My Evaluation for the "Bowling For Columbine"

My Evaluation for the Bowling for Columbine

My Criteria for Documentary Film
- Interesting topic
- Provide Knowledge
- Based on Facts
- Reasonable Supporting Evidences
- Entertain, not boring
- Appropriate Length

Bowling for Columbine, the documentary film starring, directed, and produced by Michael Moore, revolves the story around the student massacre in Columbine, the United States. The film focuses on gun violence in U.S. and suggests several reasons and causes of those. In my opinion, this film is so worthwhile to watch because of several reasons.

To begin with, it’s interesting. Even though the American gun violence theme initially sounds a little bit boring, the film can appeal and interests audiences by using the infamous student massacre as a background to bring audiences to the film’s focused question; should American gun availability be controlled? Moreover, more than entertainment, the good documentary film, of course, should provide some knowledge to its audiences. Bowling for Columbine could be accepted for this point without question. It provides a great deal of knowledge related to gun availability, and gun violence, including America’s history leading to such problem. For instance, he mentioned interesting statistics of gun violence around the world and did not forget to emphasize that U.S. has had the highest rate of people injured by a gun.

Besides, Moore suggests reliable causes and reasons of gun violence in the U.S., all of which are based on facts. He demonstrated easiness to get a gun by just walking into the real bank, deposited some money and got a gun back. The very availability of gun in U.S. surprised me so much, especially getting a gun from a bank as a promotion. Furthermore, the length of the film is appropriate, not too long, or too short. Moore could provide enough information and simultaneously made audiences realize the importance to solve such problem as soon as possible. Last, but not least, the film reached its purpose not only to make audiences realize the important of gun control in U.S., but it also entertains them even though some scenes looked seem too violent.

Over all, in my opinion, Bowling for Columbine is a kind of a good documentary film. Moore chose interesting topic to make the film, provided knowledge about gun violence in U.S., including base-on-fact supporting evidences that make his film strongly reasonable, in the appropriate length. This film also entertains audiences despite too many violent scenes.