Что не так с обзорами BadComedian на военные фильмы?

Summary

The video argues that BadComedian (Evgeny Bazhenov), despite years of criticizing poor Russian war films, has not challenged the underlying causes of their problems. According to the narrator, his reviews focus mainly on historical inaccuracies, technical shortcomings, and wasted budgets. Because audiences can enjoy his takedowns without demanding broader change, the videos may even help normalize the film industry’s output: bad films become material for entertaining criticism, and viewers’ frustration is channelled into a show rather than a challenge to the system.

The video uses a Marxist framework, contending that cinema reflects the society and economic relations that produce it. From this perspective, Russian films are shaped by the interests and outlook of the ruling class. The problem, the narrator argues, is not only the incompetence of individual directors or officials; it is also the social and economic foundation that determines which stories can be told.

A major target is Bazhenov’s preference for Soviet films from the 1960s and 1970s, such as They Fought for Their Country and Road Check. The video describes these works as products of revisionism: they replace explicit class politics with individual suffering, abstract humanism, pacifism, and love of the motherland. It argues that modern patriotic films continue this tradition, even when their production quality is much worse. In contrast, the narrator highlights selected Soviet films of the 1940s, which, in the video’s account, presented the war as a struggle between communism and fascism, led by organized communists and collective action.

The video also argues that Bazhenov’s emphasis on “historical truth” and reverence for veterans does not go far enough. It says that portraying the war as a universal struggle between good and evil, or attributing victory to Russian faith and spirit, obscures the political and economic interests at stake. The narrator links this shift to the postwar retreat from internationalism and the growing use of patriotic symbolism, which it says helped turn the memory of victory into a marketable and nationalist brand.

The conclusion is that meaningful criticism must go beyond counting errors, exposing budget waste, or defending an idealized cinematic past. Instead, the narrator calls for a materialist, class-based understanding of the war and Soviet history, arguing that honoring the dead requires continuing the struggle for the future they fought for.

Presenters and Contributors

• Unidentified narrator — Presents the video’s analysis.
• Evgeny Bazhenov (BadComedian) — Appears in interview and review excerpts discussed in the video.