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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 MAR2012.058  (2012), PG [13-PG*] (98.7min) 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. |
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(While the Scriptural references are certainly not subjective, my commentary may be and sometimes is somewhat subjective.)
 Production (US): ©Snow White Productions, LLC. A Relativity Media Presentation in association with Yucaipa Films, a Goldmann Pictures, Relativity Media, Rat Entertainment and Misher Flms Production. Filmnation Entertainment Distribution (US): Fox Pictures Director(s): Jarsem Singh Dhandwar Producer(s): Bernie Goldmann, Ryan Kavanaugh, Bret Ratner, Tucker Tooley, Kevin Mishner, Jeff Waxman, Robbie Brenner, Jamie Marshall, Jason Colbeck, Tommy Turtle, Josh Pate, John Cheng, Kenneth Halsband, Nico Soultanakis, Rjit Singh Screenplay by: Marc Klein, Jason Keller Screen Story by: Melisa Wallack Cinematography/Camera: Brendan Galvin Music: Alan Menken Film Editing: Nick Moorse, Robert Duffy Casting: Kerry Barden, Paul Schnee Production Design: Tom Foden Viewed on Fox Home Entertainment DVD While we have shown you (four full years before Harvard University) how the "ratings creep" has decayed over the years allowing more and more raunchy behavior and imagery as "permissible" content in films permitted to bear the PG-13 label, Mirror Mirror is a good example of how the "ratings creep" has eaten away at the wholesomeness of permissible content in PG as well. Just a few years ago a film for children would not have included some of the content in Mirror Mirror. So, this film is evidence that what once was PG has become 13-PG, meaning a film rated PG by the MPAA but earning PG-13 equivalence under the CAP analysis model. The final score for this film is 62 which is in the upper end of the scoring range earned by the content of PG-13 films (67 to 55 out of 100) in the comparative baseline database. It is, at times, a violent show with a strong presence of unholy matters such as the portrayal of "evil magic" to kill, do harm or manipulate repeatedly. The story is a cinematic caricature, a "fractured fairy tale" version of the world-famous 1937 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs animated classic by the early, then family-friendly Disney based on the German fairy tale classic by the Grimm Brothers (Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm). This caricature uses devices of contemporary performance which reveals how "things" have changed since the early Disney days. I may feed the original SNow White and the Seven Dwarfs (if I can find it) to the CAP model just to do a comparative between the two versions. Snow White (Lily Collins) is still the daughter of a noble King (Sean Bean) but this time he is banished by his evil enchantress queen wife (Julia Roberts) and doomed to live a life as a beast. The now power-hungry and money-hungry stepmother queen is still jealous of Snow White's beauty so much she wishes Snow White dead but this time Snow White does not bite the poisoned apple and does not fall into a long sleep until true love's kiss awakens her. Nor does the evil witch queen offer the poisoned apple to Snow White at the dwarfs' woodland home but at Snow White's wedding to Prince Alcott (Armie Hammer) of Valencia. In this butchering of the original, the seven dwarfs are now thieves on pogo stilts, not jewel miners. Nor are they Dopey, Sleepy, Grumpy, Bashful, Doc, Happy and Sneezy. They are Butcher (Martin Klebra), Will Grimm (Danny Woodburn), Half Pint (Mark Povinelli), Naploleon (Jordan Prentice), Grub (Joey Gnoffo), Chuckles (Ronald Lee Clark) and Wolf (Sebastian Saraceno). Further, in this caricature the queen, who has squandered the kingdom's money, tries to woo Prince Alcott to marry him to soothe her poorness with his richness but the Prince has fallen in love with Snow White ... and she with him. This film is not Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs but it still answers the question "Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who's the fairest of them all." I will add that I feel that Collins, Roberts and Hammer do an excellent job. Collins has a tough job being in the shadow of her father, the phenomenal star Phil Collins but shows strong promise that she is not only a top-notch singer but is a better actress than her father is an actor. And let us not ignore the dazzling performances of the seven dwarfs without whom this film would not have been what is is. 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) - 26 out of 100 Though there is no gore, Mirror Mirror is sometimes intense in violence for a PG film. Swordplay abounds. Attempted murder by blade, blade threat to the face, repeated assault to rob, orders to kill, physical assault repeatedly and a number of other matters of violence combine to make the overall magnitude of the content applicable to this investigation area equivalent to the violence content in some R-rated features in the comparative baseline database. That violence such as is in this film is presented for the most part as comical, it is still violence and the influence can be as damaging, maybe more so since the assaults in the film produce no harm where they could produce death if mimicked in real life. That which I said in the last sentence above can seem to be rather bold or uneducated since we have all been inundated with violence of diverse intensity for years in all forms of entertainment and have gotten so used to it that what once was morally unacceptable has become morally invisible. God has told us about the enticing properties of violence and I will share His feelings about violence with you. God admonishes us against violence more than 50 times from the Old Testament to the New testament. Proverb 16:29 puts the matter succinctly enough to use it as a representative of His total Word about violence. In Proverb 16:29 God warns that violence is enticing: that it can lead one "into the way that is not good." Since God "published" His "findings" about violence, man has plagiarized God's Word, probably without knowing, by four professional public health agencies publishing their findings which warn, among other things, that violence in and as entertainment can lead the observer, especially the young, to real life violence and can lead the observer to believe violence is an effective means of settling conflict. Impudence/Hate (I) - 56 out of 100 While there are no findings of profanity in the entire 98.7 minutes of the program, there are enough matters of impudence and/or hatred for the content applicable to this investigation area to lose almost half of the starting 100 points for this investigation area: jealousy; derogatory name-calling; lying repeatedly; justifying theft; more. [2 Cor. 12:20, Exod. 20:16, Rev. 21:8] Sexual Immorality (S) - 73 out of 100 Just so you will know... Something that was shown often enough to be obvious was Lilly Collins on her hands and knees looking upward or other posing so as to center her cleavage in the camera focus field. Such scenes were hardly noble but they were not so bold as to warrant point loss yet prevalent enough to be noteworthy for your viewing discernment. Demonstrations applicable to this investigation area which require point loss include a few swats on Collin's behind by Hammer with a sword (inappropriate touch), a woman repeatedly showing/expressing arousal at a shirtless male and a male character slipping under the puffy dress of a woman. [Col. 3:5] Drugs/Alcohol (D) - 73 out of 100 There are an instance of drinking and drunkenness plus a number of references to and drugging of characters with potions. The issue here is the use of drugs to control others and the influence of imbibing alcohol, especially to such a young age as is expected of PG rating. 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 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 There is nothing to say that viewing smoking or possession/consumption of drugs in and as entertainment does not carry the same danger of influence as viewing drinking and drunkenness. Actually, the same matter of behavior implantation applies to any behavior demonstrated in and as entertainment, including good behavior. Offense to God (O) - 43 out of 100 Among other matters of the evil nature, this film presents frequent use of "evil magic" to kill, to manipulate others or to do harm. "Fantasy" does not absolve the production of negative influence. A bad influence does not have to be real to influence badly. Further, God has told us about calling others "fool." [Matt. 5:22] This film does that twice. God's name is abused twice but each time without the four letter expletive. I wonder who decided that it is not okay for a "kid's show" (or any other show) to utter His name in vain with the four letter expletive but is okay to utter His name in vain without it. It wasn't God. [Deut. 5:11] Murder/Suicide (M) - 100 out of 100 There are no portrayals of murder and/or suicide in the entire 98.7 minutes of the program. There are many attempts to murder but attempts of murder and suicide and deaths by acts of war or police or defensive killings 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. |
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(The objective heart of the CAP Analysis Model, independent of and insulated from the Summary / Commentary section.)   Wanton Violence/Crime (W) - 26 out of 100 Impudence/Hate (I) - 56 out of 100 Sexual Immorality (S) - 73 out of 100 Drugs/Alcohol (D) - 73 out of 100 Offense to God (O) - 43 out of 100 Murder/Suicide (M) - 100 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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| 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 |
