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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 MAR29001  (2008), PG-13 [Hard R-13*] (1hr 50min) 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 1200 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): DreamWorks SKG, Goldcrest Pictures Distribution (US): DreamWorks SKG Director(s): D.J. Caruso Producer(s): Pete Chiarelli, Patrick Crowley, James M. Freitag, Alex Kurtzman, Edward McDonnell, Rizelle Mendoza, Roberto Orci, Steven Spielberg Screenplay by: John Glenn, Travis Wright, Hillary Seitz, Dan McDermott Story: Dan McDermott Cinematography/Camera: Dariusz Wolski Music: Brian Tyler Film Editing: Jim Page Casting: Jennifer L. Smith, Mary Tricia Wood Production Design: Thomas E. Sanders Art Direction: Sean Haworth, Kevin Kavanaugh, Naaman Marshall Viewed on DreamWorks Home Entertainment DVD This film analysis is sponsored by the generosity of C&EZ and E&HP. While the content found by the investigation areas of Sexual Immorality (S) and Murder/Suicide (M) is equivalent to the same in many PG-rated films and the content found by Drugs/Alcohol (D) is equivalent to many PG-13 films, this film is an intense and hardcore R-13 due to the content found by Wanton Violence/Crime (W), Impudence/Hate (I) and Offense to God (O). Its final score of 37 out of 100 placed it deeply into the scoring range earned by R-rated films (54 and below out of 100) in the comparative baseline database. If all the uses of profanity were left out, this film would have earned a true PG-13 equivalent final score of 61. Indeed, after conducting the analysis I played Eagle Eye again but though our curse-free filter which filtered out every single word of profanity and I actually enjoyed the film. But that I enjoyed it is just the opinion of a "techie" film fan. Eagle Eye is one of finest high-tech films I have ever seen. The story, plot, connectivity, creativity, ingenuity and all other matters that make up a good "thinking man's" film were outstanding. And the car chase/crash scenes were not CGI which added strong realism to the filmEagle Eye is not a check-your-brain-at-the-door film. It presented intense and frequent violence but most of it was all "good, clean" violence with very little blood and gore. At some points the performances seemed to start inching into "cardboard" but other dazzling properties made up for it. To taint such a good piece of work with all the profanity was deeply disappointing. Note, however, that while I subjectively "applaud" the attention to detail of the film, it was truly violent. Such an influence is not one to be taken lightly. As the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association and other professional health agencies have stated jointly, that for the young such explosive influence "feeds a perception that the world is a violent and mean place" and that "viewing violence may lead to real life violence." You take a chance of giving the young an unfounded dark and fearful outlook on reality if you let your little ones watch this film. The story opens with a military mission to kill suspected middle East terrorist Majid al-Khoei just outside the village of Abda near the border of Afghanistan. At least, we are led to believe the target is al-Khoei as he and his posse fuss over what could be either a funeral or a gathering around a cache of weapons. U. S. intelligence can come up with only 51% confidence the target is indeed al-Khoei. Though intelligence computer systems recommend aborting the mission, 51% is enough for the President (Madison Mason) to give approval to engage. Reluctantly the Secretary of Defense, G. Callister (Michael Chiklis) approves the assault, killing the suspect plus heavy collateral damage. But were they actually terrorists? That cloud of doubt begins the ongoing uncertainty that leads to unexpected discoveries and gives reason for a defense super-computr to declare Operation Guillotine and kill the President and his Cabinet members. Twenty-five year old, financially broke Stanford University dropout and Copy Cabana print shop associate Jerry Damon Shaw (Shia LaBeouf) gets a call from his mother, informing him of the death of his identical twin brother, Ethan (Shia LaBeouf). Ethan is described as having an IQ of 183 with motivational and achievement rockets strapped on his back. Jerry is described as wearing lead shoes. As children, Ethan did Jerry's chores and homework just so their father, Bill (William Sadler) would notice Jerry. Strange things start to happen to Jerry after Ethan's death. Jerry finds $751,000 in his bank account that did not hold even $100 the day before. He also finds 1200 pounds of ammonium nitrate, various spy gear and special weapons crowding his apartment. And he gets a call from a woman, at least a voice that sounds to be a woman's voice. The voice tells Jerry he has 30 seconds before the FBI arrives to arrest him. The story breaks off to bring Rachel Holloman (Michelle Monaghan) into the picture. Rachel is a young single mother of Sam (Cameron Boyce). Sam is an accomplished trumpeter and is bound for the Kennedy Center with the rest of the youth orchestra of the Barrows School of Hyde Park, Illinois to play for the President. After dropping off Sam at the train station, Rachel meets with two of her girlfriends for drinks. After the three each guzzles a boilermaker Rachel gets a call ostensibly form Sam. Walking out of the restaurant to hear better, Rachel finds the caller is some woman asking Rachel if she would risk her life for Sam, that Sam will die if Rachel does not obey. To leave no doubt about the gravity of the phone call, the voice tells Rachel to look at the MacDonald's advertising screens across the street. There, Rachel see many onscreen images of Sam. Rachel is told to go to a nearby black Porche Cayenne, get in the driver's seat and wait. While this is happening, Jerry is sprung from custodial arrest by the FBI by a crane boom busting into the FBI building, opening up an escape route to the outside. Once Jerry has escaped the voice tells him to go to a nearby car and get in the passenger side. It is the same car Rachel is in. This is how the two meet. The pair are inseparable, often reluctantly, the rest of the story. It is a story of cyber-terrorism. Much like Skynet of Terminator fame, the Autonomous Reconnaissance Intelligence Integration Analyst -- ARIA (voice of Julianne Moore), the Eagle Eye mega-computer under beta testing with delusions of grandeur. The Eagle Eye operations were military super intelligence-gathering operations with Aria at the center. Aria decided by the rights endowed by the U. S. Constitution that Operation Guillotine must be implemented and 12 members of the Federal government, specifically the President and his Cabinet -- the Executive Branch -- needed to die. Aria was arranging to make this happen at the Kennedy Center as the Barrows School Youth Band performed for the President with all the President's Cabinet in tow. Aria arranged for music store owner, Ranim Khalid (Anthony Azizi) to install a sonic detonator in Rachel's son Sam's trumpet. The detonator will explode a small crystal of a newly developed explosive called hexamethylene, "Hex" for short. Hex is 80 times more powerful than C4. A Hex crystal the size of a pea is enough to blow up a football field. The Hex crystal was worn as a necklace by Rachel who was not going to be there but Aria had other plans for Rachel. Each Hex crystal is attuned to a specific sound frequency, the musical note of F in this case which is played at "free" in "o'er the land of the free" of the National Anthem the Barrows School Youth Band plays for the President. When Sam's trumpet hit the F note, the crystal in his mother's necklace was to incinerate the Kennedy Center and all inside it. Wanton Violence/Crime (W) - Zero out of 100 Eagle Eye is one of the most intensely violent PG-13 films I have ever seen. It is jam-packed with so much violence it is firmly equivalent to the magnitude of the violence content of many R-rated films. None of the intense instances (except maybe one) of violence in Eagle Eye are bloody and filled with gore as is typical of R-rated films. But there are so many as to make the envelope of violence clearly as filled as that of many R-rated features. [Prov. 16:29] For more information about this technique of loading films see our publication CAP Rule of 1000. Matters of violence/crime in Eagle Eye include: numerous sequences of action violence of hardcore intensity, typically in episodes of pursuit causing massive property damage and [unseen] injury and death; frequent gunfire to intimidate or kill, including with injury but no gore; armed robbery; firearm threats at and assaults of police; felony evasion; multiple deaths by fire/explosion in a case of mistaken identity; more. Impudence/Hate (I) - Zero out of 100 Forty-five times someone used a form of profanity, including two uses of the most foul of the foul words. [Isa. 13:11, Col. 3:8, Prov. 22:11, Prov. 8:13] Aria repeatedly extorted Rachel to perform by threatening to kill Sam as motivation to perform. Aria also extorted Jerry and others with a threat of their lives as motivation to perform. One instance of Jerry's animosity toward and contempt of his father was observed. Sexual Immorality (S) - 82 out of 100 The demonstrations of sexually immoral behaviors in this film are typically much less than found in most PG-13 films. Sexually immoral behaviors demonstrated include one display of adult in underwear, one episode of testosterone talk about sexual conquest and one vulgar boiler room caliber reference to male anatomy. [Eph. 5:4] Drugs/Alcohol (D) - 85 out of 100 While atypical of many PG-13-rated films, Eagle Eye demonstrates only one episode of glorifying alcoholic beverages and consumption of them. Rachel and two of her girlfriends guzzle boilermakers, clearly portraying they are "as macho as men." And that is the issue, the influence of it anyway. The American College of Physicians has something to say about such an influence. 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 kids. 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 from viewing R-rated movies. 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. The researchers selected R-rated movies because they assumed R-rated movies typically present more drinking than movies of other classifications. This assumption is no longer true. The researchers were not aware of the matter of "R-13" proven by this ministry in 2000 (see R-13) with which Harvard University scientists agreed four years later (see Harvard Agrees With Us). The bottom line? The focus is that the influence of adolescent exposure to drinking (and smoking) in and as entertainment is undeniable regardless of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) classification. [Eph. 5:18] Rather revealing of the influences of the entertainment industry wouldn't you say? And emboldening children to sin with drink in and as entertainment screams of violating Luke 17:2. Offense to God (O) - Zero out of 100 It is clear the MPAA cares not about whether your children hear 16 uses God's name in vain in and as entertainment, 8 of them with and 8 without four letter expletive. God cares! [Deut 5:11] Do you? Murder/Suicide (M) - 73 out of 100 Murder is prevalent but rather atypical of modern entertainment. All the murders are done by or caused by computer. In one case Aria changes traffic lights to cause a fatal car wreck. She also causes high tension power lines to fall and incinerate one man. She swings a manipulation arm causing the death of a man standing next t it. Suicide is a dangerous topic, especially among our developing youth. Often suicide seems to be confused with or to falsely absolve self-sacrifice. It is one thing to offer up one's life for the sake of others [John 15:13] but it is quite another thing to take one's own life. Since it would be unusual for even a 16 year old to be able to fully separate fantasy from reality or to be able to fully anticipate the consequences of his/her actions, it is not good for a film to laud a performer who commits suicide even in self-sacrifice to stop an attack airplane as is shown in this film. The gravity of such as decision is typically outside the understanding of most of the target age group of this film. This is not to mention God condemns suicide since He condemns murder and suicide is murder of the self. [Ex 20:13] 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) - Zero out of 100 Impudence/Hate (I) - Zero out of 100 Sexual Immorality (S) - 85 out of 100 Drugs/Alcohol (D) - 67 out of 100 Offense to God (O) - Zero out of 100 Murder/Suicide (M) - 73 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. |
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