This is one of the best animated comedies I’ve seen in a while. Pixar movies are great, but seldom have you laughing so hard you fall out of your seat (whether or not that’s a good thing is a topic for further discussion - see Doctrine and Covenants 88:69). The comedy is on par with Emperor’s New Groove: constant, intelligent wit. If you’re looking for something kids and adults can fully enjoy, this is it.
Moral Rating: 3/5
Two relationships are portrayed, from which we can learn something of value. The first is the father-son relationship. There is an obvious communication barrier between Flint and his dad. Flint doesn’t understand his dad’s fishing metaphors and his Dad doesn’t understand anything about technology. This communication breakdown causes quite a bit of strain in their familial relationship. By the end we see them both make efforts to communicate with each other out of a need to express their love.
Flint’s relationship with Sam isn’t terribly deep, though Flint does help her understand that it’s important to be who you are and there’s no reason to be ashamed of your intelligence. Otherwise it’s a rather standard, awkward boy/girl relationship that gets better once they each are able to express their feelings.
In addition to better understanding the importance of parent-child communication, kids may learn that eating too much of anything can make you sick.
Two ladies on death row must compete for the hearts of the corrupt Chicago people in order to gain their freedom.
Entertainment Value - A
Great music that was more than just song and dance, it cleverly moved the story forward. All the performances were well done, the plot was great.
Moral Value - Failure to Communicate? - 4
At first glance I was rather leery of what this movie would portray. I had already walked out of Moulin Rouge, and this didn't seem like it would be terribly different. What changed my mind about seeing this was Orson Scott Card's shortreviews of the movie. The reasons for this not getting a higher moral rating from us is that it is not a show for young kids; the themes presented are for a more mature audience. Be aware that there is some language, sexuality, and a lot of revealing clothing presented in the movie (and no ClearPlay filter available at the date of this posting, and I'm not sure how they could create one without mutilating the musical numbers in the film). This content, however, adds to the overall message of the movie; and by the end it is quite clear that this film is a commentary on our social and legal system, not a promotion of murder, sex, and greed.
One of the biggest ironies in the film is seen in the character of Roxie's husband, Amos. He seems to be the only moral character in the film, portrayed as being both an innocent and a faithful husband, but gets trampled on as if honesty is going out of style. In addition to his goodness not being accepted/noticed, he's portrayed as a rather dim-witted person, clueless to how the "real-world" works. This juxtaposition strengthened the satire of the film through the mockery of moral values.
The scene I enjoyed most was the puppeteer number. It displayed how easily the media can be swayed one way or another if the facts are manipulated just right. All of a sudden a criminal becomes a hero because of the background he or she came from (always blaming the current conditions of the person on someone else other than him/herself.)
The movie makes you wonder if truth really matters to some people, or if the world is only always looking for fame and fortune. Nothing in this world comes easy. Those who rely on the world for their emotional support will never be happy. The press loved Velma one day, then Roxie the next, and then someone else, and then back to Roxie, and on and on. The world cannot ever provide the emotional stability needed to live a genuinely happy life, it gives you a false sense of worth and then drops you flat on your face (sounds similar to a scripture in the Book of Mormon.
Does the fact that these two murderesses got off Scott-free make this a less moral movie ("You can like the life you live and live the life you like.")? I don't think so, partially because the way the trial at the end was portrayed (like a circus, with a tap dance able to pull off the unthinkable) I found myself laughing at the absurdness of it all.
Synopsis A young man, Sing (played by director Stephen Chow), aspires to join a 1940's Chinese axe-mafia group. The mafia runs into some resistance in an apartment complex that still fosters the spirit of Kung fu. Desperate to punish them, the mafia releases The Beast, who also is a master of Kung fu. At the last minute a new Kung fu master surfaces as a result of being pounded to a pulp and is destined to face The Beast.
Entertainment Value This was a bizarre movie (probably even more so since I watched it in Spanish). Hilarious most of the time, yet a little disturbing. The fighting sequences were very well done; it was really like watching a real life Looney Tunes Kung Fu movie.
Moral Value - Failure to Communicate? I've been struggling with the phrase "glamorized violence" and what exactly it means. From what I gather, it means that it makes violence look pleasurable or rewarding. Maybe something like The Matrix where the fighting is really cool. Is that bad? The fighting in this movie was so completely unrealistic and exaggerated that it was genuinely funny. I'm not sure you could call that bad or good, at least it doesn't make me want to go around and try to punch people through walls or chop off their legs.
[Spoiler Alert] Sing's story is admirable. He's unsure of what he wants to do with his life. He's attracted to the power and fame of the axe-mafia, but he also has a desire to do good and protect the weak. He's literally pounded to his senses and is able to become the ultimate good and defeat the Beast, bringing peace to the tenants and repairing an old friendship. So even though the movie was an action/comedy (a genre that generally doesn't have any sort of moral or immoral message), I thought the aforementioned messages were well created. I could really understand the confusion that Sing felt and his desire to fit in somewhere; I was able to internalize the conflicts that were portrayed.
Just because it had some good messages, I don't think I could recommend this to anyone; unless you're interested in seeing the stylized Kung fu action sequences and can stomach a bit of blood, even in the TV-version (at least on Spanish broadcast TV).
