Posted on 11/27/2004 7:16:43 AM PST by T-Bird45
Did you think this year's multiplex controversies ended with Election Day and the relegation of "Fahrenheit 9/11" to the back bins of the video store?
If so, think again. Now people are buzzing about several new family films.
One is "The Incredibles," where some see a "social Darwinist" agenda. Another is "The Polar Express," starring a computer-generated clone of Tom Hanks and, some allege, the message that "believing is beautiful," regardless of whether it's attached to anything real. I doubt if "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" will rouse partisan anger. But in today's polarized climate, who knows?
At first blush, it's hard to imagine anyone objecting to "The Polar Express," adapted from Chris Van Allsburg's bestselling children's book. It's about a lonely boy who's taken to the North Pole on Christmas Eve by a mysterious train conductor, who gathers emotionally needy kids on his way to Santa's workshop.
But in the "culture wars" age, issues swirl as ubiquitously as the snowflakes around Santa's beard. One issue is the "Polar Express" view of Christmas, bedecked in exclusively secular terms: It's loud about presents and decorations, silent on religious meanings.
Blind Faith
And then there's the film's ultimate message to the main character -- summed up in the word "believe," punched by the conductor on the lonely boy's ticket as a reminder of what's important in life. The boy's big mistake has been losing his faith in Santa Claus as he grows older.
The movie's big mistake, according to some critics, is illustrating the importance of faith by hooking it onto Santa, who -- let's face it -- doesn't exist. This may bother religious viewers who consider faith too important to fritter away on myths.
Those to the left of the political spectrum -- perhaps unable to let go of the political season -- are also irked by the message they see embedded in the movie -- that facts and logic can't hold a candle to "believing."
"The message of blind faith, though certainly harmless in the context of a Santa Claus story, may trouble viewers who see the same principle at work today in U.S. foreign policy," says critic Stuart Klawans, author of "Left in the Dark" and "Film Follies."
Thwarted Supermen
But how about "The Incredibles," about superheroes forced to hide their powers when the public turns against them?
A scene cited by several critics shows a homemaker, the former Elastigirl, reminding her husband, the former Mr. Incredible, that their superspeedy son Dash will be graduating soon. "He isn't graduating," says Mr. Incredible with disdain. "He's only moving from fourth grade to fifth grade.
"They're constantly finding ways to celebrate mediocrity!" he adds, exasperated that Dash gets honored for an ordinary achievement -- but can't join his school's track team, because his superpowers would make it unfair to the other kids.
Is there a subtle sociological statement embedded in "The Incredibles"?
"I can't help thinking of [philosopher Friedrich] Nietzsche and his idea that some people are better and more deserving than others," says Mikita Brottman, professor of language and literature at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore.
"The movie salutes superman," Dr. Brottman adds. "Not the 'Superman' in comic books but the one [despots] believe in. Its idea seems to be that even in a democracy some people are 'more equal' than others, and the rest of us shouldn't be so presumptuous as to get in their way."
Reviewers have been raising these concerns, too. "The Incredibles" suggests "a thorough, feverish immersion in both American comic books and the philosophy of Ayn Rand," writes A.O. Scott in The New York Times, referring to the founder of "objectivism," a philosophy anchored in capitalism and atheism.
When the "Incredibles" hero "balances a globe-shaped robot on his shoulders, should we be thinking of 'Atlas Shrugged'?" writes "Newsday" critic John Anderson, citing Rand's most famous novel, about a "strike" by gifted leaders that brings an ungrateful society to its knees. The movie's chief subplot, about a superhero imitator, "suggests not only class warfare, but also something approaching a Divine Right of Superheroes," he adds.
"The Incredibles" is great fun, these reviews agree, but they all sense a subtext that's serious. The film is "a fun-filled foray into animated action, fantasy, and adventure," as Anderson puts it. "And objectivism. And tort reform," he adds, noting that the villains include citizens who sue superheroes over injuries they've incurred during rescues.
Other Meanings?
Nobody connected with "The Incredibles" has laid claim to such subtexts -- publicly, at least -- and it's possible to read "The Polar Express" not as a right-wing celebration of "faith" but as a left-wing critique of "traditional values." At one point, for instance, a precious Polar Express ticket gets carried away by the wind, only to be "rescued" by an eagle, fed to a baby eagle, and spat out as unpalatable by the American symbol that tried to swallow it.
Some critics interpret "Forrest Gump," an earlier film by "Polar Express" director Robert Zemeckis, in a similar against-the-grain way, seeing it as a statement that only a feckless idiot like Forrest could move unscathed through 20th-century American history.
Whatever the underlying messages -- if any -- it appears "The Incredibles" is an instant hit, while "The Polar Express" is not.
Audience numbers won't silence suspicious critics, though. "The Incredibles" is "brilliantly engaging," Klawans says -- which makes it "more worrisome, if you lack blind faith in the writings of Ayn Rand."
The Incredibles is, simply put, incredible! More fully developed characters than in most feature films, and a depiction of marriage more realistsic too. As for the subtexts, people will read into that what they will.
Can't we just go to a movie anymore and just be entertained? There's so much more in the world to worry about. These people need to get a life.
I wonder if the MSM reviewers would be griping about the political undertones if they had espoused a more socialist or liberal line.
I think not.
And I don't think there was anything subtle about it. It was gloriously, overtly, straightforwardly stated for all to hear, and I was thrilled when I heard it: that some people actually deserve recognition for their abilities and achievements.
The main differences between this line of thinking and Nietzsche's Superman is that N was questioning whether the "Uber-mensch" would be bound by morality if he exceeds the capabilities and limitations of others. These characters are very clearly moral, ethical, and (most disturbing to the left) embedded in family values.
What gives me hope is that The Incredibles did so well at the box office. When I saw it, audiences definitely got the political implications and agreed with what they were saying.
Agreed. If "Incredibles" is so right-wing, then why does it feature "the" PC view of big insurance companies as evil and greed incarnate?
Some people see the Virgin Mary on a grilled cheese sandwich, so imagining subplots and hidden agendas in ordinary movies is simple.
"The Incredibles" is great fun, these reviews agree, but they all sense a subtext that's serious. The film is "a fun-filled foray into animated action, fantasy, and adventure," as Anderson puts it. "And objectivism. And tort reform," he adds, noting that the villains include citizens who sue superheroes over injuries they've incurred during rescues.
I hadn't thought of seeing the Incredibles, but now I just might. After all the Left wing garbage put out by Hollywood, its nice to see the liberals whining when an excellent blockbuster evens the score. Its hard to believe this came out of Disney/Pixar.
Libs don't know how to have 'fun'. They have to anal-ize everything and wait for the poll results.
Definitely see it. I go to very few movies but Incredibles is worth it. Funny with a message that is in context and exceptional in our present age. They are just good people.
Remember "Antz?" There was a cartoon with a message. It was supposed to be a kids' movie, but it was so political it wasn't even cute. "A Bug's Life," on the other hand, was clever, engaging, and very entertaining, and lacked the overt political message of "Antz." "Bugs" was a hit, and still is. "Antz" is already on the ash heap of cinematic history...
Have to put this on the "see" list when we get the chance.
Semper Fi
You should definatly see The Incredibles - to put it simply, it is an incredible movie. ;) And my favorite line in that movie strikes right at the heart of the PC left - "If everyone is special, then nobody really is."
Imagine Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" being done in animated form like Shrek. I can't wait for Sartre's "Being and Nothingness" as a comic book.
Snort what? The left is all about "belief" and blind faith and zilch about facts and logic.
But seriously, folks, I did see "The Polar Express" yesterday with my nine-year-old daughter. It's just a story about believing in Santa Claus, like so many other Christmas stories (e.g., "Miracle on 34th Street"). I wouldn't read a whole of other messages into it. There's just a little bit of PC in it, in that the kid who shows the most leadership ability is black and a girl, but that's not so unbearable.
I thought the film was OK, if you're taking a 6-to-12-year-old child with you. The train ride is pretty spectacular and exciting, and some of the animation at the North Pole is impressive, too.
"The Incredibles" does have some socio-political satire in it, but nothing real heavy-handed. It's a fun ride.
These people remind me of my high school Senior English teacher, they're on such a constant and desperate search for symbols in everything they take all the fun out of it. It never occurs to them that maybe, just maybe, these are just movies with no purpose other than entertaining people for a couple of hours; nope in their world every scene, every image is some HUGE complex of REFERENCES. In their world you're supposed to think about something other than the movie during every frame, personally when I'm thinking about something other than the movie while I'm watching a movie then either the movie sucks or my wife is being friendly.
They had to pick some industry to demonstrate that, so an insurance company was chosen.
It'd be pretty unbearable for a leftist, considering that the person with the most leadership ability in the real world is also a black woman, and this person is driving them nuts. I don't need to name any names, do I? :-)
The Horror of it all! Must be why so many reviewers panned a movie that looks like it will wind up among the biggest grossers of 2004
Saw it with my kids. No "subtle" obscene references, no flaming gay heros, nothing to embarrass a parent taking young kids. Everybody loved it
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