This film set to be released this weekend seeks to stir up a lot of controversy and animosity from religious and conservative groups in order to promote itself. I hope they won’t be satisfied in this desire, but I see that boycotts are already organized. I think that is unnecessary. I think the film will suffer the same fate that the recent spate of anti-war movies have suffered--all by itself and without organized opposition. It is good to get the word out that the movie is not just another innocent fantasy film (a teacher at my children’s Christian school almost unwittingly organized a trip for her students to see this film as a reward until another teacher in the know informed her about the plot) but this is yet another example of protests and boycotts working in a counter-productive manner.
UPDATE: Here’s a review from someone who has actually seen the movie. He makes the interesting point that the message of this first installment works against the atheist intent of its author . . . good.
I was kinda' hoping you were going to see the film, and review it for us.
I might do that--though I hate to pay people determined to insult me. If I do, however, I won't take my kids. Michael Medved reviewed the movie on his show yesterday and said that he thought the anti-Christian message would probably go over the heads of most children who saw it--but it certainly has a secular message against absolutes of all kinds that may stick and have subversive effects. I think that is the real intent of the film--less to insult Christians than to sing the praises of a happy secular nihilism. I'm not sure how the heroine proves admirable in the absence of absolute standards . . . or why the villain can be said to be vile . . . that's my only curiosity about the film. Medved also said to see the film only if you want your kids to think that demons are cute and cuddly . . .
Isn't this movie supposedly the first of several. So although it might muffle the overall anti-Christian message, that message may come through loud and clear by the end of the series. Once kids start to watch a series, such as Harry Potter for instance, it gets real hard to tell them they can't watch it, for whatever reason.
Remember the first Harry Potter movie, that was OK for kids. But the series became darker by the 3d, and had Voldemort resembling a human lizard emerging from a cauldron in the 4th. Younger brothers who watched the first, were somewhat over their heads come the 4th.
My little nephew Ryan still has nightmares about it.
I trust Medved. I'll check out his website and listen to his review.
Did you review the Harry Potter series? What did you think of that last volume?
Medved does NOT recommend the movie. That last reference was meant as a kind of back-handed instruction to avoid it . . . why would you want your kids to think Demons are cute and cuddly? You are right that this film is meant to be only the first of several and that they get more and more explicit in their anti-Christian message in succession (at least the novels do). I will not let my kids see this film. But I also think organized boycotts are stupid.
As for Harry Potter, you're right that they got scarier as time went on. Fortunately they were released far enough apart for me that it wasn't an issue with my oldest. My youngest has only watched and read (or been read to, to be more precise) up to #3. Then he put an end to it himself. He watched part of #4 and just walked out of the room. My daughter and I had a girls night out to see #5 as the boy didn't even want to try going.
Boys are always more scared of scary things in my experience . . . I think that's because they know that if the scary thing were real it would be their job to deal with it. I'll never forget going to the LA County Fair with my mother's group when my daughter was only 2. They had a Medieval exhibit full of castles and dragons and knights in shining armor. The little girls couldn't wait to get in. The boys--down to the last "man"--absolutely refused.
What the heck are you people babbling on about? The Lord of the Rings was written by a Christian. The Mythology behind the Lord of the Rings stems back to 'Iluvatar' the MONOTHEISTIC creator. Peter Jackson may be an atheist, but he has not promoted his views in the films, they still maintain the mythology that Tolkien created; a mythology based on a monotheistic creator, good vs. evil, and sacrifice as the ultimate service to the beloved.
I know it's been a few years since the original post was made on here, but I just have to say that you all look like lunatics bashing a clearly Christian-based story and calling it anti-Christian. Please, think before you judge, if you must judge at all.
This post was about "The Golden Compass," william, not Lord of the Rings. Read the post and click on the links before you decide that we are babbling. Geesh.