MovieChat Forums > Full Metal Jacket (1987) Discussion > Why do some people hate the 2nd half?

Why do some people hate the 2nd half?

posted 8 years ago by Krishthegod
6 replies | jump to latest

Is it really cause they wanted more Hartman/Ermey colorful abuse and lingo? It was enjoyable, but it could have worn out its welcome real fast.

If anything, without that 2nd half, all the stress and endurance conveyed on screen would have amounted to nihil. All the new characters, like Rafterman, Animal Mother and the interview scenes etc..... really drive home the whole point of the 2nd half, as well as a bit of the first: war is madness

[–] jokeco68 8 years ago

The 'second half sucked' crowd has been posting here for years. Part one is definitely a LOT more simple in terms of protagonist, arc, characters, conflict and resolution. The second half is much more ambiguous and open to interpretation which, as I have always maintained, doesn't hold much appeal for a large segment of the population. As well, a lot were upset that an entire platoon could be pinned down and sniped by a teenage girl so that was unsettling but I liked how all the training in the world can not compensate for a desperate situation. Humans are still susceptible to emotion overriding logic and I think that is difficult for a lot of people to accept as well.

Life is always intense for a repo man.

[–] Kojiro_Vance 8 years ago

I like the second half more.

Besides the themes of duality, morality, and all that, I really like the urban setting of Vietnam. Almost all other Vietnam movies are situated in the jungle. This one is a nice exeption to that!

I'm just on my way up to Clavius.

[–] micirisi 8 years ago

FMJ was basically two movies. The first a no nonsense coming of age boot camp film. The second a politicized war film. I liked them both but can understand why the second film annoyed many viewers.

He killed sixteen Czechoslovakians. Guy was an interior decorator.

[–] SlickySlixta 8 years ago

Is it really cause they wanted more Hartman/Ermey colorful abuse and lingo? It was enjoyable, but it could have worn out its welcome real fast.

Whilst I quite enjoyed Ermy's colourful language, I don't think it wore out its welcome, maybe if the entire movie had it then yes, but we watching him humiliate and torment a young recruit in an effort to break him in half and rebuild him. All along you get the feeling that somethings gonna give and Pyle will eventually snap, but it's a matter of how and when will it happen.

The 2nd just wasn't very interesting to me after we saw what happened in the first half. It just didn't feel like a Vietnam movie.

Don't put the devil in the picture, cause' the religious groups won't wanna see it.

[–] millsey72 (9655) 4 months ago

Because it was boring. If one is watching a Vietnam war movie, we want it to be like Rambo 2 or Missing in Action

[–] david80848688 (228) 4 months ago

I enjoy the second half. People may not like it because it's just another war film while the boot camp first half is more unique with Hartman and Pyle.