Critique Paper of Heneral Luna

INTRODUCTION
Set during the Philippine-American war, a short-tempered
Filipino general faces an enemy more formidable than the
American army: his own treacherous countrymen.
"Heneral Luna" is one of the best historical films made by
Filipinos. Gen. Antonio Luna (John Arcilla), Emilio
Aguinaldo (Mon Confiado), Apolinario Mabini (Epy
Quizon), and Gregorio Del Piral (Paulo Avelino) star in
Jerrold Tarog's film Heneral. It's an action-packed, with
goosebumps moments that bring us back to the true
events of the Philippine-American War. Many Filipinos,
particularly the youth, are drawn to it because it provides
us the power of bravery and solidarity toward one another.
Another reason it appeals to the youths is that it educates
us about our history and the bravery of Filipinos in the
past.

Thesis Statement: Heneral Luna, while precise in its

storytelling and in its depiction of the major players of the
revolution, evokes ambiguous emotions about a nation
that has been revealed to be built on a rickety foundation
of questionable motives and personalities.
Body
The movie "Heneral Luna" is one of the most spectacular
depictions of our country's history during the Philippine–
American War. The initial draft of Heneral Luna was
written in 1998, however the film was just released on
September 9, 2015. This film showcased how courageous
Filipinos are in their fight against the Americans to protect
our country and its people. With a production budget of 80
million pesos, we could see that the entire film's cast and
crew gave it their all to make an extraordinary film.The
movie is completely captivating since its graphics and
emotions demonstrate that it is well worth watching. It
resonates with many Filipinos, particularly the youth,
because it emphasizes the value of heroism and
collaboration.It also educates our generation about what
happened in history and provides answers to our queries
about the past. As a student, I appreciated this movie
since it not only amuses me but also educates me about
situations that occurred in the past that I was unaware of. I
guess Joven Hernando is not actually real but rather a
representation of the next generation because Luna is
giving him words of wisdom about their situation. Heneral
Luna is always concerned for Joven Hernando's safety
since he is the next generation of Filipinos, and Heneral
Luna wants to ensure that his words and combat
determination will soon serve as an inspiration to the next
generation of Filipinos. I suppose that the movie would be
much better if more of Heneral Luna's life story and the
actual circumstances of our fellow Filipinos were included.
Heneral Luna just cares about what is best for his country,
whereas some Filipinos are only concerned with
themselves. Luna's plan to combat the Americans is
brilliant, and if it hadn't been for the traitors, it might have
succeeded. This movie is not suitable for kids under 10
years old to watch because the killing scene was too much
for them. I felt a variety of feelings towards the conclusion
of the movie, and I had a lot of unanswered questions
about what truly happened because it all happened so
quickly. In the end scene where Heneral Luna and his
companions were attacked and killed, I think it is highly
artistic because it is similar to what Juan Luna painted in
"spolarium."The manner the murderers pulled Luna is the
same as what is painted in "spolarium." It educates
audiences and provides information about the "spolarium.
The phrase "Mayroon tayong mas malaking kaaway kaysa
Amerikano, Ang ating sarili" is remarkable. We will not be
able to fight ourselves or win a war if our framework of
collaboration and teamwork fails due to our selfishness
and traitorousness. It is still applicable to our time
nowadays, as people we thought would assist us and
whom we trusted the most betray us in the end.This movie
has the prospects to enlighten not only our nation, but also
other countries about what happened to us Filipinos as a
result of American colonization. Throughout its portrayal of
suffering that the Filipinos endured from American and
Spanish colonists, this film was able to influence our
generation to rediscover a feeling of nationalism. Heneral
Luna's portrayal of his role in the film is quite impressive
because of his tremendous acting skills, and I noticed how
dedicated he was to giving his all and not disappoint the
audience."The rest of the actors did an excellent job
portraying their characters. Every scene in the film is
matched by the characters' motions, gestures, and facial
expressions. I can see how that movie takes a long time to
finish because each scene has so much effort and artistic
features. The video editing is extremely impressive
because everything, including the explosions, bomb, gun,
and other effects, appears to be real.The movie portrays
how the Philippine government administered our country
at the time, as well as how it made decisions under the
American colonization. It also demonstrates how ruthless
and unequally our government treats its citizens. It gives
us a better understanding of how crooked politics were.
The critical approach used in this critique is historical
approach.

Conclusion
The film revealed revealed four veiled truths and their
relevance to modern society.
VEILED TRUTH 1: DIVISIVENESS
-disunited army
-pro-American invasion and anti-American invasion
-officials with different visions (opposing leaders)
“Ito ba talaga ang tadhana natin, Paco? Kalaban ang
kalaban. Kalaban ang kakampi. Nakakapagod.” –-Heneral
Luna
VEILED TRUTH 2: BETRAYAL AND SELFISHNESS
-officials who are more interested for economic gain than
anything else
-personal interests
-alliance with colonizers
-political leverage

VEILED TRUTH 3: LACK OF DISCIPLINE

VEILED TRUTH 4: FACTIONALISM/INDIVIDUALISM
"A man in the Philippines is only individual. He is not a
member of the nation." - Dr. Jose Rizal
loyal to family but not treating nation as a family

“Heneral Luna Shows Human Side of Hero” The existence

of this work is to significantly throw the knowledge about
the history of our fallen heroes. It promotes the details
regarding about the difficulties of our fellow Filipinos have
deprived to our country. Yet due to the major occurrences
of downfalls, it had spoken its words towards the Filipinos
that we are all conflicted with ourselves. Throughout the
exploration within the piece, we have synchronized
ourselves thoroughly with regards of the hidden mystery
that is historically uplifting. From the process of
withstanding the war, our heroes stayed stiff to symbolize
our unveiling thirst of peace. Yet overall, we became
victims of our own system. Involving the creation of the
film, it is clearly shown that the director aims to lend the
Filipino with knowledge of truths from our history. They let
the capitalization like the other works, that this film was
constructed significantly because of a faithful General
whom have sacrificed a lot for the Philippines.

The film does not intend to modify one's perception of

heroes or to replace Rizal and Bonifacio in the Filipino
consciousness, which is one of the main reasons for the
evaluation. Its straightforward purpose is to tell the story of
a lesser-known hero and to show Filipinos that heroes,
too, are human. This film is similar to "Goyo: Ang Batang
Heneral," which is part of a trilogy that includes the
"Quezon" film.
This film is highly recommended because the production,
the cast, and the writer's script are all at the highest level
of art and perfection. Aside from Heneral Luna, "Goyo:
Ang Batang Heneral," a Philippine historical epic film
starring Paulo Avelino as the "Young General," Gregorio
del Pilar, who died during the historic Battle of Tirad Pass
during the Philippine–American War, is a worthy
recommendation.