5 Movies About Freedom for the July 4th Weekend

It's Independence Day weekend, which means fireworks and barbeque for everybody. But the 4th of July is also a time to reflect on the freedom we have as Americans, and the cost at which it came to us. Or, it's at least a time to watch movies about freedom. Right?

Here's a list of five movies about freedom that you might not have associated with the 4th of July before. And none of them star Will Smith.

"The Matrix"

So it's set thousands of years in the future and there's no mention of America, much less any trace of it. So what? The spirit of the holiday is still in this sci-fi classic: you have an oppressed group and an ongoing war for independence being fought by a scrappy gang of freedom fighters. It's essentially the story of the Revolutionary War, just with a bunch of robots and Keanu Reeves. I doubt that George Washington knew kung fu, or that John Adams could dodge bullets, but history class would have been a lot more interesting if they did.

You could also throw the other two "Matrix" movies in here, if it weren't for the fact that we are all actively trying to pretend they never existed.

"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest "

Granted, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" is really an anti-government allegory, but we can pretend it's about the British and not about the American government, right? This classic, adapted from the book, features the legendary Jack Nicholson as McMurphy, who tries to avoid prison by getting admitted to a mental institution. The problem is, the madhouse is more of a prison than prison would be, with the controlling Nurse Ratched watching the patients' every move. Ultimately, this one is a "damn the Man" type of story, and it's up to you to decide who "the Man" is.

"Serenity"

Westerns have a long history of illustrating the freedom of the wild frontier and the struggle that comes with that freedom, but writer/director Joss Whedon took it to a whole new level with "Serenity." A continuation of the prematurely cancelled TV series "Firefly," "Serenity" focuses on a group of mercenaries in a future that has the human race spread across the galaxy. The strong central government, the Alliance, seeks to control the far reaches of human settlement, but those on the outer planets just want to live in peace.

The themes of freedom vs. big government play such a large role in "Firefly" and "Serenity" that some libertarian groups have even co-opted the term "Browncoat" (referring to a group of resistance fighters in the show) to describe themselves. Whether those are your beliefs or not, the show has universal themes of the desire to be free and unoppressed, no matter the cost.

"Red Dawn"

A "what if" movie about Communism to end all "what if" movies about Communism, the 1984 film "Red Dawn" was a direct product of the height of the Cold War. In the movie, America is invaded by Soviet and Cuban forces, causing a group of high schoolers to form a militia and fight back. Calling themselves "Wolverines," the teens use guerilla tactics to conduct raids and cause as much trouble as possible for the invading army. Sound familiar? Well, yes, I know that the Soviets never invaded us, but it's a metaphor, ya know? And it's about as pro-America and pro-freedom as you can get. Oh yeah, and did we mention Patrick Swayze is in it? Yup. And then there's that Charlie Sheen character, at his pre-drug-meltdown best.

"Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope"

When talking about rebel forces in movies, there's one movie that immediately comes to mind: "Star Wars." When you take away all the Jedi stuff, and the droids, and the blasters and Millenium Falcons and tauntauns and what have you, "Star Wars" is simply about a group of people fighting for their freedom. The oppressive Empire has taken control of the galaxy, and its only through guerilla tactics and small, concentrated battles that the Rebels can win out. But having a Jedi helps, too.

The original trilogy is a prime example, but even the new trilogy is pertinent. From "Episode I" to "Episode III," we see how corruption in the government and (depending on your interpretation) too much lobbying from the private sector can begin to take away people's freedom. Also, they have Jar Jar Binks. Isn't he HILARIOUS?!