Sin City

In a stunning display of timeliness, I finally saw what may be the biggest comic-related movie of the year, Sin City.

And you know, I liked it. It was, oddly enough, a fun movie. I think it set out to capture not only the visual style, but also the overblown noir pastiche of the source material and I think it succeeded. Now, keep in mind that nobody ever accused Sin City of being an incisive examination of crime fiction cliches, or an effective set of morality tales. It's basically just an excuse to revel in the excesses of it's influences, turned up to a Spinal Tappian level of absurdity. I mean, seriously: we're talking about a comic book in which there is an entirecity district controlled by ninja prostitutes. If your first thought on reading that is to consider the economic, sociological, and legal implications of this, or what this portrayal says about the ideology of the author or the depiction of women in media, you're probably not in the right mindset to enjoy it for what it is.

That isn't to say that those considerations are worthless, or that Sin City shouldn't be examined on those terms. I just dont' think that it's success or failure can be measured solely on intellectual levels. It's basically a visceral experience that doesn't ask for or expect engagement on any level other than the visceral.

In short, I liked it for exactly the reasons I liked the comic book (visual style, pure willful debauchery and excess), and disliked it for exactly the reason I disliked and eventually stopped reading, the comic book (has nothing to offer beyond spectacle, makes no attempt to engage or consider the ideologies it puts forth). It's empty, dumb, violent fun coated with a starkly beautiful black-and-whitewash, and there are surely worse ways to kill a couple of hours.