Platoon & Full Metal Jacket

It was interesting to see how differently the same subject, Vietnam, could be portrayed in such different ways. Both movies had a serious subject but Full Metal Jacket approached it with a more humorous tone. First looking at similarities, both allowed for the audience to take a glance into the life of American soldiers during the Vietnam War and to sympathize with them as they faced their countless hardships. We watched as the central characters in each movie progressed throughout the war; this allowed for us to better relate to them. As we saw them fight through struggles and develop friendships, it felt as if we were making relationships with the characters as well. This being said, we were able to feel more intense emotions as we saw fellow comrades fall during battle. There was no laughing for me as I was drawn into the plot of Platoon, which made Full Metal Jacket quite a surprise to me. I had never seen even a single scene of either of these movies, so after watching Platoon I expected to see something similar in Jacket. Needless to say, I did not get what I bargained for! Throughout the movie, jokes were made and situations put into play that lightened the mood, yet still managed to get the point across. Both movies stressed the many difficulties the soldiers faced but the main difference I saw in the two was exemplified through Jacket; its milder tone gave us a look into the lighter side of the war. The writers/directors both had similar goals yet used different tactics- tone was key in these two movies.