The Corporation comments on the history of corporations and how corporations have changed over the years. The most significant change, of course, is the regard of corporations as legal persons. As a person, however, the movie claims, somewhat rightfully, that corporations have psychopatic behaviour and they are mere 'externality machines'. Externalities, in return, is the economic concept of an effect on a third person of a transaction between two other people as Friedman himself explains for the economic illiterates.

But there is more to the film and it seems to be discussing the nature of modern capitalism as well as the nature of corporations. It ironizes over the economists' desire to price and trade everything as well as over the human desire to own something before we enjoy it. The concepts of good health, clean water and fresh air are forwarded as invaluable riches, though economists and traders who want to price it are allowed to express their views as well. The film does not feel biased and examples are mentioned in large quantities and support most statements very well.

Some critiqe should be mentioned, however, to the somewhat extreme leftist approach of the film. In several of the interviews, property is, indeed, regarded as theft and when the opposite is suggested, it is often played down. This can be regarded as a bias or as the moral message of the film - I prefer the later. But the movie fails to please leftists, too, and the Maoists critizise it for depicting the communist party in an unfavourable light while adopting an anarchist approach, the anarchists in return critizise the movie in general. More relevant to our modern Western paradigm, The Economist questions the applicability of state ownership of resources (an idea forwarded and supported in teh film) and refers to the USSR.

The film also scores fairly well on entertainment value. Though we hardly ever laugh loudly, several clips are humorous and we do smile at them, for example when Mark Moody-Stuart, former CEO of Royal Dutch Shell, asks protesters why they did not simply knock on the door and a reply is given: 'to ask if we could call you murderers?' In other situations, comical and symbolic reenactments are often included and these are usually very well done and incorporated. Overall, the film offers a good overview of the many problems faced with modern corporations in a convincing and entertaining manner from a well-documented standpoint, though it occasionally fails to provide credible proof and consider popular counterclaims.