 RED does not mean "stop." GREEN does not mean "go." Click on the CAPCon Alert image for explanation |
A ministry of the ChildCare Action Project: Christian Analysis of American Culture (CAP Ministry) A 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Christian Ministry. www.capalert.com/ Entertainment Media Analysis Report A service to His little ones through you in His name by His Word MAR26094  (2006), PG [PG*] (1hr 43min) The #1 Christian entertainment media analysis service on the Internet. We give you OBJECTIVE tools NO ONE ELSE CAN to help YOU make an informed decision for yourself whether a film is fit for your family. Over 1100 analyses for parents, grandparents, pastors, youth leaders and more. |
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(While the Scriptural references are certainly not subjective, my commentary may be and sometimes is somewhat subjective.)
 Cast/Crew Details Courtesy Internet Movie Database Production (US): Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation, 1492 Pictures, 21 Laps Entertainment Distribution (US): 20th Century Fox Director(s): Shawn Levy Producer(s): Michael Barnathan, Chris Columbus, Bob Ducsay, Thomas M. Hammel, Shawn Levy, Josh McLaglen, Lorne Orleans, Ira Shuman Screenplay: Ben Garant, Thomas Lennon Screen Story: Ben Garant, Thomas Lennon Book: Milan Trenc Cinematography/Camera: Guillermo Navarro Music: Alan Silvestri Film Editing: Don Zimmerman Casting: Heike Brandstatter, Coreen Mayrs Production Design: Claude Paré Art Direction: Michael Diner, Michele Laliberte, Bridget McGuire, Grant Van Der Slagt Viewed At: Driftwood Theater 6 Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) is not doing well. His inventions ... the snapper for one that uses a finger snap rather than a hand clap to turn lights on and off ... do not take. His ex-wife, Erica (Kim Raver) is doubting whether Larry should take their ten year old son Nickie (Jake Cherry) every Wednesday night and every other weekend because of the influence of an unsteady father. Even Nickie gets into the act of doubting dad and asks whether he should get a job. That did it. At the unemployment office Larry finds that there is only one job that might be fit for him -- night watchman a the local Museum of Natural History. It seems that the museum is loosing money hand-and-foot and management wants to downsize by replacing the existing three elderly guards, Cecil (Dick Van Dyke), Gus (Mickey Rooney) and Reginald (Bill Cobbs) with one younger guard. The interview, with Cecil, lasted about three minutes then Cecil turned Larry loose to start the job of keeping everything out ... and in. It isn't long before Larry finds out what Cecil meant by keeping things in. Larry's first encounter with a museum employee is receptionist and guide, Rebecca (Carla Gugino) who is a Sacajawea fanatic since Rebecca is building her doctoral dissertation on Sacajawea (Mizuo Peck) who happens to be one of the characters in the museum that comes to life every night. Rebecca is about to give up on her dissertation since she simple cannot find the answers to a couple key questions precipitated by her dissertation. Cecil, Gus and Reginald are somewhat helpful in getting Larry acclimated to his new job. They even leave him (rather hurriedly) with an instruction booklet that tells Larry step by step what he has to do every night -- to survive. Survive!? Hold on! What's this survive stuff? One of the duties of the night watchman is to lock up the lions to keep them from eating him. Attila the Hun (Patrick Gallagher) turns out to not be the murderous marauder the world thinks he is. Not entirely anyway. He is on occasion sensitive. Explorers Lewis and Clark (Martin Christopher and Martin Sims) are rather argumentative according to the script. Ahkmenrah (Rami Malek) the mummified Egyptian king is not the night-walking, life-sucking Boris Karloff Hollywood taught us to believe. Rather Ahkmenrah is a key ally in the control battles which ensue, second only to the mentorship of Theodore Roosevelt (Robbin Williams). And I'll mention Dexter, the urinating monkey. But only in passing. Wanton Violence/Crime (W) This film is rather heavy in violence. Not so much in intensity or extremeness but in amount. A Tyrannosaurus Rex initially tries to eat Larry. Little display characters shoot Larry with flaming arrows and fireballs. Dexter and Larry engage in fisticuffs and that is after Dexter puts a jaw lock on Larry's nose bridge. Some episodes of creature violence border on intense. Threats with weapons, physical assault and other matters of violence rather fill the violence envelope quite densely. See CAP Rule of 1000 for more information regarding the contribution of many "lesser" issues of ignominy vice fewer but more bold or extreme issues. While all is clearly fantasy, a bad influence does not have to be real to influence badly. The mere presence of violence not even related may throw the already embittered or maturity-challenged observer into vaulting the threshold of control as his/her coping skills erode. [1 Cor. 15:33, Prov. 13:2, Prov. 16:29] It is because of the near saturation of the film with acts of violence that earned the red CAPCon Alert. Impudence/Hate (I) Some impudence on the part of the writers was revealed with three uses of the three/four letter word vocabulary plus one euphemism of the most foul of the foul words. [Col. 3:8] An animal urinating on a human from above the human could have been left out and the film would not have lost any power or appeal. Note that other than the monkey urinating on Larry, there was no other toilet humor and no crotch humor noted ... most atypical of most PG films. [Eph. 5:4] Sexual Immorality (S) The only sexually immoral behavior demonstrated in the entire 103 minutes of the film was the portrayal of an unmarried couple cohabitating. [Gal. 5:19] That a child was involved did not help. [Luke 17:2, Matt 25:40, Matt. 18:10] Drugs/Alcohol (D) There were no examples of alcoholic beverages, illegal drugs or abuse of prescription drugs noted. Offense to God (O) As Larry and a monkey character exchange slugs to the face, Teddy Roosevelt shouts at Larry "...your primate brother! Without him, there is no 'us'." I suppose promotion of evolution and claims that man is descended from the apes in a museum of natural history is to be expected. Too bad it is not true. Also, there were two uses of God's name in vain but each without the four letter expletive. [Deut 5:11] Murder/Suicide (M) There were no murders or suicides noted in the entire film. There were killings of characters but they were acts of warfare/battle. Acts of war and police action resulting in death are not incorporated as murder by the CAP analysis model but are incorporated into the Wanton Violence/Crime investigation area. SCRIPTURAL APPLICATION(S) If needed to focus or fortify, applicable text is underlined or bracketed [ ] or bold. If you wish to have full context available, the Blue Letter Bible is a convenient source. If you use the Blue Letter Bible, a new window will open. Close it to return here or use "Window" in your browser's menu bar to alternate between the CAP page and the Blue Letter Bible page. CHAPTER/VERSE ***Selected Scriptures of Armour against the influence of the entertainment industry*** As always, it is best to refer to the Findings/Scoring section -- the heart of the CAP analysis model -- for the most complete assessment possible of this movie. |
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 Wanton Violence/Crime (W) Impudence/Hate (I) Sexual Immorality (S) Drugs/Alcohol (D): Offense to God (O) Murder/Suicide (M) |
| There are some in the entertainment industry who maintain that 1) violent programming is harmless because no studies exist that prove a connection between violent entertainment and aggressive behavior in children, and 2) young people know that television, movies, and video games are simply fantasy. Unfortunately, they are wrong on both accounts." And "Viewing violence may lead to real life violence." I applaud these associations for fortifying 1 Cor. 15:33. Read the rest of the story. From our more than eight years of study, I contend that other aberrant behaviors, attitudes, and expressions can be inserted in place of "violence" in that statement. Our Director - Child Psychology Support, a licensed psychologist and certified school psychologist concurs. For example, "Viewing arrogance against fair authority may lead to your kids defying you in real life." Or "Viewing sex may lead to sex in real life." Likewise and especially with impudence, hate and foul language. I further contend that any positive behavior can be inserted in place of "violence" with the same chance or likelihood of being a behavior template for the observer; of being incorporated into the behavior mechanics and/or coping skills of the observer. In choosing your entertainment, please consider carefully the "rest of the story" and our findings. |
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