ChildCare Action Project:
Christian Analysis of American Culture (CAP)

Entertainment Media Analysis Report
MAR-0052
Chain Reaction (1996), PG-13
CAP Score: 68
CAP ID: 0.58

Thomas A. Carder
CAP President


ALERT: To fully understand this report you should first visit the topics suggested by the CAP Home Page Table of Contents.


Chain Reaction CAP Thermometers

Chain Reaction was a fictional story about a research project resulting in an explosion that looked just like the Nagasaki and Hiroshima atomic bomb blasts -- har-har-har. Having come from the commercial nuclear power field, I'll say it again -- har-har-har. At least the script writers were correct in "...no [nuclear] radiation."

Anyway, the Wanton Violence/Crime (W) score was seriously wounded by physcial violence and crime. And the smattering of dirty language which usually accompanies a PG-13 movies was there in all its splintered glory, so the Impunity/Hate(1) score (I) deserves pity. Sex/Homosexuality (S) did okay in this movie, but sometimes 'okay' is not good enough -- and 'sometimes' is now! The one instance of suggestion of sexual seduction and the one instance of kicking of private regions were 'two' much. The use of drugs to control and booze stained the Drugs/Alcohol (D) score. And as always in most entertainment media, God's name figured high on an irreverence scale, with and without the four-letter explicative. The Offense to God(2) (O) score...well...what can I say that you don't already know? Murder was the plate of the day in Chain Reaction -- the Murder/Suicide(3) (M) CAP Investigation Area score relates this. With at least six arrogant murders, the coping skills of the impressionable are likely to be negatively impacted by this movie. I say "at least six" murders because the intentional explosion that destroyed eight city blocks in Chicago quite likely killed one or two...thousand...?

While most of the CAP Investigation Areas did not reveal any extremely extreme material, the Offense to God and the Murder/Suicide Investigation Areas revealed the use of God's name in vain with the three/four letter word vocabulary. And the Murder/Suicide area revealed sabotage of a research project which resulted in the destruction of eight city blocks, murder of a police officer in the line of duty, and two other murders by firearm.

Other examples of unacceptable material include: I know that some of the above items sound a little nit-picky. To some, so sound the expectations of Jesus. I also know that you and I will never be able to satisfy all of His expectations on earth...but why not try? And why not start trying right now?

Below is the table showing the scoring in each of the Investigation Areas plus the Final Score drawn from the actual CAP Report. In addition, the number of examples per hour of unacceptable material in each of the Investigation Areas is provided.

Chain Reaction CAP Scorecard

In accordance with the comparative baseline data, Chain Reaction was equivalent to R-rated material in Impunity/Hate and Offense to God. It presented material equivalent to PG-13 material in Wanton Violence/Crime and Murder/Suicide. The movie presented material equivalent to G-rated movies in Sex/Homosexuality and Drugs/Alcohol. Thus, Chain Reaction was equivalent to the comparative baseline data corresponding to 33% R-rated material, 33% PG-13 material, and 33% G-rated material.



(1) As noted in CAP Special Report-0001, "Investigation Area and Scoring Trend", of the six CAP Investigation Areas, Impunity/Hate was the strongest presence in all four movie classifications. It has a strong revelation about the entertainment media.

(2) The use of the three/four letter word vocabulary is incorporated into the Impunity/Hate Investigation Area. The use of God's name in vain with and without the three/four letter word vocabulary is incorporated into the Offense to God Investigation Area.

(3) Only portrayal of successful murder or suicide are incorporated into Murder/Suicide. Presentation of attempts to commit murder or suicide, deaths by police action, and deaths by war are incorporated into Wanton Violence/Crime.


Please remember we believe that if even one of the six Investigation Area scores for a movie is equivalent to the CAP comparative baseline databse scoring range for R, PG-13, or PG material, the entire movie should be regarded as so rated.  For example, if only Wanton Violence/Crime earns a score equivalent to R but all other Investigation Areas earn a score equivalent to G, THERE IS R-RATED MATERIAL IN THE MOVIE AND YOUR KIDS WILL SEE IT AND HEAR IT IF THEY WATCH THE MOVIE!




Additional reviews of this movie may be located at "Movie Review Query Engine at Telerama."




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In the name of Jesus:
Lord, Master, Teacher, Savior, God.

Thomas A. Carder
President
ChildCare Action Project: Christian Analysis of American Culture (CAP)

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