Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

(This review can also be found at http://www.christiananswers.net/spotlight/movies/2014/nightatthemuseum2014.html.)

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

MPAA Rating: PG for mild action, some rude humor and brief language.

Appropriate for: Ages 7+

Genre: Family Fantasy Action Adventure Comedy

Length: 97 minutes

Year of Release: 2014

All seems well at the Museum of Natural History in New York. The place buzzes with excitement as Larry Daley (Ben Stiller), the museum’s night guard, preps for the grand opening of the planetarium exposition at the museum. Thanks to the help of his friends—the wax figurines of Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams), Sacagawea, and others that come to life at night because of the magical tablet of Ahkmenrah—it looks like the evening is going to be a success. That is, until every exhibit in the museum starts going nuts. The life-like constellations from the new planetarium start attacking the visiting VIPs, Teddy Roosevelt aims his gun at someone’s head, and all of the animals wreak havoc among the banquet tables as the frightened visitors run from the building. A night with so much promise ends in disaster. When it’s all over, Teddy and the other exhibits have no memory of what they did.

As Larry soon discovers, the magical malfunction is linked to the corrosion that has been slowly spreading over Ahkmenrah’s golden tablet. If Larry and his friends don’t figure out how to stop the corrosion, pretty soon the entire tablet will be useless, and its magic will end. No more magic, no more living exhibits. Without the magic, Teddy, Sacagawea, Octavius, Jed and the others will be silent and still forever. Not even Ahkmenrah himself, however, knows the cause of the corrosion or how to repair the tablet. He does know one person who would have the answers they are looking for, though: his father, the pharaoh Merenkahre. But he just happens to be on display at the British Museum in London. Undaunted by the distance and determined to save their friends, Larry and his son Nick (Skylar Gisondo) take the tablet to England, bringing the whole team with them, and set out to learn the secret of the tomb.

Despite its simplistic and somewhat cliché plot, Night at the Museum 3 is an exciting flick for the whole family, filled with laughs, imagination, and kid-friendly adventures. While its biggest attraction is the clean comedy, this film also touches on the important themes of friendship, fatherhood, and loyalty. I especially appreciated the movie’s depiction of the relationship between Larry and his son, Nick. Unlike most on-screen parent-child relationships, Larry and Nick are shown communicating in a mature and level-headed manner. Their conversations do not involve yelling, slamming doors, and raised tempers but instead display an unprecedented level of clear communication and mutual respect. In general, Larry seemed to follow the command of Ephesians 6:4, which says, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children.” He does this by treating his son as an adult and as an individual rather than belittling him and his desires. Throughout the film, he also learns to value the time he gets to spend with his son and to recognize what a blessing Nick is in his life. In addition, Nick generally showed honor to his father, conforming to God’s command in verses one through three.

Near the beginning of the movie, however, Nick disrespects his father by throwing a dance party in their apartment while Larry is gone. Like any teen party, the scene has its share of loud music and red Solo cups, but the camera shows no underdressed girls, no couples making out, and no inappropriate dancing, keeping the film PG. A few other PG moments involving dancing include a scene in which Dick VanDyke’s character busts some moves in the nursing home with a group of old ladies and a closing scene in which all the characters break out their best moves. In this scene, one couple is shown slow dancing. While discussing VanDyke’s character with Larry, an elderly employee at the museum says that “Cecil Fredericks was the sexiest night guard we’ve ever had—present company excluded.”

In some of the other more risqué moments of the film, a Neanderthal and another character kiss, Ahkmenrah’s mother wears a low-cut dress, a few statues of scantily-clad ancients make an appearance, and Larry affectionately kisses the capuchin monkey. Although surprisingly minimal, toilet humor also makes an appearance. A character is nearly hit in the crotch several times, Dexter the monkey is shown peeing on two occasions, and a new character mentions that her boyfriend thinks her hair-do looks like “golden pooh sitting on [her] shoulder.”

Compared to the previous two films, this third installment of the Night at the Museum franchise has much less destruction and violence, although kids looking for a bit of action will not be disappointed. We witness an armored knight dueling the live skeleton of a triceratops and, later, three characters battling a “mythical snake demon” that has come to life. Although the destruction is not nearly as debilitating as in Night at the Museum 2, this movie has its share of out-of-control museum exhibits and broken glass. Defibrillators make appearances throughout the film, and a couple characters (both good and bad) are shown being electrocuted, although the good character doesn’t seem to suffer much damage from the event. In addition, the miniature characters, Octavius and Jed, find themselves in a number of perilous situations, one of which involves lava and a miniature volcano.

The film also includes some scenes that, although they do not fit the category of “violent,” certainly should be classified as “slightly disturbing.” In one scene, a paranoid man aggressively grabs a young boy, prophesying that “the end will come.” Later, a character eats packing peanuts and, in a different scene, another character promises that “someday, we will drink dragon’s blood together.” A boy is held captive with a knife blade at his throat, and an Egyptian promises to bury another character with honors, assuring the character that he will have all his organs removed and put in separate containers. In addition, a wax character’s nose begins to melt, creating a comical (and somewhat gruesome) effect, while another character’s face begins to deteriorate as a result of the tablet’s gradual loss of power, resulting in a deathly and frightening sight.

Although I did not catch any misuses of the Lord’s name, “d***” is used once and “h***” is used three times. One character exclaims, “where the devil,” and several characters use the words “heck,” “dang,” and “gosh.” While the Christian God is never explicitly mentioned, several characters discuss “gods” in one scene. When Merenkahre asserts that he is descended from Rah and that the Egyptian gods are the only true gods, Larry tells him that he tries to be open-minded, mentioning his own Jewish heritage while also affirming that Attila the Hun and Sacagawea both worship different gods as well. The whole concept of the magical Egyptian tablet also brings up some spiritual topics. Although they are not all in accordance with biblical Christianity, these references to religion and spirituality can serve as perfect discussion starters for families viewing this film.

Overall, I enjoyed Night at the Museum 3. The humor was generally very tasteful, and I found the depictions of friend and family relationships to be very refreshing. For some families, it may not be worth seeing in theaters, but I definitely recommend renting it. You’ll enjoy this final trip to the museum where history comes to life—literally.  

The Giver

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for a mature thematic image and some sci-fi action/violence

Appropriate for: Ages 13+
Genre: Sci-Fi Drama
Length: 94 minutes
Year of Release: 2014

In sixteen-year-old Jonas’ world, everything is black and white. Red, yellow, blue, and green are unheard-of qualities. No color exists. To the eyes of every person in Jonas’ community, the entire world consists of varying hues of gray. Sight is not the only thing that is colorless for these people, though. The individual lives of the people in the community are colorless as well. From the clothing they wear and the houses they live in to the feelings they experience, everything is uniform and regulated. There is no personal property. There are no personal emotions. All this is made possible by the daily injections everybody in the community takes. And, because of it, everyone is happy. At least, as happy as emotionless, colorless people who have no memories of defining life experiences can be.

This is how the Elders meant it to be. The rules against lying, imprecise language, staying out past curfew, and the rest were all instituted so that the people in the community would be able to live in harmony. By eliminating colors and any sense of individuality, the Elders were also able to eliminate emotions like love, hate, and sadness that only brought death and conflict to a world that almost ended in war. It’s now the year 2048 AD, and utopia has been achieved.

At the community’s Ceremony of Growth, Jonas (Brenton Thwaites) and his two close friends, Fiona (Odeya Rush) and Asher, receive the assignments for the jobs they will perform the rest of their lives. Asher is assigned to pilot drones, and Fiona is placed in the nurturing center, where she will help care for the babies that are produced by the assigned mothers of the community. But Jonas—his job is special. The Elders assign him to become the next Receiver of Memory. As he commences his training with the previous Receiver, now known as “The Giver” (Jeff Bridges), Jonas begins to see things that no one else but the Giver can see. He begins to feel things that only he and the Giver can feel. And he’s not so sure that the world is better off without these colors and without these feelings—even if they sometimes cause him pain. Although the words “war” and even “hate” are unheard of in his community, Jonas discovers that death itself has a home there—and no one but he recognizes it because only he knows what it means to love.

Due to some thematic elements and mature themes, this movie probably isn’t a film for young children to watch. However, there is no crude language to speak of, and the boy-girl content is limited to two or three innocent kisses. Even the violence is minimal. One character punches a boy in the face, and a group of security guards chase down the character, ending in a motorcycle chase. The character is also tracked down by a drone and is almost killed when the drone drops him from high in the air. During Jonas’ training, the Giver and Jonas enter the memory of a war. In that memory, Jonas sees people being shot to death. He also enters a memory of an elephant hunt. The memory ends as Jonas sees the hunters shooting the animal. Even in Jonas’ community, death has its presence. Also during his training, Jonas learns that unhealthy babies and elderly people are killed by injections. He begins to recognize that, although his community does not suffer from the violence he saw in that memory of war, the people of the community have made death at home by killing those who are considered “unfit to live” by the community’s standards. Although parts of the movie can get a little intense, The Giver presents and deals with its tough themes really well. The content is best suited to teens and adults, but even mature pre-teens could likely handle the content with some guidance from adults.  

Of all the movies I’ve seen and reviewed this summer, this movie is one of the best. I put it right up there with The Book Thief. It’s not action-packed, the acting isn’t incredible, and the story isn’t thrilling, but this is a solid movie—it’s a beautiful movie. The Giver is based on Lois Lowry’s book of the same name and examines the future of society if this world continues to move in the direction it is currently heading. I have heard from various sources that the movie does not stay quite true to the original story and would, therefore, be disappointing to fans of the book. However, as a movie, The Giver succeeds in communicating a poignant message that the postmodern world needs to hear. It examines the facets of human nature and deftly explores crucial themes such as the sanctity of human life, the centrality of choice, and the purpose of existence.

The Giver addresses the age-old question that the human race has been asking since the Garden of Eden: Why give humans the freedom of choice if they will tend to choose evil every time? This movie reminds us that life is not true life without choice. Without choice and the driving force of emotions, there can be no hate—but there can also be no love. In John 14:21, Jesus said, “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” In other words, those who love God will choose to obey him. If God had not given humans the choice to obey him in the Garden of Eden, humans would not have had the ability to love him or to love at all. Without love, what is life? In The Giver, Jonas discovers that the lives of the people in his community are so empty without colors, without emotions… without love. They may be free from violence, hate, and war, but, at the same time, they are missing the things that make life real. There could be so much more to their lives if only they could have the ability to choose love over hate and life over death instead of living lives of nearly mindless actions and shallow feelings.

The Giver is a must-see. The message alone and the questions it raises are worth your money, and the tender beauty and innocence of this film is worth watching over and over again.

The Death Cure

Overall Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Appropriate for: Ages 13+

Genre: Young Adult Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi

Length: 336 pages

Year of Publication: 2011

(This book is a sequel to The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials.)

It’s been twenty-five days. Twenty-five days alone in a white cell in the headquarters of WICKED. Thomas is alone—separated from his friends, the rest of the Gladers. They had survived the Scorch Trials, and their promised reward was supposed to be a cure for the Flare, the deadly disease that ravages a world half destroyed by sun flares. Before the Scorch Trials, Thomas and his friends had been told that they were all already infected by the Flare and that the cure would be given to those who survived the trek across the burning desert land known as the Scorch. But it had just been another one of the organization WICKED’s lies. There had been no cure at the end for Thomas or his friends. For Thomas, there was only his white-walled cell and three weeks alone with his own thoughts. Where his friends are—he has no way of knowing.

On day twenty-six of his solitary confinement, however, the door of Thomas’ cell opens. The man who had spoken to the Gladers before the Scorch Trials enters and tells Thomas something he doesn’t quite expect: Thomas is immune to the Flare, and he always has been. In fact, most of the other Gladers and girls from Group B are immune too. The Maze, the Scorch… it was all an experiment. It was a test performed to see how brains of people immune to the Flare react to certain variables. The goal was to find a cure for the Flare.

But every experiment needs a control group. Some of the Gladers aren’t immune. Some of them are already on their way to succumbing to the Flare—on their way to becoming Cranks. And WICKED still hasn’t found a cure.

Which of Thomas’ friends aren’t immune? And is WICKED finished messing with their brains? What more do they want with the Gladers? Can Thomas trust WICKED? Can Thomas even trust his friends? Thomas is let out of his cell and soon reunites with his friends. No more maze. No more Scorch. They must face the real world now. The Trials may be over, but Thomas’ real test is just beginning.

This third and final book in James Dashner’s Maze Runner series is yet another suspenseful and action-packed novel about the teen-aged character Thomas as he struggles for survival in the post-apocalyptic world. This time, Dashner follows Thomas and his friends as they experience the world outside of the maze and the Scorch and as they make decisions that may affect the future of the entire human race.

Although Dashner’s main focus is—yet again—on suspense, action, and intrigue, he does touch on some important life questions. The characters must determine whether an honorable end justifies the unethical means used to reach that end. They must decide if it is right to put the few at risk in order to save the many—if it is okay to endanger some people for the greater good—if it is moral to treat people like lab rats. Thomas and the other Gladers also face the question of what makes someone human. According to Dashner, the characters who have been infected by the Flare disease slowly lose their humanity until they are no longer human. Although this and other assertions in the book are contradictory to the biblical worldview, they still give readers the chance to think over important questions related to morality and human worth. They also encourage Christians to look to the Bible for the answers to these tough questions and to remember that it is the image of God in all of us—not our sanity, not our compassion—that makes us human. Although the questions brought up in this book are important for even young people to consider, the issues presented could likely serve to just confuse teen readers who blunder through this book without guidance. Therefore, teens should not read this book without either an active mind, a Bible, or guidance from an parent or spiritual leader.

The writing style is easy to read, but the philosophical questions mentioned above combined with the overall subject matter of the book make Dashner’s third Maze Runner book inappropriate for younger readers. Teens are best suited to handle the content of The Death Cure, but parents of teens should still be aware of a few content issues in this novel.

As in the previous two Maze Runner books, the characters enjoy spouting certain offensive words and phrases. The Gladers continue to glean many of the expletives from their own made-up vocabulary, but the count of widely known cuss words used by the characters continues to rise in this book. God’s name is also misused about three times. In addition to some disappointing vocabulary, Thomas and the Gladers continue to speak with a disrespectful undertone of sarcasm to pretty much everyone—even their friends. They can be especially rude to adults, most of whom are the “bad guys” in the story. To top it off, the book includes a smattering of crude humor to complement the offensive language and disrespectful bantering.

On the boy-girl side of things, there’s a bit of romance, but nothing overdone or inappropriate. Two of the characters hug and hold hands occasionally. They also kiss each other a few times—mostly on the cheek. That is pretty much the extent of the romance.  

As in the previous two books, the violence and overall intensity of the book is the main cause for this book’s PG-13 feel. To name a few of the violent and intense moments, characters are knocked out, threatened at gunpoint, and shot at. Others are electrocuted by futuristic weapons created for the purpose of stunning enemies. After being hit, the characters are overtaken by spasms as they lay helpless on the ground. One character’s leg is grazed by a bullet. A main character has a bad habit of regularly instigating fistfights with people he disagrees with. Another character shoots someone in the head and later throws a knife into an enemy’s neck. People are crushed by falling debris. Near the middle of the book, WICKED takes over a character’s control of his body and makes him attack his own friends with a knife against his will. The book also contains some talk of brain operations to remove chips inserted there by WICKED. The most disturbing elements of the story are the Cranks. The Death Cure features the creepy, zombie-like characters from The Scorch Trials—including descriptions of their not-so-hygienic bodies and of some disturbing encounters between them and uninfected characters. At one point, a bunch of Cranks swarm a car and try to get at the people inside by tearing away the windows with their bare hands. One very likeable character succumbs to the Flare and becomes a Crank himself. In addition, the huge, slimy, and dangerous “Griever” creatures from the first book return for a final intense fight. In all, the violence is at a level similar to the previous book, The Scorch Trials, if not a little higher. The death toll, however, has certainly gone up from the last book.

The Death Cure is another fun, exciting, and intense sci-fi action book—a must-read for adults and teens who have read and enjoyed the previous two Maze Runner books. Although the author doesn’t adequately answer every question raised by the previous books, The Death Cure brings a somewhat satisfactory ending to Thomas’ story. Even while the story is pretty unrealistic (as with most futuristic movies and books), the book still presents some interesting questions about right and wrong that are especially pertinent to today’s world. To those of you who have not read the previous two books, however, I would suggest skipping the series altogether and waiting for the movies. To me, reading the books was pretty much just like watching a movie. There’s not much to the stories beyond the plot and action, so you could save a lot of time—but still have a similar experience—by just watching the movies that are almost certainly going to be released within the next half decade.

Into the Storm

(This review can also be found at http://www.christiananswers.net/spotlight/movies/2014/intothestorm2014.html.)

Overall Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of intense destruction and peril, and language including some sexual references

Appropriate for: Ages 13+

Genre: Action Disaster Thriller

Length: 89 minutes

Year of Release: 2014

On graduation day for the high school in the town of Silverton, Oklahoma, everyone’s future is looking bright, and it’s the job of two brothers, Donnie and Trey, to capture that optimism. Their dad, Greg (Richard Armitage), is the vice principal of the high school, and he has assigned them to gather footage for a video time-capsule. The two high-schoolers have spent a lot of time with their video cameras over the past several days—interviewing people around the town, asking them to look ahead twenty-five years into the future and share their thoughts on what the years ahead will bring. Now, on graduation day, their last job is to capture the ceremony on camera. To the two boys, it seems like that ceremony is all their dad cares about. Donnie is sick of his father’s perpetually high expectations for everything he does, and he feels like all he ever gets from his dad is criticism. When Donnie gets a chance to help the girl of his dreams with a video report that she is making, he skips the ceremony and leaves his brother alone to take care of recording the graduation. Unfortunately, however, it turns out that Donnie picked a bad day to wander off without his dad knowing.

Meanwhile, storm chasers Pete (Matt Walsh) and Allison (Sarah Wayne Callies) and their team are busy with their video cameras too, hoping to document America’s next big storm. Pete’s lifelong dream has been to capture up-close and personal footage of an epic tornado, and he’s ready to make that dream happen. It’s that time of year for tornadoes, and he’s got all the gear—but it just doesn’t seem like he has the right team for the job. The weather analyst, Allison, seems to lack the instincts necessary for chasing storms. She’s brought them to the town of Silverton, but the forecast predicts that only thunderstorms will disrupt the high school’s graduation ceremony. When the hail comes and the winds start to get fierce, though, Pete’s hopes start to rise. He might finally get his dream storm after all.

The drenching rain brings an abrupt end to the graduation ceremony, and the storm begins. As deadly tornadoes ravage the town, Donnie, Greg, Pete, and Allison and the rest of the storm’s victims learn to rethink their own priorities as they realize that there is much more to life than personal success and satisfaction.

Into the Storm has some great things to say about self-sacrifice, priorities in life, and the importance of living every day like it’s your last. This movie reminds us that we should not bank our happiness on personal success or on passing pleasures but that we should look for joy in the things that we tend to take for granted. Instead of perpetually hoping for something better in the future and pouting through our “unfair” or “boring” lives, we should be thankful for the lives we do have, the family we have been given, and the love we don’t always deserve. At the end of the movie, one previously cocky, crude high schooler says, “It only matters that I’m alive. I’m just thankful that I’m alive.” Other characters assert after the storm that “being together is all that matters” and that people should “take life one day at a time.” Although the world certainly needs to hear these messages, none of the hope and happiness that these characters show in the aftermath of the tornadoes’ destruction quite makes sense without Jesus Christ in the picture. In the final scenes of the movie, we hear the words, “Our faith will carry us through.” But the faith they’re talking about is not faith in God. It is faith in the human race. According to the biblical worldview, such faith is useless. No one can find true hope in life without Jesus, who sacrificed himself for the sins of the world so that those who put their faith in him might have eternal life. Although this movie doesn’t give the world the answers that it needs, it still brings up important questions about hope and purpose in life. It offers viewers the perfect opportunity to explore these themes. It reminds Christians of their true source of hope—the real Savior of the world.

On the other hand, however, this movie is a perfect illustration of why Hollywood is having one of its worst summers ever. The filmmakers had the not-so-brilliant idea of making the footage appear as if it were taken from the video cameras of the characters themselves. While this was probably intended to give the movie a more intimate feel, it only succeeds in making it seem more unrealistic and unprofessional. With that, some weak acting, and a simple and somewhat predictable plot, the only substantial accomplishment of Into the Storm is its series of impressive CGI tornadoes and the destruction that they bring.

And the destruction is certainly substantial. An entire town is leveled by the end of the movie, and several buildings are shown being torn up in the midst of the actual storm. Trees, cars, and houses are picked up and tossed about by the massive tornadoes, and a number of characters are carried off and killed by the violent winds of the storm. One minor character is pulled up into a flaming tornado that was ignited in a nearby gas leak. Two characters nearly drown, several are hit by debris, and others barely evade falling trees and power lines. Although the blood is limited to a few scratches and cuts, the intense moments in this film are enough to make it too much for young kids.

The movie also earns its PG-13 rating with a disappointing amount of foul language. In an hour and a half, they managed to fit in about two dozen uses of the word “s***,” and one to five uses each of the expletives “h***,” “a**,” “son of a b****,” “d**n,” “p***ed,” “sucked,” and “screwed.” The Lord’s name is taken in vain quite frequently, and there are also a few inappropriate references to parts of the body. A fair amount of the profanity comes from a group of thrill-seekers who are shown either drinking beers or being drunk during most of the movie.

On the boy-girl side of things, there are no explicit sexual scenes and only one scene with kissing: in the opening scene of the movie, two teenagers are briefly shown making out in the back of a car. However, there are still some objectionable references that parents should be aware of. Donnie has a crush on a pretty girl at his high school, and his brother accuses him of staring at her picture in the yearbook. Trey shows Donnie a shot of one of the high school teacher’s cleavage that he got while interviewing her for their video time-capsule. When Donnie goes off to talk to his crush, Trey tells him to “get some skin on camera” to show him later. During one of the boys’ interviews with a high school basketball player, the jock says that, in twenty-five years, he’ll be married to a “super smokin’ hot cheerleader wife” and mentions that he’ll “bang her up good.”  

Overall, I would not consider this movie worthy of a visit to the movie theater. I cannot recommend Into the Storm for young or sensitive viewers due to the profanity, sexual references, and destruction. However, for teens and adults who don’t mind intense action and who appreciate movies like the 1996 film Twister, this movie might be worth renting for a couple bucks. Despite the occasional cheesiness, the movie may even present families with an opportunity to discuss some important spiritual topics.

Hercules (2014)

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for epic battle sequences, violence, suggestive comments, brief strong language and partial nudity

Appropriate for: Ages 13+
Genre: Action Adventure War
Length: 98 minutes
Year of Release: 2014

The movie begins with a legend. Hercules was the son of Zeus and a mortal woman. Half man and half god, the man was amazingly gifted in strength and skill in battle. From a young age, Hercules was hated and hunted by the goddess Hera, but, even as a young boy, he foiled attempts at his life with his great skill. As an adult, his power only grew, and his completion of the twelve labors—among them slaying the hydra and killing a lion with his bare hands—brought him fame far and wide.

But that’s just the legend.

The Hercules (Dwayne Johnson) we meet in the film may have legendary strength, but it turns out that the real Hercules is just a man with a troubled past and a mercenary who fights for gold. Is he the son of Zeus? Is he half god? Not even he really knows. But the combination of his incredible strength and the stories of his past have earned him a name—a name that is feared among his enemies. That name has also made him and his team of mercenaries desirable to anyone who is looking to hire out a quick fighting job. These jobs have been stacking up for Hercules and his five fellow fighters, and each of them only need one more big bag of gold before they can retire in style. They just need to wait for the next job offer to come around.

It arrives soon enough, coming from the mouth of a princess (Rebecca Ferguson), the daughter of the King of Thrace. She and her father need help defeating a merciless warlord, and Hercules and his five companions are the people they need to give themselves the upper hand. All Hercules and his team have to do is whip the Thracian army into shape and defeat the warlord. After that, they can take their gold and live happily ever after. Simple, right? At first, it’s nothing that Hercules and his friends can’t handle. When things start to smell fishy, though, Hercules and his companions realize that the situation may not have been as simple as they expected—that, just maybe, they’ve ended up on the wrong side of the fight.

Based on a Radical Comics graphic novel, this film is all about the action. Consequently, the plot and character development are on the low side while violence, death, and gore are very high. The heroes of the movie have the skill and physique of the Avengers and fight with the intensity of characters from The Lord of the Rings. Needless to say, there are a lot of fighting and a large number of battle scenes. Throughout the film, Hercules repeatedly takes out multiple men with a single blow of his club, other characters are stabbed or killed by arrows, rotting heads are impaled on poles, warriors are run over by chariots or burnt to death in fires, and dead, bloody bodies—even the bodies of children—lay in piles on the battlefields. One character swipes his finger across a rotting body and licks the gore off of his finger. There are also a number of frightening mythological creatures, such as a three-headed wolf, a multi-headed snakelike water creature, and an enormous lion—all equipped with razor-sharp teeth and freaky eyes. The enemies that Hercules and his followers battle in one scene are tattooed all over and have a creepy green tint to their skin. The combination of that and their orc-like battle cries makes them especially frightening. In all, the level of blood and gore in this film is reminiscent of the 2011 movie The Eagle, but it lasts a lot longer. The violence alone makes this film inappropriate for young viewers.

The offensive language is also a cause for disappointment to families—and, unfortunately, the expletives are not in Greek. The words “b****rd,” “f***,” “c***,” “s***,” and “h***” are used about once or twice each.

To top it off, the movie also contains a few objectionable scenes and suggestive comments. The most offensive scene appears in one of Hercules’ tormented dreams—a very brief shot of his wife’s bare backside, from the knees up. It was absolutely unnecessary to the plot and to the movie in general. Even if that weren’t true, however, guys who choose to watch this movie would still do well to cover their eyes during this brief scene. There is also a scene at the beginning of the film in which Hercules’ mother is wearing a very revealing, low-cut dress that is nearly transparent in the front, resulting in a lot of cleavage. During a celebratory feast, a few scantily dressed belly-dancers sway to music. Low-cut, breezy dresses appear to be the norm for most female characters throughout the film. The one female warrior in the movie, however, is dressed for battle. But her choice of armor isn’t exactly what I would pick to wear in a fight. Her outfit consists of something like a mini-skirt and a short top that leaves her belly and lower back uncovered. Several characters also make some jokes referring to “breasts” and other private parts of the body. We also see the naked Hercules as a newborn baby, and the adult Hercules is shirtless for most of the film.

Although the worldview presented in this movie is certainly anti-biblical, I would not consider the worldview issues to be a reason for skipping this movie. Hercules introduces a strange mix of the ancient Greek view of the world and modern existentialism. One character is a seer and continually talks about visions of the future that the gods reveal to him. He also makes a reference to the Oracle at Delphi. In another part of the movie, a warrior assures his fellow fighters that they have no need to worry about dying in battle because they will join the souls of heroes in Elysium. Later, a character adds, “Or, if you’re lucky, you’ll go to Hades where all the fun people are.” While we see and hear characters praying to and speaking about the gods, characters also assert that humans “have it within themselves to write their own legends.” In the closing lines of the movie, one character says, “You don’t need to be a demi-god to be a hero. You just need to believe you’re a hero.” The movie asserts mankind’s autonomy—his power to make himself into something great. This message in the film is the perfect opportunity for discussion about man’s true capabilities. According to the biblical worldview, the life of a human is fleeting, and his powers are oh-so limited. Isaiah 40:6-8 says, “All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” Those who hope in the Lord, however, are the people who will find true strength. God is “the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth… He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak” (Isaiah 40:28-29). Compared to God, all men are like grass. They will all wither and pass away. Yes—even Hercules.

Despite the objectionable content, I would probably still consider this movie worthy to rent. It’s nothing sensational and nothing incredible in the realm of acting or filmmaking, but it still has some exciting fight scenes, interesting plot twists, and discussion-worthy elements. However, this movie is not for everyone—especially for those who like to avoid blood and gore. Males should also be cautioned against choosing this movie due to the brief scene of nudity. If you enjoy battles, however, and are willing to close your eyes during a scene or two, view this movie with a mind ready to face the issues it presents and ready to consider whether a human can truly be a hero on his own.

The Scorch Trials

Overall Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Appropriate for: Ages 13+

Genre: Young Adult Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi

Length: 368 pages

Year of Publication: 2010

(This book is a sequel to The Maze Runner.)

The maze was all a part of an experiment. Led by the organization WICKED, the “Maze Trials” were used by WICKED to study the reactions, brain waves, and thoughts of the Gladers as a way to find a cure to the Flare—a disease that ravages a world nearly destroyed by sun flares. But Thomas and the Gladers—they survived the maze. They were rescued from WICKED. They are safe. It just all seems too good to be true.

The morning after escaping the maze and being rescued from WICKED, Thomas and the twenty other surviving Gladers discover that it was all too good to be true. Their world starts to fall apart all over again. They wake up to a mass of crazy, zombie-like people who call themselves “Cranks” swarming at the dormitory windows. The dead bodies of the people who had rescued them from WICKED are hanging from the ceiling of the dorm’s common room. Only a short time later, both the Cranks and the dead bodies suddenly and inexplicably disappear without a trace. To top it all off, the only girl Glader, Teresa, is missing. In her dorm room is a teenage boy named Aris who claims to have also escaped from a maze and to have never heard of Teresa before. What’s going on? Has the world gone mad?

Soon, a mysterious man arrives and explains to the Gladers that the maze and their subsequent “rescue” were the first of many “trials” or “tests” to aid WICKED’s study of their brain functions in order to find a cure for the Flare. This highly contagious disease reduces people to animals, making them heartless and violent, and the man tells the Gladers that all of them are already infected with the virus—although the symptoms will not start appearing for a while yet. The next experiment needed to discover a cure is called the “Scorch Trials.” Thomas and the Gladers are transported to a desert-like area of the world. Their task is to cross one hundred miles of the treacherous land in two weeks. In return, WICKED promises them their lives and a cure for the Flare. Between them and their goal lies miles of burning sun and sand, confusion, betrayal, and a city filled with heartless, violent Cranks. Thomas and his friends continue their struggle for survival—now more dangerous than it ever was in the maze.

James Dashner’s sequel to The Maze Runner is another page-turning post-apocalyptic novel that is big on action, thrill, and danger but low on character and plot development and valuable themes. Although The Scorch Trials does not quite match its prequel in originality, it surpasses The Maze Runner in suspense and excitement. With this extra dose of suspense and excitement comes more language, violence, and gruesome descriptions.

As in the previous book, the Gladers continue to be well-versed in insults, often speaking to other characters in a very disrespectful manner, and they also continue to frequently utilize their own made-up cuss words. Unfortunately, the use of common expletives seems to go up a notch from the previous book. God’s name is also used in vain a number of times.

Even if the language is not actually much more offensive than the previous book, the violence and gruesome descriptions in The Scorch Trials certainly bring the PG-13 content in James Dashner’s novels to a new level. Since the new characters have left the controlled environment of the maze and are now in the “real world,” they must face the dangers and horrors of post-apocalyptic earth—including a new disease. Humans infected by the Flare disease slowly lose all compassion and become more and more brutal and violent as the disease eats away at their brains. This leads to a number of frightening and disturbing characters who play a big role in most of the more scary scenes. Dashner’s descriptions of these “Cranks” resemble the description of zombies. Some Cranks who have completely lost their minds talk about eating the body parts of other humans and also attack some of the main characters. In addition to this new element of the zombie-like creatures, Dashner introduces several other innovations to add to the excitement of the novel, such as a strange substance that encircles a victim’s head and decapitates the body and an oven-like desert that scorches its visitors. Among other things, a character is shot, several are struck by lightning, characters are drugged against their will, others are threatened at gun- and screwdriver-point, and another character stabs an enemy in the chest with a knife. Needless to say, the blood and gore of this second book make it even more scary than the previous book.

Unlike the previous book, The Scorch Trials has a bit of boy-girl content that is also cause for caution. Although there is nothing sexually explicit, a couple scenes contain kissing, and, in one scene, Thomas dances with a girl in a shady, bar-like place filled with people who are all partying to loud music. Dashner describes the two dancing with “their bodies pressed tightly together, clasping each other.” It’s not exactly a romantic scene, and that’s about as steamy as it gets, but it still something for parents to keep an eye out for.

In all, the second book of Dashner’s Maze Runner series is a quick, exciting, and easy read but contains enough objectionable content to make it out of the question for children and pre-teens. This book is not one to be avoided altogether, but parents of teens who are interested in this series should not hesitate to guide their children through the issues in the book as well as the occasional valuable lesson it presents. Although the book is not big on valuable themes, Dashner still promotes ideas such as perseverance and working as a team. The book can also spark some profitable discussions on what makes someone human—what gives people their humanity. Both Dashner’s protagonists and antagonists are fighting for the good of the human race, yet they have different views of what exactly “the good” is. The characters also present interesting views on the sanctity of human life. Parents should guide their teens through these issues, teaching them to not simply accept the concepts presented in books but to examine them from a Christian worldview. As a discussion-starter, this book does have its value. On the other hand, however, it might be a good call for potential audiences to simply wait for the movie and spend their time reading something more nutritious.

The Maze Runner

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Appropriate for: Ages 13+

Genre: Young Adult Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi

Length: 376 pages

Year of Publication: 2009

His name is Thomas. That’s all he can remember.

He is riding in a dark, clanging, swaying elevator, barreling upward. He doesn’t know where he’s going or where he came from. His only memory is of his name. When the elevator stops and the doors open, Thomas emerges and finds himself in a large courtyard surrounded on all four sides by enormous stone walls. He is gruffly greeted by few dozen teenagers—all boys. And so begins his life in the Glade.

Surrounding the Glade, behind the enormous stone walls, is a labyrinth of mazes. Every morning, when the doors of the maze open, runners enter and search for a way out. Every night, the doors close and strange, deadly creatures called Grievers roam the maze. If the runners don’t make it to the doors by nightfall, they are trapped in the maze until the morning with no way out, making them easy targets for the Grievers. It’s been two years, and, still, no one has found an exit. No one has ever survived a night in the maze either. Not until Thomas arrives, that is.

Thomas is more curious than any of the boys who arrived before him. And, even before he knows much about the Gladers’ situation, he finds himself experiencing an inexplicable desire to be a Maze Runner. He doesn’t understand it, but the Maze and the Glade almost seem familiar to him, and he feels like he was sent there to do something big. 

Things start getting weird soon after he shows up. When an unconscious girl arrives in the elevator, carrying a note that says she’s the last newbie they’ll ever get, Thomas realizes that, whatever he was sent there to do, he needs to figure it out and do it fast.

This first book in James Dashner’s Maze Runner trilogy is full of mystery and excitement, aimed at readers who enjoy books such as The Hunger Games trilogy and the Divergent series. The story contains some valuable themes such as the importance of teamwork, loyalty, and friendship. It also lauds self-sacrifice and second chances. However, the author’s attention is on presenting an engaging plot to engage readers, not on developing these themes.

The writing style is easy to read. Although the plot starts out a bit slow, the chapters are short and the action picks up after a while, making the material manageable for even less experienced readers. The PG-13 content, however, poses some problems for less mature audiences.

The book is not as intense as The Hunger Games, but it still contains those life-or-death situations, creepy creatures, and somewhat gory descriptions that have become standard in post-apocalyptic literature. Some of the main sources of danger and conflict in the book are the Grievers—huge slimy creatures with retractable mechanical arms used to “sting” the Gladers. Throughout the book, some boys are attacked, injured, and even killed by these Grievers. A number of boys are “stung” by the Grievers and survive, but their bodies go through a troubling and frightening process called “the Changing” in order to recover. The author’s description of “the Changing” could be especially disturbing to young readers. There is also some strife between the Gladers themselves that leads to some PG-13 content. One boy attacks another and attempts to kill him. Another Glader explains how one boy was killed by being sliced in half. Someone is shot in the head with an arrow, and someone else is killed by a knife in the chest. The book is cluttered with other such frightening and bloody descriptions that make the novel out of the question for more sensitive readers.

In addition to the violence, there is a bit of inappropriate language and toilet humor. Many—although not all—of the bad words are actually terms made up by the Gladers to substitute for certain frequently used expletives. However, the made-up words are still used by the boys for the purpose of degrading or insulting people, and the fact that they are made up doesn’t necessarily make them less offensive. Even the way that the characters talk to each other is so frequently filled with stinging sarcasm and implied insults that it made me wonder how the Gladers ever even function as a community. Although it can be funny at times, the manner of their conversations gets a little numbing and annoying after a while.

I decided to read this book after seeing a trailer for the movie that is coming out in September 2014. While I enjoyed reading it and had fun being immersed in the mystery and adventure of the story, I now kind of wish that I had waited and only watched the movie. If you read the first book, you almost have to read the next two if you want your questions answered, and all three of them are hard to put down. They absorb your time without really offering you any enrichment. Ultimately, The Maze Runner is perfect for teens and young adults who are looking for a fun and exciting summer read. If you choose to read the series, however, don’t let it be the only books on your summer book list. Reading too many books like this is like eating cotton candy without having any real food: it can be extremely unhealthy. This book isn’t toxic to the soul or something to be avoided completely. However, if you read it, make a point to balance out its “processed sugar” with another book that is both tough and wholesome.