The Hidden Meaning in Fight Club – Earthling Cinema

Welcome to Earthling Cinema, where we examine the last remaining artifacts of a once-proud culture and try to understand what human lives were like before their planet was destroyed. I'm your host, Garyx Wormuloid. This week we examine Fight Club, a film directed by David Fincher and starring Edward Norton and Brad Pitt.

This week's film:
Fight Club (1999)
Starring: Edward Norton, Brad Pitt
Directed by: David Fincher
20th Century Fox

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Written by: Ben Steiner
Analysis & Directed by: Jared Bauer
Edited by: Ryan Hailey
Opening Animation by: Danny Rapaport
Producer & Additional Artwork by: Jacob S. Salamon

© 2014 Wisecrack, Inc.

[jaekaitch]

"Capitalism was a system that allowed humans to purchase their identities, which was more convenient than building one from scratch."
That is one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard.

[cambrown]

"They become friends and start punching each-other"

[BeaverBaister]

...and ruins the pornography by rendering it incomplete. lololol

[MWTravesty]

I love this concept. Love love love love it. I've always wondered what aliens would think of us if their only experience was watching our movies. Perfection. More and soon.

[tmanmatt]

It's a capitalistic movie about anti-capitalism. Ironic.

[GothicKin]

It's funny how it starts really ironic and all about how an alien would see our culture but then it goes deep in the actual meaning of the movie, explaining it really well but still in a concise way.

[MovieCompoundBoat]

Pretty funny show but Fight Club was less about criticizing capitalism, and more about breaking free from the bondage of needless consumption and materialism that comes from capitalism along with the sedentary, pointless lifestyle that modern society has wrought.

[Pnoot]

I, for one, welcome our new lavishly eyebrowed overlords.

[JoshG]

if this show did 2001: Space Odyssey i bet the aliens wouldn't even get it first time.

[stuntdickbob]

MARTIN_SCORSESE wants his eyebrows back/:

[BltchErica]

it's funny how I never realised that he didn't have a name

[benaaronmusic]

I love it!
Is this the first episode?

[NmBt]

the concept isn´t bad but the execution whats up with that over the top facial hair on that guy´s face? if he´s  suposed to be from the future than he looks more primitive than us.

[YoungNino]

these videos are the answer to all the horrible amateurs cranking out un-watchable Youtube videos where they wave and swing their arms around and yell, "WHAT'S UP YOUTUBE!!!"

[Dunkleosteusenjoyer]

The thing about this movie is that it's also staunchly anti-communist. Tyler's group where everyone is equal removes their identities. They stop being people and start being just members of Fight Club. They don't even have names just things that describe their looks like Angel Face. The one who tells everyone to call the dead guy Robert Paulson is the Protagonist, not Tyler the communist. The movie tells you to not make an identity out of label, but instead make your own identity that isn't based on superficial things like being in a group or buying from catalogs.

[markopolo]

I think there are a lot of different meanings in this movie. One I always think of the most is a message against letting your possessions and desires control you. It's like the buddhist saying "attachment is the root of all suffereing", which is totally accurate (except for physical suffering I guess). The narrator is strongly attached to his possessions whereas tyler represents a free man who isn't controlled by his desires, needs, or possessions and is ultimately free economically and mentally. The narrator had everything to lose, his apartment, job, etc. but Tyler had nothing to lose and wanted to show the narrator that having nothing and hitting rock bottom is truly freedom because you are no long under the control of your unfulfilling desires. A quote from the movie that fits perfectly into what I am saying is when Tyler says "The things you own end up owning you. It's only after you lose everything that you're free to do anything.” Though the message of freeing yourself from desires has been around for thousands of years, I don't think it has ever been more relevant then in the modern era of consumerism and greed.

[SirKenchalot]

Dear Garix, I am looking forward to the day when you chronicle your backstory, not only how and why your species destroyed the planet known colloquially as 'Earth, ' despite mainly being made of water, but also why you are so keen to teach about Earthling culture and cinema in particular.

[MusicIhave]

I actually think it's important that the main character doesn't have a name. It goes further to show how he doesn't really have an identity. In Tyler though, there is substance and a real feeling, even though he's not real. It seems to show how the main character, Edward Norton, lives his life somewhat through other people and with different name tags (cornelius, for example)

[hopewiIIrise]

This isn't the hidden meaning, this is just you telling us the story...

[RichardDuryea]

Please do Naked Lunch.

Or any David Cronenberg movie for that matter.