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Entertainment Media Analysis Report
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MAR2012.027

(2011), PG [13-PG*] (100.4min)

Final Score
Analysis Date
Date Posted
Influence Density
MinMax
March 28, 2012
March 30, 2012
66
1.26
-100

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SUMMARY / COMMENTARY:
(While the Scriptural references are certainly not subjective, my commentary may be and sometimes is somewhat subjective.)

If Scriptural references appear, the full text appears at the end of the Summary / Commentary.



(2011), PG [13-PG*] ... is another 13-PG, mainly because of violence


Production (US): DW Studios LLC, Columbia Pictures, Paramount, Nickelodeon, Amblin Entertainment/Wingnut Films, Hemisphere Media Capital
Distribution (US): Paramount Home Entertainment
Director(s): Steven Spielberg
Producer(s): Carolynne Cunningham, Jason McGatlin, Ken Kamins. Nick Rodwell, Stephane Sperry, Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson, Kathleen Kennedy
Based on: The Adventures of Tintin by Hergé
Screenplay: Steveb Moffat, Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish
Music: John Williams
Film Editing: Michael Kahn
Casting: Jina Jay, Victoria Burrows, Scot Boland
Visual Effects: Joe Letteri, Scott E. Anderson, Jamie Beard
Viewed on Paramount Home Entertainment DVD


Apparently the MPAA does not realize that violence portrayed by computer generated and animated characters in and as entertainment can be as negatively influential as violence portrayed by live actors. An act of violence by a personified computer-generated or animated character of any kind can be as influential as the same by live characters as long as the computer-generated or animated character is given a human personality such as language, an opinion and feelings. The Adventures of Tintin is intense with violence by realistic computer-generated characters. It is another 13-PG, mainly because of violence. "13-PG" means a film that earned PG-13 equivalence by the CAP analysis model but was rated PG by the MPAA.

Indeed, The Adventures of Tintin earned a R-equivalent Wanton Violence/Crime (W) content investigation area score of zero out of 100 though four of the other five content investigation areas found content to be G- or PG-equivalent. The zero score earned by the movie in Wanton Violence/Crime dragged the final score down into the range of scores earned by PG-13 movies in the comparative baseline database (55 to 67 out of 100).

One other content investigation area found content to be R-equivalent: Drugs/Alcohol (D). Because one of the star characters is an alcoholic, the alcohol content of this film is at least equivalent to the same in many R-rated features. And it is presented as humorous, of course. Alcoholism is not humorous. Portraying drinking and drunkenness as such in and as entertainment is a great risk to underage viewers. So sayeth the American College of Physicians (ACP). In a 2002 study by the ACP, they found that adolescent exposure to drinking in and as entertainment undeniably leads to abuse of alcohol among underage viewers. The report 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

  • 46% for those with no viewing restrictions
  • 16% for those with partial viewing restrictions
  • four percent for those with complete viewing restrictions. [Eph. 5:18]

    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 modification applies to any behavior demonstrated in and as entertainment, including good behavior. And yes, there is smoking in this film. Few but present nonetheless.

    The grandeur of the 17th century seagoing vessels is captured well by the unsurpassed artistic talents of the filmmakers. But captured well also is the violence of battle at sea, both ship to ship and hand to hand, rather sword/gun to sword/gun. And so is the "reality" of sea life of the day, down to murder by throwing bound shipmates to the sharks.

    Young star journalist, Tintin (voice of Jamie Bell) happens across a scroll hidden inside a metal tube concealed in the center mast of a model ship he just bought. Tintin discovers that this note is one of three that, when combined, would lead the discoverer to the 4 hundredweight of gold and jewel treasure of Sir Frances Haddock, shipmaster of the Unicorn lost at sea in the 17th century. The story is akin to an old Mickey Spillane gumshoe story as Tintin suffers peril after peril in his pursuit to find all three scrolls as the evil Sakharine (voice of Daniel Craig) tries to do the same and kill Tintin along the way. Fortunately, Tintin chums up with the last of the Haddocks in drunkard Captain Haddock (voice of Andy Serkis), the last descendent of Sir Frances Haddock. Together, the pair of magnets for mishaps find what they are looking for.

    ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

    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
    The findings of violence and crime in this film are so vast that to try to summarize them here for brevity would cheat your grasp of the extent of violence/crime portrayed in this film. Please inspect the listing of findings in the Findings section of this report for a full accounting of the findings.

    In many verses God warns that violence is "catching": that violence can lead one into a "path that is not good." In Proverb 16:29 in particular. Two thousand years or so after God "published His findings" about violence, four professional public health agencies published their findings that warn violence in and as entertainment can, among other things, lead the observer, especially the young, to real life violence and can lead them to believe violence is an effective way of settling conflict.

    Impudence/Hate (I) - 93 out of 100
    Fortunately, the typical Hollywood caliber of language is absent from this film. There is one use of profanity throughout the entire 100.4 minutes of the film. [Col. 3:8] The only other behavior portrayed that applies to this content investigation area is the spying.

    Sexual Immorality (S) - 100 out of 100
    Nothing that could be found even remotely applies to this content investigation area.

    Drugs/Alcohol (D) - 27 out of 100
    As revealed above, Captain Haddock is a drunk. And he let's everyone know it. Frequently. While there are only two instances of smoking, there are many instances of booze, drinking, drunkenness and lust for alcohol. And that is a dangerous content in films for the typical PG age stratum as reported by the American College of Physicians (ACP) which found that adolescent exposure to drinking in and as entertainment undeniably leads to abuse of alcohol among underage viewers.

    Offense to God (O) - 97 out of 100
    Only one time does any character use God's name in vain and then it was without the four letter expletive. But even one use of His name in vain can be expensive to the soul of the unforgiven man or woman. [Deut. 5:11] No witchcraft, sorcery, Satanism, occultism or any of the kind were found.

    Murder/Suicide (M) - 80 out of 100
    Murder is rather intense. In addition to a murder during the intro cartoon format, a character is murdered by gunfire. But it was the scene where Sakharine's men murdered an entire ship's company by tying them up, weighting them and throwing them into the shark-infested sea that was the most expensive to the score earned by the film in this content investigation area.

    ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

    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

  • Prov. 16:29 A violent man enticeth his neighbour, and leadeth him into the way that is not good. [The issue is the violence, the 'way that is not good' no matter how "small" or "fantasy" or "justified" the violence might seem, and its "leading" effect on the observer. "A violent man" can be any character of any age, any gender, human or not in the act of committing (demonstrating in the case of entertainment) violent behavior/action whether for good or evil OR the violent behaviors/actions themselves. Such exposure can and does embolden the viewer into aggression, especially youth. It took years for the American professional health community to finally affirm, probably without knowing it, that which God told us in 1 Cor. 15:33 below. See also Joint Statement on the Impact of Entertainment Violence on Children: Congressional Public Health Summit for more information. Their findings include:
    --> 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.]
  • Col. 3:8 But now ye also put off [rid yourself of] all these; anger, wrath, malice [kakia: ill-will, desire to injure, wickedness, depravity, evil, trouble, not ashamed to break laws, etc.], blasphemy [blasphemia: impious and reproachful speech injurious to divine majesty], filthy communication [aischrologia:foul speaking, low and obscene speech] out of your mouth.
  • Eph. 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. [Since "drunk" is methusko {meth-oos'-ko}: to intoxicate; make drunk; to get drunk; become intoxicated, "wine" can be any intoxicating substance including illegal drugs or abuse of prescription drugs. The issue is do not abuse the body by intoxicating it [1 Cor. 6:19]. Though it is not a sin to drink, it is a sin to get drunk OR to influence to get drunk OR to drink in defiance such as underage drinking.
  • Deut. 5:11 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain. [Vain is shav {shawv}: emptiness, nothingness, vanity, such as in slang or profanity. With or without the four letter expletive, the use of God's name in any way other than respect, reverence or responsible discussion and in praise and prayer is in vain. That includes the popular three syllable sentence with His name trailing it AND the misuse of Jesus' name or title even if as a euphemism. So, trying to excuse such expressions with "I was talking TO God/Jesus when I said that" or It's just words" or "I was acting" will not work with Him. Nor will "Everybody says that" excuse the sin of using His name in vain. If everyone on the planet who has ever drawn a breath used His name in vain, it would still be a sin to do so. If no one ever did, it would still be a sin to do so. Whether we believe it or not. Whether we like it or not. Whether we care or not.]

    Selected Scriptures of Armour against the influence of the entertainment industry

  • Jer. 37:9 This is what the LORD says: Do not deceive yourselves, thinking, 'The Babylonians [the destroyers from within] will surely leave us.' They will not!
  • Ps. 12:8 The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men [when enough people continue to defend what is vile, embrace it, enjoy it, want it, submit to it.]
  • Col. 2:8 Beware lest any man [by his influence] spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
  • 1 Cor. 15:33 Be not deceived: evil [kakov: of a bad nature, not such as it ought to be] communications corrupt good manners.
  • Rom. 5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
  • Jude 1:4 For there are certain men* crept in unawares [secretly slipped in among us], who were before of old ordained to this condemnation [whose condemnation was written about long ago], ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness [a license for immorality], and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. [*men: anthropos {anth'-ro-pos}, generic, a human being, whether male or female]
  • Matt. 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
  • Luke 17:2 It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. [Offend: skandalizo {skan-dal-id'-zo} - scandalize; to entice to sin; to cause a person to begin to distrust and desert one whom he ought to trust and obey; to cause to fall away.]
  • Ps. 119:133 Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me [let no sin rule over me].
  • John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
  • 1 Thess. 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil. ["Evil" includes all things that are sinful.]

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    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.
  • FINDINGS / SCORING:
    (The objective heart of the CAP Analysis Model, independent of and insulated from the Summary / Commentary section.)

    The Adventures of Tintin (2011) CAP Thermometers

    Wanton Violence/Crime (W) - Zero out of 100
    During Intro, Cartoon Format
  • abduction, twice
  • hit to head causing unconsciousness
  • theft
  • threat with knives
  • two killed by standing on a moving train entering tunnel
  • firearm to control
    During Story Proper
  • series of several thefts by pickpocket
  • breaking and entering with theft
  • trespassing
  • action violence, frequent, of varying intensities
  • assault to the head resulting in unconsciousness, repeatedly
  • breaking and entering with theft
  • firearm, defensive, repeatedly
  • firearm, offensive, repeatedly
  • gunfire to kill, frequent
  • writing in blood
  • comic violence, repeatedly, of varying intensity
  • traffic endangerment
  • abduction, repeatedly
  • multiple blade threat to face
  • unlawful confinement and bonding
  • threat to do harm, repeatedly
  • use of explosives to gain access to do harm
  • character approving the killing of another character
  • fist fight, somewhat graphic
  • order to kill, repeatedly, once of many
  • long sequence of battle at sea
  • multiple sword and gun battles
  • sword fighting, repeatedly
  • additional blade threat to face
  • sword impalement, likely resulting in death
  • extortion with a life as leverage

    Impudence/Hate (I) - 93 out of 100
  • spying
  • one use of profanity

    Sexual Immorality (S) - 100 out of 100
  • none noted

    Drugs/Alcohol (D) - 27 out of 100
  • smoking, twice
  • drugging to unconsciousness
  • drunkenness, repeatedly
  • drinking, repeatedly
  • booze, repeatedly
  • alcoholism, repeatedly

    Offense to God (O) - 97 out of 100
  • one use of God's name in vain

    Murder/Suicide (M) - 80 out of 100
  • murder (during intro, cartoon format)
  • gunfire murder
  • murder of many by binding then throwing into the sea to the sharks















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    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.





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    * CAP Equivalence to MPAA Rating Scale:
    Please note our new manner of indicating a film's Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) rating in comparison with the CAP equivalence such as "PG-13 [R-13]." The first term is the Motion Picture Association of America's (MPAA) rating. The second term [in brackets] indicates that which the film earned under the CAP analysis model. In the example, "PG-13 [R-13]" indicates the MPAA rated the film PG-13 but the film earned a CAP final score in the scoring range earned by R-rated movies in the comparative baseline database. Other comparative terms used might be "PG [13-PG]", "G [PG-G] or even 'PG-13 [PG]" as was the case for Alien vs Predator. I doubt there will ever be a "G [R]" used, but only time will tell. The CAP analysis model is Rock-solid. The MPAA is not.

    The current CAP to MPAA** nomenclature is:

    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
    ** G, PG, PG-13 and R are registered trademarks of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).




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