What real-world impact does Hollywood violence have?

In a summer filled with explosively destructive blockbusters, The Act of Killing offers a sobering look at a group of killers directly influenced by Hollywood

"Pacific Rim"
(Image credit: Facebook.com/PacificRim)

Violence, destruction, and death are as commonplace in summer blockbusters as flip-flops are at the pool. But still, this summer has seen more cinematic destruction than ever before. Countless cities have been leveled by every manner of threat imaginable, including terrorist attacks in Iron Man 3, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Man of Steel; giant seafaring aliens in Pacific Rim; and hordes of hungry zombies in World War Z. We've seen the White House get blown to smithereens in White House Down, and watched the genocide of an entire Indian tribe in The Lone Ranger. And we've even witnessed what an honest-to-God biblical apocalypse might look like in This is the End.

Iron Man 3, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Man of Steel have all been called out for evoking 9/11 — and, in the latter's case, for trying to surpass it. Man of Steel's climactic third-act showdown leaves a Manhattan-esque Metropolis in ruins. BuzzFeed even tapped a scientist and longtime disaster expert to estimate the impact of Man of Steel's ending if it had it been New York City instead of the fictional Metropolis. The results are pretty shocking: 129,000 lives lost, 250,000 missing, 1 million injured, and a cleanup cost of $750 billion.

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Matt is an arts journalist and freelance writer based in Washington, D.C. He has written about film, music, and pop culture for publications including Washington City Paper, The American Interest, Slant Magazine, DCist, and others. He is a member of the Washington D.C. Film Critics Association.