ironhorse_iv Review of The Undefeated

The Undefeated (2011)

I'm sorry, but this movie got defeated, big time. It was pretty lousy, on how one-sided, it was.

[2/10 · 7 July 2015]

While being a minority; most grassroots conservative tea party members generally love this movie, while the majority of folks' really dislike this film. While, I'm not for any political party, I can understand why, the majority hate it. The movie doesn't feel like a documentary. While Sarah Palin and her team were not part of the production; the film looks and reads like an infomercial. It's no surprised, that the movie was release, a year, before the presidential election of 2012. It felt like a one-sided campaign ad that was trying to put Sarah Palin, back in the limelight. In hope, that the public would demand her, to seek office. This documentary kinda flew under the political radar. I don't know, many people that came to see this movie when it came out. It's very questionable, why director Stephen K. Bannon chose this title for the name of his film; because it's pretty clear, that Sarah Palin was defeated, pretty badly. Not only did she lost the vice presidency in 2009, she quit the governorship of Alaska and as of this writing, never try, ran for public office, again. Bannon's originally choice for a title, 'Take a Stand' is more logically, but also makes no sense. While, she's still a strong polarizing public figure that speaks out, once in a while, she's doesn't have the political mindset that she had before 2008. Sarah Palin of the present day, is more focus on raising her family, and trying to maintain her outdoors themed reality television. That's not leadership at all. That's call; taking your ball and going home. Another thing, that the movie's fails to do, is be very informative. Yes, it show her rise from house-mom, to mayor, and then her tenure as Governor of Alaska, and her time spent as John McCain's running mate in 2008's presidential election, but the film approached her career, as if, filming a hagiography worthy of sainthood. While, the film does good, showing her strengths, the film really gloss over, most of her political faults. A good documentary is supposed to show a more realistic, complex showing of its subject matter. Instead, this film really tries to romanticize Palin, by having interviews with people who currently work for Palin, or have in the past, has been friends with her. All they talk about, is her achievements, while omitting her faults. While, it's great that the documentary point out some misunderstood facts about her past; the documentary's information is really felt one-sided and preachy. That isn't informative, at all. The film needed to be, a little more well-round; rather than showing a one-sided biased approach. The movie used some, really odd imagery at well. Images of animals attack, atomic warfare, knights, seem very out-there, and isn't grounded in any sense of reality. I don't know what most of them, were supposed to evocative. It felt more like a clusterf*ck mess. A good example is the slavery song, in the beginning. It's beautiful, but it doesn't match up, with the imagery of Sarah Palin, growing up. Unless, Palin's herself, feels like she was a slave, most of her life, which I really doubt. The film is constructed in three acts: Act 1: the servant's heart, Act 2: Mrs. Palin goes to Juneau, Act 3: Present at the Creation. All of the film's acts, have title cards, that start in an eerily way. A dark, snowy image, follow up, with haunting music. It felt like a start of a horror movie! It gets more jarring, as the first act feels like a tourism brochure with the interviewers ramblings incoherent more about their own Alaskan's life, rather than Palin. The second act is the only part in the documentary that seem focus on Palin. The third act, felt like a mindless rant from the director, using Sarah Palin as a figurehead, to fight a made-up, spiritual holy war, against the main stream media. It was kinda disturbing. I didn't like how the movie made her detractors seem like evil one-dimensional cartoony caricatures, out to destroy the world. This biblical cartoonish version of real life is just as bad, as the caricatured parodies of Palin. Not only does the third act, whitewash history, but it scapegoating all the blame of the presidential failure to the other parties. Another thing, that I didn't like, is how the movie often views, any criticism of Palin, as discrimination. Yes, some of these criticism are a bit sexism or misogyny and yes, I kinda agree that some critics of her, went a little overboard, with the shame calling and callousness threats. Still, I don't agree that, Sarah Palin is, without any criticism. Sarah Palin does have extremely hypocritical political views. She claims to be a conservative, but rarely show some. The movie claims that she stood up against Big Oil after the Exxon Valdez oil tragedy, but she rarely shows any environmental activism. Her advocacy of oil exploration and development including drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the de-listing of the polar bear as an endangered species is pretty alarming. Another thing, the movie claim to be for small business, but she got corporations to open locations in Wasilla. How is that, for the little guy? That must have destroyed their local downtown economy. The movie likes to compare her to Ronald Reagan, but I really don't see it. During her campaign to become vice president, a lot of things, came under close media scrutiny, particularly with regard to her religious perspective on public life, her socially conservative views, and her perceived lack of experience in foreign and domestic politics. Ronald Reagan was at least, a little more season. Overall: Not to be confused with 2011's sport documentary with the same name, The Undefeated is a niche documentary only good for Sarah Palin's supporters. To everybody else, it's way too heavy-handed to be taken serious. Don't watch, unless you're a huge fan of her work.