Hot Fuzz Essay

Hot Fuzz Essay

Explain how Hot Fuzz could be described as Post modern media.

Within this essay i am going to discuss in what ways that hot fuzz could show post modern features and also talk about how hot fuzz also uses conventional features. Also i shall look at how intertextuality is a key feature within the movie along with the relationship the film develops with the audience and what effect it has upon them.

Throughout the hot fuzz movie there are many intertextual features and references, this is a post modern feature. One of the main features of intertextuality is the ‘blood and ice cream trilogy’ that the film is part of. The trilogy includes a different colour ice cream cornetto for each of the films. This links each of the three movies together for starters when each cornetto appears. Also this intertextual link is to the ‘the three colors trilogy’ that is frech trilogy which includes three colours therefore the three different ice cream colours are an intertextual reference to this. This reference also blurs the line of low culture that usually this mainstream popular film would be classed as, with high culture as the french film trilogy would be seen as upper class due to this is what 80’s and 90’s french films usually would be classed as. We also see intertextuality in the way that the murderers in the film are always dressed like the ‘grim reaper’. Also during the early period of the film we see a shot very similar to one that is in ‘The Shining’ with the old lady at the desk, this is also intertextual references to the horror genre that at some points is brought into the films, however it is not its sole genre. Within the film we also see intertextual references to ‘Badass 2’ and ‘Die Hard’ particularly at the end we see a scene where ‘Hot Fuzz’ pays homage to badass where danny lies on his back and repeatedly shoots his gun up into the air.

The Hot Fuzz movie uses many conventional techniques along with postmodern techniques, examples of these could be things such as, how th\ere are a variety of genres brought into the film such as slasher, comedy and thriller, this is a post modern technique, however it is not a complete hodgepodge of ideas and the audiences can work out the direction of the narrative as it is linear, this is a usual convention. The story swiftly moves towards a resolution and the whole plot of the story is a resolution being found, this is a usual convention for movies. During the most part of the film there is focus on the storyline however during the start when there are fast edits that create a spectacle along with the loud music and fast edits when someone has been arrested and are in the police station. This is against the usual modernist productions as it reminds the audience that it is a film they are watching and that it is not real life, it stops them getting as indulged with the movie. Also during the final parts of the movie spectacle starts to take a bigger part with much more violence and more guns and weapons are involved. Once again this reminds the audience it is definitely a movie and not ‘real life’, this is a post modern technique.  Another post modern technique that is used within the movie is the way in which the whole movie is built up from over movies, for example how police officers aren't actually like simon pegg is represented in the film, the film just uses the typical image of the police from a number of movies that has been built up. Hyperreality is being built up within the film, even though we all know that police are not actually like that in real life. However the conventional technique of us becoming attached to the character is used, particularly with danny in this movie.

Also the way in which there are so many intertextual references within the film the audience have a challenge to understand the text, they have to bring a lot of information to the film to be able to understand it fully. However this post modern technique can almost make the audience feel as if they are achieving something from the film and enjoy the humour more as if they understand all the intertextual jokes it blatantly is for that particular audience.

In conclusion i feel that there are a few key post modern features within the movie particular the spectacle side of the film along with the large amount of intertextuality used. I feel that these are key features within the film. However it has many conventional features also. I would not say it is as much of a post modern film as pulp fiction for example however there are many features.