Growing up in the 90’s, we only had a monochrome television set which we used to watch movies, drama series, news and cartoons in black and white but one day, I saw my dad come into our house with a new television and VHS set.
Even though I was elated to see that we now owned a colour television, what caught my eye was the videotape in my dad's hands. The video tape had a picture of a man with huge muscles carrying a gun on it with his face painted with charcoal and I was interested in watching it instantly. I did and was not disappointed..
This movie became a childhood favourite of mine. I'm talking about Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Commando. If you have seen this movie,then your heart should be racing with excitement right now.
About the movie and why it was my favourite childhood movie.
I won't bore you all with a lengthy story plot as the storyline was quite complex especially for me then at nine years old. I recall the movie kicking off with John Matrix (Arnold Schwarzenegger) having a great time with his daughter ,Jenny in their secluded mountain home.
But things took another turn when some assassins attacked his home and kidnapped Jenny. He was told by their ring leader to carry out an assassination on the political leader in Vel Varde where a military coup was being planned and upon his success, Jenny would be released to him but John knew that was a lie. They would kill Jenny whether he did it or not.
He made fast plans right from the airport and even sought the help of a flight attendant named Cindy, all in an attempt to get to his daughter within 11 hours before she was killed. There was a whole lot of action before he finally succeeded in his one man army mission.
My likes and dislikes.
I cannot recall not liking anything about the movie save for the bad guys kidnapping an innocent little girl. I guess that's why they're the bad guys.
But in contrast, I had a lot to like about the movie. I like the strong aura portrayed by Schwarzenegger. He was fearless. I especially liked the part where he jumped off a plane on take off mode…that was epic
I also liked how he took out all the bad guys and their minions one after the other, just like chess pieces. I liked the fact that Cindy was a great help even though she was all “drama” at the start.
One question I had then as a kid was about Schwarzenegger's muscles. They were huge and it made me see him as a real life hero, hehe but it made me wonder if they were real.
The story line was alright. The twists , turns and suspense were all good. Use of weapons were on point and the action scenes were cool. I guess Schwarzenegger and Jason Statham both have something in common…they lack good communication skills but they do the talking with their fists and guns.
What I learnt from this movie even as a child
I learnt to be brave like Jenny no matter the situation I find myself in. Jenny didn't throw up a tantrum like some kids would. Rather she was calm and even found ways to escape the bad guys.
I also learnt not to agree to do evil even though it might be difficult. Agreeing with evil does not result in good things happening later. Villains never change, hence no making deals with them.
I rate this movie an 8/10 for its action packed scenes and the thrill I experienced back then.
Thank you all for reading.
Images are screenshots.
