masculinity. Now I'll be honest. I had an interpretation heading in this movie. But I think watching it really enforced this interpretation. Overall I really enjoyed watching it. It's really funny at times and it goes by pretty quickly aside some moments. Highly recommend it.
My summary so obvious Spoiler warning:
Fight Club is about an unnamed man who doesn't really "live". Sure he has a nice job and is able to sustain himself fairly easily, But he is a shell. His only goal is to get through the day. Because of his incredibly soulless life, He subconciously creates an alternate persona known as Tyler Durden. And for a while, This alternate person works out a lot for him and eventually, He starts a place where men can be free from their soulless lives known as "Fight Club" Which is where the name of the movie comes from. The protagonist is unaware that Tyler Durden is him but he is now a lot more "fulfilled" as a result. That is, Until he leans too closely into his Tyler Durden persona and his "Fight Club" evolves into a group known as "Project Mayhem" A terrorist group which plans to do a complete reset on society. And the men that were originally trying to escape their soulless lives are now soulless again, But just now under the "Project Mayhem" banner. When he finally realizes his wrongdoings near the climax, He tries to reverse it but his Tyler Durden persona refuses to go away. In the end, The protagonist is finally able to get rid of the Tyler Durden persona and is finally at peace with himself.
I think that is a pretty good summary for the story. But I want to get in probably the most important aspect of the movie. Tyler Durden. Tyler is a badass who rejects the norm. He is the inner desires of the protagonist as well as most of the men that he encounters in the movie though the director makes it clear that Tyler is not an inspiration. But I do understand his appeal to men.
First off, Tyler is cool. He is insanely attractive and hypermasculine. He dresses however he wants to and acts however he wants to. But he also acknowledges the suffering that men (at least for the protagonist) are going through. Tyler is the voice of the voiceless. The opium of the masses. And in a way, Tyler is indeed right about what men are going through.
The problem? Tyler has the wrong solution. While he is completely right about the problem that the protagonist and other men are going through, He thinks that causing chaos and mayhem is how it's going to be solved. Which not only is a really bad idea, He ends up creating the very thing he sought to destroy. Soulless lives. The men now only live for Tyler.
I think the best way to think of Tyler Durden is to think of redpillers like Andrew Tate. Redpillers are not exactly wrong about the problems men face today. Which is why there are so many men who look up to them. But their solutions are wrong.
I thought it would be interesting to talk about this movie from my perspective so I hope you enjoyed it.