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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 MAR27040  (2007), PG [R-PG*] (1hr 25min) 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, Marvel Enterprises, 1492 Pictures, Constantin Film Produktion GmbH, Dune Entertainment, THINKFilm (Washington DC scenes) Distribution (US): Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation Director(s): Tim Story Producer(s): Avi Arad, Michael Barnathan, Stewart Bethune, Allison Calleri, Lee Cleary, Chris Columbus, Bernd Eichinger, Ross Fanger, Kevin Feige, Stan Lee, Mark Radcliffe, Richard Sharkey, Ralph Winter Screenplay: Don Payne, Mark Frost Story: John Turman, Mark Frost Charactrers: Stan Lee, Jack Kirby Cinematography/Camera: Larry Blanford Music: John Ottman Film Editing: Peter S. Elliot, William Hoy, Michael McCusker Casting: Heike Brandstatter, Coreen Mayrs Production Design: Kirk M. Petruccelli Art Direction: Daniel T. Dorrance, Sandi Tanaka Viewed At: Driftwood Theater 6 Though this is over a month and a half late it may still be useful to our friends who wait until a film is released on video. I viewed it on June 23, 2007. Now it is August 7. Since it has been so long I will not be able to give you much of a plot/story discussion. I sin by getting depressed with waiting until enough funding comes to operate this ministry fulltime and dedicated so we can provide you with a much more timely services, sometimes even before a film is released. While watching this film I remember it seemed as though it just might actually be a PG film. But much to my amazement, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer earned a final score of 47 which places it well into the scoring range earned by R-rated films (54 and below) in the comparative baseline database. More so than its predecessor Fantastic Four (2005) with a final score of 53. Who would have guessed? Films rated PG in the baseline database earned scores from 68 to 86 out of 100. But there are enough assaults on morality and decency to make Silver Surfer deserve its score. Below is a comparative of the scoring of each of the Fantastic Four films:  As you can see, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, rated PG by the MPAA is, morally speaking, another Rocket-Propelled Grenade -- R-PG -- quite capable of exploding away some of the foundation of your moral teachings. And it is a perfect example of our CAP Rule of 1000. And that is too bad. Silver Surfer is a high quality film which takes advantage of modern technical achievements. It presents deep tone and vivid coloration, strong presence and even a decent Saturday night popcorn flick sci-fi plot. It certainly has the power to shave a little off the coping skills of most youth. From an exploding planet comes metal-man, a.k.a. the Silver Surfer (Doug Jones) who rides through the air -- and solid objects -- on a surf board as metallic as he. In his path is chaos and destruction. He announces his arrival by freezing Sugra Bay, Japan and snow in Gaza. All his attempts to destroy the Earth are noble since the Silver Surfer is trying to save his wife from death at the hands of an extortionist. But Mr. Fantastic (Ioan Gruffudd), Sue (Jessica Alba), Johnny (Chris Evans) and Ben (Michael Chiklis) again combine forces, this time with the military, to defeat the dastardly plans of the Surfer and save the Surfer's wife to boot. Wanton Violence/Crime (W) Violence is centered around action violence of varying intensities and lots of it, including physical assault which, in the real world, would probably result in death. The theme of the film includes extortion to kill since the Surfer is destroying the Earth to save his wife from an extortionist. [Prov. 16:29] Impudence/Hate (I) There are 11 uses of the three/four letter word vocabulary in this PG film. [2 Tim. 2:16 - 17, Isa. 13:11] Other than the language problem, there are lies, deceit and treachery. [Prov. 12:20, Job 27:4, Rev. 21:27] Sexual Immorality (S) Sexually immoral behaviors and images include anatomical humor, suggestion of sexually immoral behavior, innuendo about intercourse, masked nudity and nudity hidden by convenience objects plus a character that may have been nude through most of the film. [1 Ths. 4:7, Eph. 5:5] Drugs/Alcohol (D) Booze and drinking were present in this film for 3rd graders. Not good! And since you've asked I'll tell you why. The American College of Physicians (ACP) has found that exposure to booze and drinking in and as entertainment emboldens the viewer, in particular the middle school age stratum, which certainly includes the PG are stratum. 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 (see R-13) and four years after us by Harvard University scientists (see Harvard Agrees With Us). The bottom line? The focus is 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. Within the ACP study population of 4544 middle school students (90% were under fourteen years old), the prevalence of having tried alcohol without parental knowledge was 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. I can add to the ACP study that reveals films which present drinking and drunkenness contribute to underage substance abuse. I submit that it is not so much the presence of alcohol in films or the rating of the film(s) that embolden youth to abuse it, but is rather the attitude portrayed: the attitude of freedom from authority, freedom from accountability and freedom from consequences. PG-13 and R-rated films and sometimes less severe rated films are typically heavy with attitude. Our report on this, ATTITUDE: In Perspective -- Investigation Area Scoring and Trend in CAP Entertainment Industry Investigations, Special Report-001 may provide more understanding of the point. As a sidebar note, consider this, too. The MPAA is apparently going to consider all films with smoking in them as R-rated, clearly announcing without trying that smoking in and as entertainment is indeed a negative influence. If so, why not make R-rated any films which present booze and/or drinking and/or drunkenness? [Eph. 5:18] We incorporated smoking into a film's scoring distribution long before the MPAA. Even other film rating websites have plagiarized our methodology. Might that imply others are following our lead? Getting drunk (or smoking) is abuse of the body. The body is the temple of the Holy Ghost. [1 Cor. 6:19] Offense to God (O) Because God has given no one such supernatural power as portrayed as possessed by the characters in this film, their powers are considered unholy or unnatural. These powers were exercised throughout the film. In addition, these unholy powers led the story to portray an unholy healing and resurrection. Further, God's name was used in vain six times though without the four letter expletive. [Deut. 5:11] Murder/Suicide (M) There are three murders by electrocution, one murder by unholy power and one impalement murder in this film. 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 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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