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A service to our youth through you, their parents and grandparents, in His name by His Word MAR22007 The Mothman Prophecies (2002), PG-13 Analysis Date: January 26, 2002 CAP Score: 68 CAP Influence Density: 0.57 |
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THE MOTHMAN PROHPECIES (PG-13) -- the town's secret history begins to take shape again. Distributed by: Screen Gems Director(s): Mark Pellington Producer(s): Gary W. Goldstein, Gary Lucchesi, James McQuaide, Tom Rosenberg, Ted Tannebaum, Richard S. Wright Written by/Screenplay: John A. Keel (book), Richard Hatem (screenplay) Cinematography/Camera: Fred Murphy Music: Tom Hajdu, Andy Milburn, Jeff Rona Editing: Brian Berdan As author Alexander Leek (Alan Bates) tries vainly to explain away the supernatural appearances and events terrorizing a sleepy town as just one of the as yet undiscovered realities of earth, The Mothman Prophecies delves into the supernatural world with the Mothman wreaking worries and woes on the inhabitants of Point Pleasant, West Virginia. As a star reporter for the Washington Post, John Klein (Richard Gere) meets the Mothman. He and his wife Mary (Debra Messing) literally run into the Mothman on a dark night with their SUV. She was driving. She saw it. He didn't. The injuries Mary received in the ensuing wreck reveal she is with tumor and dies. During her hospitalization, Mary sketches a variety of images ... of the Mothman. Even the orderly who tells Klein of his departed wife's sketchings does it in a spooky monosyllabic "duh!" fashion then is suddenly nowhere in sight. Deciding to drive instead of fly to his next assignment to meet with the Governor of Virginia, Klein experiences major electric failure of his car. What to do!? Klein is on a two-lane back road on his way to Richmand, Virginia and his car is dead. It is the middle of the night, 1:30 AM. Abandoning his car to trek to the closest house to call for help, an hour or so later Klein finds himself in Point Pleasant, West Virginia -- on the Ohio border -- a trip that would take 6 hours even at 80 miles per hour. It is now 2:30 AM. Banging on the door of a modest home to use their phone to call for help. Klein is greeted by Gordon (Will Patton - Remember the Titans) with a shotgun to Klein's face. Gordon claims Klein had been banging on his door at 2:30 AM for the previous two nights. Klein says he has never been to Point Pleasant. Coming to the rescue of Klein is Sgt. Connie Parker (Laura Linney). Talking Gordon into lowering the shotgun, Parker starts to put pieces and parts together as Klein speaks of how he came to be in Point Pleasant. The history of Point Pleasant is replayed in Parker's mind as the town's secret history begins to take shape again. Klein finds sketchings that look just like his wife's. And he finds marks on things in Point Pleasant just like the marks on the grill of his SUV, which is also now in Point Pleasant. The standard array of inexplicable things happen with regularity: the phone calls, the voices from nowhere, even a visit from Klein's dead wife. Premonitions happen that foretell disasters down to the number of people killed in them. All from Point Pleasant ... the "home" of the Mothman. There is much more to this supernatural thriller but I will stop here to avoid ruining it for you if you chose to see this movie after learning of its true content from the Findings/Scoring section. Though this is a movie about a manufactured supernatural thing, the Mothman is never seen. The most of the invasive properties of this film are explosive startles and unholy presences and voices. There were less examples of foul language in The Mothman Prophecies than in A Walk to Remember. Regarding sexual matters, an episode of seeing a nude woman through a steamed up shower door and a pair of teens necking in the bar seat of a car were about the most offensive. Clearly equivalent to R-rated programming in Wanton Violence/Crime and Offense to God, The Mothman Prophecies was equivalent to PG in Sex/Homosexuality, Drugs/Alcohol, and G in Murder/Suicide. The final score of 68 places this movie at the bottom of the scoring range for PG movies (68 to 86 out of 100), making it a "hardcore" PG in comparison to the movies in the CAP baseline database. But it is typical for some matters of ignominy to bother some folks more than others. So please rely on the listing in the Findings/Scoring section for making your decision whether this movie is fit or not. SCRIPTURAL APPLICATION(S) If needed to focus or fortify, applicable text is underlined or bracketed [ ]. 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. ***General*** 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. |
 Wanton Violence/Crime (W): Impudence/Hate (I)(1): Sex/Homosexuality (S): Drugs/Alcohol (D): Offense to God (O)(2): Murder/Suicide (M)(3): |
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| NOTE: The CAP Analysis Model makes no scoring allowances for trumped-up "messages" to excuse or for manufacturing of justification for aberrant behavior or imagery, or for camouflaging such ignominy with "redeeming" programming. Disguising sinful behavior in a theme plot does not excuse the sinful behavior of either the one who is drawing pleasure or example from the sinful display or the practitioners demonstrating the sinful behavior. This is NOT a movie review service. It is a movie analysis service to parents and grandparents to tell them the truth about movies using the Truth. |
| "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 nearly seven 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. |
