Save your money, people.
Okay, when I first saw the movie poster, I thought it was dramatic liscense. (For those of you who've haven't seen them, they show the Yankee rattlesnake flying over Parliament with the dramatic subtitle "They Won".) After all, cover artists are notorious for failing to actually read the works they represent, right?
Wrong. The movie's premise is that the American rebellion of '76 not only suceeds, but takes over Britian itself. Unsurprisingly, the movie glosses over how and why this happens, except for a throwaway line about how France joined the rebels (!) after an American victory at Saratoga (no, not Quebec, and not Long Island, Saratoga. I mean, God, how criminally stupid would Howe have to be to bugger that up...)
Yes, I realize the point of the "mockumentary" was to exaggerate racial tensions in the Commonwealth by replacing it with this eeeevul racist government. I realize that Spike Lee is not a member of this board. But this premise is just so ridiculous I couldn't take the rest of the film seriously. Not that the rest of it was any better, really.
George III is exiled alongside "Emperor" Napolean to Elba, as since Britian is a republic in this TL, obviously the leading French radical has to become a monarchist for no bloody reason at all. After the implausably identical to OTL French Wars, President Washington (Yes, the rebel's most incompetant general became maximum leader. Even got a city named after him. Don't ask.) further unifies the nation by going on a conquering spree in Africa and India, for to acquire more slaves. I realize the intent here is to mirror our admittedly unfair trade treaties with the princely states and African tribedoms, but once again the over-the-top quality renders it farcical, not thoughtful.
Fast forward to the 1930's (WWI happened exactly on schedule, BTW), and FDR's New Deal is nationalizing and "liquidating" blacks, mestizos, and Hindoos. Yes, Roosevelt still lives and is PM...sorry, President, 150 years after the damned POD. Japan attacks Pearl Harbor right on time, but in this war we ally with Stalin, despite his utter uselessness in a naval war, just to prove how eevul we are. (How evil are we? Three words -- President Winston Churchill! Whee!) Also, we invade Germany for some reason or other.
Finally, the modern day, where, surprise surprise, the "USA" led by PM Blair and Exchequer Bush has invaded Iraq to spread Christianity and seize oil wells. My, Spike, you managed to make Baron Moore look subtle.
The movie's only redeeming grace was the faux commericials interspirsed throughout the "history" -- the ads for "Survivor", a reality show where slaves are left stranded in the middle of the jungle, or "Quik-E-Mart", a chain of convenince stores staffed by families of Indian peons, provide different but equally chilling views of a modern slaver society. Perhaps Kaiser could steal some ideas for his TL. Then we'd at least get some use out of what is otherwise a thinly disguised wank.
Okay, when I first saw the movie poster, I thought it was dramatic liscense. (For those of you who've haven't seen them, they show the Yankee rattlesnake flying over Parliament with the dramatic subtitle "They Won".) After all, cover artists are notorious for failing to actually read the works they represent, right?
Wrong. The movie's premise is that the American rebellion of '76 not only suceeds, but takes over Britian itself. Unsurprisingly, the movie glosses over how and why this happens, except for a throwaway line about how France joined the rebels (!) after an American victory at Saratoga (no, not Quebec, and not Long Island, Saratoga. I mean, God, how criminally stupid would Howe have to be to bugger that up...)
Yes, I realize the point of the "mockumentary" was to exaggerate racial tensions in the Commonwealth by replacing it with this eeeevul racist government. I realize that Spike Lee is not a member of this board. But this premise is just so ridiculous I couldn't take the rest of the film seriously. Not that the rest of it was any better, really.
George III is exiled alongside "Emperor" Napolean to Elba, as since Britian is a republic in this TL, obviously the leading French radical has to become a monarchist for no bloody reason at all. After the implausably identical to OTL French Wars, President Washington (Yes, the rebel's most incompetant general became maximum leader. Even got a city named after him. Don't ask.) further unifies the nation by going on a conquering spree in Africa and India, for to acquire more slaves. I realize the intent here is to mirror our admittedly unfair trade treaties with the princely states and African tribedoms, but once again the over-the-top quality renders it farcical, not thoughtful.
Fast forward to the 1930's (WWI happened exactly on schedule, BTW), and FDR's New Deal is nationalizing and "liquidating" blacks, mestizos, and Hindoos. Yes, Roosevelt still lives and is PM...sorry, President, 150 years after the damned POD. Japan attacks Pearl Harbor right on time, but in this war we ally with Stalin, despite his utter uselessness in a naval war, just to prove how eevul we are. (How evil are we? Three words -- President Winston Churchill! Whee!) Also, we invade Germany for some reason or other.
Finally, the modern day, where, surprise surprise, the "USA" led by PM Blair and Exchequer Bush has invaded Iraq to spread Christianity and seize oil wells. My, Spike, you managed to make Baron Moore look subtle.
The movie's only redeeming grace was the faux commericials interspirsed throughout the "history" -- the ads for "Survivor", a reality show where slaves are left stranded in the middle of the jungle, or "Quik-E-Mart", a chain of convenince stores staffed by families of Indian peons, provide different but equally chilling views of a modern slaver society. Perhaps Kaiser could steal some ideas for his TL. Then we'd at least get some use out of what is otherwise a thinly disguised wank.