Dustin: 3 of 5 stars Nick: 3.5 of 5 stars Average: 3.25 of 5 stars (Woozy canary)
Dustin: Sometimes adults need children to show them the absurdity of their behavior. I Declare War is about a group of kids who take capture the flag to an extreme, acting out their fantasies with realistic war strategies. What did you think of I Declare War, Nick?
Nick: What a fun and clever idea. A movie called Son of Rambow came out a few years ago that I was really excited for but ended up missing, but I Declare War is how I hope that film played out.
Dustin: I thought it was clever at times too. The relationships between the characters are complex and believable. The main character, PK (Gage Munroe), is a strategist who always finds a third option when only two are presented, and opposite him is Jess (Mackenzie Munro), who is an expert manipulator who turns friends against each other. PK’s other antagonist is Skinner (Michael Friend), who takes over the other army in a coup. While the kids are playing with make-believe guns and water-balloon grenades, he resorts to actual violence to win and doesn’t care about the rules. However, he and PK have a lot in common. PK refuses to break the rules (although there is a plot hole here I’ll get to later), but he does cross unwritten lines in interpersonal relationships to win. They both go to unacceptable extremes and only differ in their methods. And both commit violence on Kwon (Siam Yu) to achieve different ends.
Nick: The only poor characterization in this film is of Skinner. While every other character is basically a normal person throughout the film, Skinner acts like a psychopath, and why he was invited to play this game is beyond me as they play up how he used to be a friend of the game but nobody likes his company.
Dustin: I think he got into the game by joining the other team that didn’t know much about him. I thought Skinner was a believable character. I’ve known people who were insanely jealous when their friends began hanging out with other people, and were no fun to be around because they wouldn’t follow the rules that ensure a game is fair and fun, and then threw a tantrum when they lost.
Nick: OK, but that is exaggerated in this character multiplied by whatever ridiculous number will convince you it’s surely exaggerated. The character could’ve been toned down a little more and the ending would’ve been stronger because we were supposed to feel some empathy for Skinner, but because of his ruthlessness, it was hard for me to see his warped vision.
Dustin: The whole movie was exaggerated. Their make-believe guns become real, and seem to fire actual bullets, although there is no blood and no one actually dies. Also, I’ve never known kids who could build a sturdy tree house and formulate such intricate strategies.
Nick: Well PK is totally like Brad Pitt in World War Z: he is ultimately flawless. Everything that is exaggerated in the film I enjoyed when it was on the side of representing violence but no violence occurring. While in Skinner’s situation he was committing pretty extreme acts of violence in the theme of a movie that wasn’t as finely put together as say Lord of the Flies, where we see the kids grow into something that is quite scary.
Dustin: I thought PK was a flawed character. He didn’t hesitate to sacrifice his best friend to achieve his goal, and he never learned to put others’ needs before his own. He gets what’s coming to him, but he doesn’t seem to learn from it.
Nick: That’s not a flawed character, that is a static character. Kwon is supposedly the main character who goes through a change and he is ultimately the only one who didn’t take the game too far. Kwon realizes this at the end and instead of acting irrational, like the rest of the kids, walks away and says he’ll call PK later. (Which, shhhh, I don’t think he will.)
Dustin: Overall, I thought the characterizations were quite good in this movie. It was also good from an artistic standpoint. There were some flaws in the writing, which was lazy at times.
For example, in one scene, Kwon utilizes a lighter and some type of oil spray. There is a crummy CGI showing he has a lighter in his pocket right when he needs it, and the audience immediately understands how he will use it. The lighter should have been “planted” earlier so the scene would have been more satisfying rather than irritating. But that would have required writing a second draft.
There is an excellent plant and reveal in the movie Mud from earlier this year. Mud uses two boys to run errands for him, and he has them deliver a note to his girlfriend. We see the note is written in permanent marker, and we guess maybe that’s the only writing utensil he has since he’s in hiding, or maybe it’s just another of his many eccentricities. Later in the movie, there’s a dramatic scene where a permanent marker comes in handy, but the audience doesn’t question why Mud is carrying the marker since it was already subtly established this is what he writes with. That is an excellent example of the use of this technique that other movies could learn from, and was painfully missing here.
Nick: With the narrow focus, it’s hard for me to find too much fault in anything, but at the same time with such a narrow focus things like “plants” can be focused on more.
Dustin: There was also a plot hole involving the Asian kid who pretends to be Kwon’s brother. Early on, PK tells the Joker that using cell phones during the game is against the rules, but PK apparently called this other boy to come help rescue Kwon. And we already know PK wouldn’t break a rule, so how did he call the Asian boy?
Nick: I believe he was Kwon’s brother, but he was lying about their mother breaking her arm. You’re right though! Maybe he made some smoke signals or maybe he has people waiting on the other end of a walkie talkie (off screen of course). I failed to notice this.
Dustin: He wasn’t Kwon’s brother. Kwon is clearly half-Asian, but this boy was full-blooded. Kwon looks just as confused as Skinner when this boy shows up. Also, when asked personal questions about Kwon to prove he’s his brother, like what’s Kwon’s birthday, he becomes evasive. I figured PK just called the only other Asian he knew and hoped Skinner would fall for it.
Nick: Since it is such a narrow focus, how do you know that it isn’t his step-brother or half-brother and maybe his older brother is an asshole who doesn’t feel like being questioned when his (maybe) brother is being tortured. I see your point though, and I saw the character’s evasiveness, but when Kwon breaks free and goes back to PK, he asks about the Asian character and seems generally concerned on how well he is after being pelted with large rocks.
From a technical film point, this film was solid and maybe was made to showcase their talents, which is why the script seemed a bit lazy. The film could have followed Jess more like when she leaves the game to go home and maybe she saw Quinn and they have another conversation because of how much time we are forced to watch her fixate about him.
Dustin: I would have liked a scene where the real world comes in to set these boys straight like Lord of the Flies. The comparison between the two is obvious, and most reviewers are mentioning it. I think an adult coming in at the end would have put things into perspective and provided an opportunity to drive home the point of this movie (if there was one).
Nick: What a fun and clever idea. A movie called Son of Rambow came out a few years ago that I was really excited for but ended up missing, but I Declare War is how I hope that film played out.
Dustin: I thought it was clever at times too. The relationships between the characters are complex and believable. The main character, PK (Gage Munroe), is a strategist who always finds a third option when only two are presented, and opposite him is Jess (Mackenzie Munro), who is an expert manipulator who turns friends against each other. PK’s other antagonist is Skinner (Michael Friend), who takes over the other army in a coup. While the kids are playing with make-believe guns and water-balloon grenades, he resorts to actual violence to win and doesn’t care about the rules. However, he and PK have a lot in common. PK refuses to break the rules (although there is a plot hole here I’ll get to later), but he does cross unwritten lines in interpersonal relationships to win. They both go to unacceptable extremes and only differ in their methods. And both commit violence on Kwon (Siam Yu) to achieve different ends.
Nick: The only poor characterization in this film is of Skinner. While every other character is basically a normal person throughout the film, Skinner acts like a psychopath, and why he was invited to play this game is beyond me as they play up how he used to be a friend of the game but nobody likes his company.
Dustin: I think he got into the game by joining the other team that didn’t know much about him. I thought Skinner was a believable character. I’ve known people who were insanely jealous when their friends began hanging out with other people, and were no fun to be around because they wouldn’t follow the rules that ensure a game is fair and fun, and then threw a tantrum when they lost.
Nick: OK, but that is exaggerated in this character multiplied by whatever ridiculous number will convince you it’s surely exaggerated. The character could’ve been toned down a little more and the ending would’ve been stronger because we were supposed to feel some empathy for Skinner, but because of his ruthlessness, it was hard for me to see his warped vision.
Dustin: The whole movie was exaggerated. Their make-believe guns become real, and seem to fire actual bullets, although there is no blood and no one actually dies. Also, I’ve never known kids who could build a sturdy tree house and formulate such intricate strategies.
Nick: Well PK is totally like Brad Pitt in World War Z: he is ultimately flawless. Everything that is exaggerated in the film I enjoyed when it was on the side of representing violence but no violence occurring. While in Skinner’s situation he was committing pretty extreme acts of violence in the theme of a movie that wasn’t as finely put together as say Lord of the Flies, where we see the kids grow into something that is quite scary.
Dustin: I thought PK was a flawed character. He didn’t hesitate to sacrifice his best friend to achieve his goal, and he never learned to put others’ needs before his own. He gets what’s coming to him, but he doesn’t seem to learn from it.
Nick: That’s not a flawed character, that is a static character. Kwon is supposedly the main character who goes through a change and he is ultimately the only one who didn’t take the game too far. Kwon realizes this at the end and instead of acting irrational, like the rest of the kids, walks away and says he’ll call PK later. (Which, shhhh, I don’t think he will.)
Dustin: Overall, I thought the characterizations were quite good in this movie. It was also good from an artistic standpoint. There were some flaws in the writing, which was lazy at times.
For example, in one scene, Kwon utilizes a lighter and some type of oil spray. There is a crummy CGI showing he has a lighter in his pocket right when he needs it, and the audience immediately understands how he will use it. The lighter should have been “planted” earlier so the scene would have been more satisfying rather than irritating. But that would have required writing a second draft.
There is an excellent plant and reveal in the movie Mud from earlier this year. Mud uses two boys to run errands for him, and he has them deliver a note to his girlfriend. We see the note is written in permanent marker, and we guess maybe that’s the only writing utensil he has since he’s in hiding, or maybe it’s just another of his many eccentricities. Later in the movie, there’s a dramatic scene where a permanent marker comes in handy, but the audience doesn’t question why Mud is carrying the marker since it was already subtly established this is what he writes with. That is an excellent example of the use of this technique that other movies could learn from, and was painfully missing here.
Nick: With the narrow focus, it’s hard for me to find too much fault in anything, but at the same time with such a narrow focus things like “plants” can be focused on more.
Dustin: There was also a plot hole involving the Asian kid who pretends to be Kwon’s brother. Early on, PK tells the Joker that using cell phones during the game is against the rules, but PK apparently called this other boy to come help rescue Kwon. And we already know PK wouldn’t break a rule, so how did he call the Asian boy?
Nick: I believe he was Kwon’s brother, but he was lying about their mother breaking her arm. You’re right though! Maybe he made some smoke signals or maybe he has people waiting on the other end of a walkie talkie (off screen of course). I failed to notice this.
Dustin: He wasn’t Kwon’s brother. Kwon is clearly half-Asian, but this boy was full-blooded. Kwon looks just as confused as Skinner when this boy shows up. Also, when asked personal questions about Kwon to prove he’s his brother, like what’s Kwon’s birthday, he becomes evasive. I figured PK just called the only other Asian he knew and hoped Skinner would fall for it.
Nick: Since it is such a narrow focus, how do you know that it isn’t his step-brother or half-brother and maybe his older brother is an asshole who doesn’t feel like being questioned when his (maybe) brother is being tortured. I see your point though, and I saw the character’s evasiveness, but when Kwon breaks free and goes back to PK, he asks about the Asian character and seems generally concerned on how well he is after being pelted with large rocks.
From a technical film point, this film was solid and maybe was made to showcase their talents, which is why the script seemed a bit lazy. The film could have followed Jess more like when she leaves the game to go home and maybe she saw Quinn and they have another conversation because of how much time we are forced to watch her fixate about him.
Dustin: I would have liked a scene where the real world comes in to set these boys straight like Lord of the Flies. The comparison between the two is obvious, and most reviewers are mentioning it. I think an adult coming in at the end would have put things into perspective and provided an opportunity to drive home the point of this movie (if there was one).
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