Adam Narcross

Some time ago, I noticed a pattern in cinema, a popular trope really. Netflix embraced this trope and after about a year, these tropes became so predictable and, well, lopsided in many of their offerings, I decided to cancel Netflix and hop ship to HBO MAX. The trope exists with HBO MAX too, but at least, unlike Netflix, at least there is some balance, and balance will do. Ride or Die presents the current trendy feminist trope as well as a heavy handed feminist narrative wherein if I were to describe the film to anyone with concision its basically the standard. Men, bad, women good movie. There's usually no story, that would get in the way of messaging. There are no actual characters in such films but rather "representations." And there aren't really any scenes, but instead constructions of narratives to validate the overall message. At a certain point, as liberal as I am, even I eventually got tired of the deluge of fathers are evil, fathers are incompetent, husbands are abusive and men in general are mainly demon sexual predators without a soul. meanwhile female characters are morally infallible and always justified ion any matter of sadism enacted upon male characters. So, what to do. Well, I simply stopped watching man bad woman good movies. I tend towards films that center on story, not messages, characters, not representatives. No woke films for me, not anymore. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, WandaVision, The Mandalorian, and Snyder's Justice League all confront social justice questions far more objectively than Ride or Die. In other words, its balanced. Some men are good, some men are bad some women are good and some not so good. Fathers in these films like husbands are complex and nuanced. Not simply monsters for which empowerment for women must come at his messy death or overt emasculation. Realistically, lots of people, certainly feminists will love Ride or Die. Why wouldn't they? It speaks to their perspective and confirms their narratives about husbands and fathers. And that's fine. Not every movie is made for me in mind. And I think people should see movies that resonate with them. Ride or Die isn't for me. I'm certain I know the entire story from the brief description. If you like it, rock on. its made for you. However, I don't hold the cynical feminist view that men are monsters, all husbands are abusive demons deserving of unrestrained murder without conscience. Luckily a few films isn't afraid to present a balanced image of men as good husbands and fathers, with men possessed of reasonable virtue, fault and flaw, with an ability for redemptive change. These days such movies is like a breath of fresh air to me. Ride or Die. gotta give it a hard pass. But for anyone who enjoys the film, I'm happy for you.