 RED does not mean "stop." GREEN does not mean "go." Click on the CAPCon Alert image for explanation |
Reel World Reality 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 MAR2012.007  (2011), PG-13 [R-13*] (100.2min) 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 1300 analyses for parents, grandparents, pastors, youth leaders and more. |
|
  (a PayPal account is NOT required). The CAP is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Christian ministry. Donations are TAX-DEDUCTIBLE. |
on what Hollywood feeds your kids. SUBSCRIBE (or unsubscribe) to our FREE email version of these reports and our COMING SOON notices. |
  Christian Long Distance |
(While the Scriptural references are certainly not subjective, my commentary may be and sometimes is somewhat subjective.)
 Production (US): Lionsgate, Gotham Group, Vertigo Entertainment, Quick Six Entertainment, Mango Farms, Tailor Made, Mango Farms Distribution (US): Lionsgate Home Entertainment Director(s): John Singleton Producer(s): Jeremy Bell, Gabriel Mason, Anthony Katagas, Allison Shearmur, Wolfgang Hammer, Doug Davidson, Ellen Vein, Lee Strollman, Roy Lee, Dan Lautner, Pat Crowley Written by: Shawn Christensen Cinematography/Camera: Peter Menzies, Jr. Music: Edward Shearmur Film Editing: Bruce Cannon Casting: Joseph Middleton Production Design: Keith Brian Burns Art Direction: Liba Bagley Viewed on Lionsgate Home Entertainment DVD Abduction. is a teen flick to be sure. Would you like to know one way how to tell when a film is a teen flick? When teens cuss twice as much as the adults such as in Abduction. It is all in the attitude -- primarily of the filmmakers nut to include the attitude of the performers who utter the profanities the filmmakers want them to utter. We have found that though violence, sex, drugs, etc. in and as entertainment take their toll on the patterns of moral behavioral choices of youthful observers, likely more so than the adult viewer, it is not so much violence, sex, drugs and so on that bear the strongest presence in entertainment and thus the strongest influence on the adolescent viewer but is rather the attitude portrayed. See our ATTITUDE: In Perspective publication for more information. Yes, this 'teen flick' is another R-13 ... a hard R-13. Of the six CAP content investigation areas, four of them found content to be R-equivalent. Only two of the six investigation areas found content to be PG-13 equivalent. Where R-rated films in the developmental comparative baseline database of films earned final scores of 54 and below a final score of 26 out of 100 cinches the "R-ness" of this film. And 23 killings with more than half of them murders. Goodness! High school senior, Nathan Harper (Taylor Lautner), son of Kevin (Jason Isaacs) and Mara Harper (Maria Bello) lives under the hard rule of his street-smart survivalist father. But a dream Nathan keeps having and anger issues have led him to psychiatrist Dr. Geri Bennett (Sigourney Weaver). Nathan keeps seeing in the dream a vaguely familiar woman (Elisabeth Röhm) being killed by an unknown assailant. Nathan feels as though he knows the woman but cannot place her nor does he know her name. Nathan is assigned by Mr. Miles (Roger Guenveur Smithy), a sociology teacher at Hampton High School, to partner with a local girl, Karen (Lilly Collins) -- one of Nathan's heartthrobs -- in a 10-page report project. While Nathan and Karen were working on the project in his bedroom, Nathan discovers on a missing persons website a picture that looks exactly like himself down to the chin when he was five years old. In the photo the boy was wearing a striped shirt. Nathan found an identical shirt in a drawer in his Bridgewater, PA home. The shirt now in Nathan's hands had a stain on the left shoulder identical to the stain on the shirt in the photo. Shortly after confronting Kevin and Mara with the discovery Karen calls. When Nathan told her of the development she headed for Nathan's house - across the street -- to console him. While she was on her way two men arrived announcing to Mara they have need to talk with Nathan. Mara knows these men are not who they say they are and engages them in a fight which ends with Mara being shot to death. The same fate befell Kevin. Just before Kevin was shot he told Nathan to run. Now Nathan is alone and takes off. But Nathan realizes Karen is at his house with one of the two men still alive. After Nathan beat senseless the man who is still alive he told Nathan and Karen a bomb was in the oven, a bomb which leveled the house but failed to kill Nathan and Karen. Now Nathan and karen, both at the hospital for treatment of Karen's injury, meet Dr. Bennett who informs Nathan that his "parents" Kevin and Mara were CIA agents placed to protect him and that she was herself a CIA agent placed to protect Nathan. All the while criminal operative named Kozlow (Michael Nyqvist) had launched all his resources to capture and kill Nathan for the secret information Nathan had - an encoded list of 25 names. Now the action gets intense. But I'll not spoil any more of the show. I will, however, get to that which most of our readers come to our pages to discover - the assaults on morality and decency in the film to help mom/dad make an informed decision whether the film is fit. Following are brief discussions of the content per individual content investigation area. As always the Findings section of this report, the heart of the CAP Analysis Model, is the best source for discovering the full accounting of the content of this film. Wanton Violence/Crime (W) - Zero out of 100 This film is intensely violent. By the Wanton Violence/Crime content investigation area score of zero out of 100 it is clear the violence/crime content of this film is equivalent to the some content in many R-rated films. The line items of violence/crime in this film are so many that it would take up too much space here to even summarize them. Please look to the listing in the Findings section for a full accounting of the violence/crime content. It would be advisable to mention at this point God's Word about violence. God admonishes us many times from the Old Testament to the New Testament about the properties of violence to proselytize. For example, in Proverb 16:29 God warns that violence can be "catching" and can lead one "into the path that that is not good." Several hundred years later man plagiarized God's Word about violence by four professional public health agencies publishing their findings that state violence in and as entertainment can lead the youthful viewer to real life violence and can lead the viewer to believe violence is an effective way to settle conflict. God has warned us. Man has warned us. But do we listen? Impudence/Hate (I) - Zero out of 100 Teens cuss 11 times in this film. Adults cuss five times. [Col. 3:8, Eph. 4:29] It is as much a sin for adults to cuss as it is for teens, but Jesus holds a special place in His heart for the "little ones." That means, as we are warned in Matthew 18:10, that their angels do indeed behold the face of God. By the way, "little ones" is mikros meaning less by birth, younger. All of your children are "less by birth" than you. All of them are younger. So, "little ones" includes at-home teens, the most easily influenced, morally malleable age stratum. It is little wonder what their angels say to God about filmmakers who cause teens to cuss in entertainment (note that "acting" does not excuse sin). And it is little wonder what the angels of other kids say to God about the teens (and filmmakers) who, by their example, teach and/or cause the other "little ones" to cuss. Luke 17:2 warns that s/he who teaches and/or causes our youth to sin would be better off with a millstone tied about his/her neck then cast into the sea. But cussing is not the only matter of impudence and/or hatred in this film. Lying is the other matter of moral conflict. God is very clear about lying in so many ways in so many places throughout the Bible. One in particular stands out, Rev 21:8 which warns that the [unforgiven] liar will not make it into Heaven. God even hates lying as related in Proverb. 6:16 - 19. Note that He does not hate the liar, just the lying. God hates no one, just some of the things we chose to do. Sexual Immorality (S) - 63 out of 100 This is one of the two of six investigation areas that the content was found to be PG-13 equivalent. There was no gender-specific nudity found but several matters of innuendo and display stole more than one third of the starting 100 points in this investigation area: dressing to maximize the human form and/or skin exposure; exposure of below navel skin; inappropriate touch; excessive teen chest exposure; talk of sexually immoral behavior; open-face kissing, frenzied co-stripping (interrupted), crotch straddling and more. [1 Thess 4:1 - 5] Drugs/Alcohol (D) - 27 out of 100 Teen drinking. A teen drinking party. Teen drunkenness. "Let's go get drunk." "I will drink to that." Teen alcohol poisoning to unconsciousness. These portrayals apparently show us what filmmakers must think of "teen." Do filmmakers not believe the American College of Physicians? Are filmmakers smarter than a college of physicians? Do filmmakers know more than physicians? Apparently so. Do filmmakers value the dollars they garner with such teenage arrogance in and as entertainment higher than the health and safety of teens? Apparently so. A 2002 study by the American College of Physicians (ACP) revealed that adolescent exposure to drinking in and as entertainment undeniably leads to abuse of alcohol among underage viewers. The finding entitled Relation Between Parental Restrictions on Movies and Adolescent Use of Tobacco and Alcohol reports that of 4544 youths from grades 5 through 8 of fifteen Vermont and New Hampshire middle schools (90% of the youths were under fourteen years old) only 16% were completely restricted in their entertainment diets. Within the ACP study population, the prevalence of having tried alcohol without parental knowledge was There is nothing to say that viewing smoking in and as entertainment does not carry the same danger of influence as viewing drinking. Actually, the same matter of behavior implantation applies to any behavior demonstrated in and as entertainment, including good behavior. Offense to God (O) - 63 out of 100 As it is with profanity, the attitude in a 'teen flick' leads teen performers to abuse God's name more than adults. In this film adults abuse God's name once. Teens abuse His name four times. Murder/Suicide (M) - Zero out of 100 There are at least 12 murders portrayed in this film. That does not include the 11 defensive killings which are incorporated by the Wanton Violence/Crime content 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 --> Children who see a lot of violence are more likely to view violence as an effective way of settling conflicts. Children exposed to violence are more likely to assume the acts of violence are acceptable behavior. --> Viewing violence can lead to emotional desensitization towards violence in real life. It can decease the likelihood that one will take action on behalf of a victim when violence occurs. --> Entertainment violence feeds a perception that the world is a violent and mean place. Viewing violence increases fear of becoming a victim of violence, with a resultant increase in self-protective behavior and a mistrust of others. --> Viewing violence may lead to real life violence. Children exposed to violent programming at a young age have a higher tendency for violent and aggressive behavior later in life than children who are not so exposed. Further, God speaks darkly of violence 56 times in the Old and New Testament of the KJV.] 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. |
 |
(The objective heart of the CAP Analysis Model, independent of and insulated from the Summary / Commentary section.)   Wanton Violence/Crime (W) - Zero out of 100 Impudence/Hate (I) - Zero out of 100 Sexual Immorality (S) - 63 out of 100 Drugs/Alcohol (D) - 27 out of 100 Offense to God (O) - 63 out of 100 Murder/Suicide (M) - Zero out of 100 |
| 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 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. |
|
Thank you for visiting us and may God bless you. Prayerfully, we will provide you with some of the most revealing commentary and investigative reporting you have ever read. In the name of Jesus: Lord, Master, Teacher, Savior, God. Tom Carder Chaplain and President ChildCare Action Project (CAP): Christian Analysis of American Culture 100% dependent on your tax-deductible financial support |  |
Christian Long Distance |
|
We exist only by your tax-deductible donations. PLEASE  Features PayPal! You do NOT need an account to donate. |
| For G rated Films with G equivalence: G PG equivalence: PG-G PG-13 equivalence: 13-G R equivalence: R-G< | For PG rated Films with G equivalence: G-PG PG equivalence: PG PG-13 equivalence: 13-PG R equivalence: R-PG | For PG-13 rated Films with G equivalence: G-13 PG equivalence: PG(13) PG-13 equivalence: PG-13 R equivalence: R-13 | For R rated Films with G equivalence: G-R PG equivalence: PG-R PG-13 equivalence: 13-R R equivalence: R | For NR rated Films with G equivalence: G-NR PG equivalence: PG-NR PG-13 equivalence: 13-NR R equivalence: R-NR |
