Minorities are the Stars in This New Picture

I was rather disappointed about how some of the movies of '09 depicted minorities, Blacks specifically. (This year was filled with "the white-man saves the black-man" films and "Black people and their neurosis/hopelessness" movies.) But as this year comes to a close, I see a glimmer of sun light shining from Hollywood's dismal clouds.

When I saw the trailer of Ninja Assassin, I was actually surprised. Not only is the cast Asian, but the lead is as well. What?! Aren't all of the most skilled martial artist supposed to be both white and raised among or trained by the Asians or some other minority? Asians aren't supposed to get the lead, and when they do, it's not as glamorous as their white counterparts.
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Ninja Assassin breaks another rule. It has a sister (Naomi Harris) as the female lead, and she gets rescued by the hero in the film!

I hope this movie does well at the box office. Films with a mostly minority cast (that are not designed to be historical or social commentaries or that don't mock or stereotype us) rarely come around. Ninja Assassin appears to be a refreshing relief. I pray that Hollywood is a good grasshopper, learns from this, and makes it a trend. (Wishful thinking, I know.)



Dang, I wish this movie were PG-13. Looks so bloody.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

can't wait to that one!

Blurred Orange said...

When I first saw the trailer for the movie, I was also glad to see that a minority had the lead, even though it is a 'ninja film'. Usually the only time you see Asians in movies is as the smart sidekick to the lead white character or as a trainer or rival in a ninja movie...

I wouldn't say that this was the best year for minorities in movies though. Think Blind Side, Precious...Tyler Perry movies....alternate Couple's Retreat poster.

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