Joshua E. Keating believes that if you look closely you can see a Foreign Policy agenda within Hollywood:

• Some Hollywood movies such as The Avengers seem to glorify the American military and suggest that it’s the only thing that could save us from something like an alien invasion.
• Others such as Avatar are more critical about how America conducts its foreign policy.
• They are, however, almost all united in suggesting that the world outside of the United States is a horrible place. Black Hawk Down, Hotel Rwanda, The Last King of Scotland…even Argo are all examples of films set in countries outside the US that show a terrifying world.
• There are signs that this is changing, perhaps because of the increasing importance of the international box office. The Life of Pi and Slumdog Millionaire both suggest that India, at least, is getting a voice in Hollywood.

Read more about what different films show us about the world, the problem of implicit racism, and Zero Dark Thirty’s chances at The Oscars over here.

Source: Foreign Policy