You know what I don’t like?
The 1990′s Lord of the Flies film. For a very specific reason.
See, there are plenty of things I personally don’t like about it. I think the acting is kind of tacky, I think its hard to become engaged in if you’ve seen the 63 movie or read the book, I think the mannerisms in general overall are strange.
But the one thing that really gets me is the personification of Jack.
I love Jack Merridew, all Jack Merridew’s, and as a person (a man I may even get to meet thanks to a dear friend) the actor is rather nice. I like him.
But the way Jack was made out to be dug into my skin. Because Jack never truly, to the best of my ability to put it, seemed very deep rooted in his own shit. When he was sharpening spears with his boys and one killed Simon’s Chameleon, he looked worried and guilty. Like upsetting someone had made him some kind of anxious.
I’m not going to lie, I could only handle making it to the storm scene, but having watched the Piggy’s death clip, when Roger tipped over the rock and killed Piggy, Jack was very quickly caught off guard and became nervous. Her spoke awkwardly before he and his hunters began throwing rocks to chase Ralph off. Unlike in the book, where he stubbornly went off, Jack seemed uncomfortable with being in the position of witnessing and handling a murder. Which, rationally, you would think any 12 year old would. But this is the leader of the Hunters, Jack Merridew, the boy who (among others through excuses) made an active effort to cover up Simon’s death, un-phased by it, remaining uncaring. This is also the boy who made the very decision to literally hunt down and kill Ralph as he would a pig.
While Book Jack genuinely gives 0 fucks about Piggy and Simon dying, 90′s Jack seems to be putting on a metaphorical mask so he doesn’t look like a wimpy child ready to back out in front of the boys who followed him.
It feels like in the 90′s movie the Jack has a hard time actually being evil while Jack from the book would make an example of anyone who even dared step on his feet, let alone be guilty over a death. Piggy’s death, at that.
I don’t like how in-touch 90′s Jack seems to be with his humanity and emotions honestly. Jack Merridew isn’t about emotions and humanity hes about dominance and savagery. You’d be dropped dead before you could swipe a rug from under Book Merridew’s feet but 90′s Merridew is practically waiting for it.
I don’t know. I just don’t like that Jack.
