The Interview (2014)

I readily admit that I probably would not have seen this movie had it not been for all the controversy brought by the cyber-terrorist attack.  It is important that the right to free speech be preserved and protected and that no one, let alone cyber-terrorists, be allowed to decide what may be said.  Political satire has been consistently protected by the Constitution--it is the Constitution not terrorism that dictates law in America.  

The movie just as much a satire on the North Korean regime as it is on the American media.  It presents an interesting idea about politics.  How does a regime fall?  The initial plan is to kill the Supreme Leader, hoping that a better leader will usurp power.  But of course there is a Plan B.  Plan B shows the full potential of the media in its power to affect change and to make the public aware of what has been kept secret.

That being said, it is not a great movie.  It has its funny moments, mostly in the beginning of the film (I appreciate a good Hobbit reference).  As the movie progresses, the jokes get old.  We don't know too much about Kim Jong Un, so Randall Park runs with his portrayal, playing a shy, not-very-charismatic leader.  His depiction of the Supreme Leader is almost as funny as Margaret Cho's portrayal of the late Kim Jong Il in 30 Rock.  I've come to rather like Seth Rogen who is quite likable, but James Franco just comes off as annoying.