Romeo & Juliet

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some violence and thematic elements.

Appropriate for: Ages 13+

Genre: Romance Drama Adaptation

Length: 118 minutes

Year of Release: 2013

(Parent/Teen discussion questions for this movie can be found at http://christianperspectivereviews.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_3012.html)

If you’re a part of the Montague family in Renaissance Verona, the one thing you need to know above all other things is that you hate the house of Capulet. If you’re a part of the Capulet family, the first thing you need to know is that you hate the house of Montague. It’s that simple.

But not for Romeo Montague.

Romeo (Douglas Booth), the son of Lord Montague, happens to be in love with the niece of Lord Capulet—a pretty young lady named Rosaline. Hoping to see Rosaline, Romeo sneaks into a ball hosted by Lord Capulet himself, bringing a couple of his buddies along with him to join in on the fun. When Romeo lays eyes on a different young lady at the ball, however, all thoughts of Rosaline vanish from his mind. With that one glance, Romeo knows that his feelings for Rosaline were nothing. He never knew what it was to truly love until now. He steals a dance with the beautiful girl and, later, steals a few kisses. By the end of the ball, they are both desperately in love with each other. But there’s one problem. Before Romeo leaves the ball, Romeo discovers that the girl who has stolen his heart is Juliet (Hailee Steinfeld), the only child of Lord Capulet. Rather than let their love die, however, Juliet and Romeo choose to ignore the history of hatred between their families and continue their relationship in secret. Their choice proves to be more complicated and more dangerous than either of them expected.  

It’s the classic love story told in a classic, breathtaking, and professional way. This film really hit the mark with its beautiful soundtrack, its stunning sets, the historic costumes, and some mostly solid acting by actors who can pull off the Shakespearian lingo pretty well. Whether or not the film stayed true to Shakespeare’s original script, I cannot say. I haven’t read Romeo and Juliet for several years and do not remember details, but the plot of the movie seemed to follow the major plot points that I remember from reading the play. According to some articles I have read, however, the script lacks much of Shakespeare’s original dialogue. At the same time, like the original play, this movie examines the consequences of making rash decisions, of being ruled by passion, and of passing on a legacy of hate. Although this movie is a poor adaptation, I would still consider it to be a good movie.

Even though the passionate love between Romeo and Juliet is very frustrating at times when you consider how young they are and how thoughtless they can be, the film handles their romance tastefully. There is a lot of kissing (and by that I mean A LOT), but the movie contains no nudity and no explicit sex scenes. However, there is one scene with Romeo and Juliet in bed together that involves mostly just more kissing. Juliet takes off Romeo’s shirt and Romeo removes Juliet’s robe (she is wearing a nightgown underneath), but she remains fully clothed for the entire scene, and Romeo is only shirtless. Because this scene comes only after their wedding, I actually found it to be sweet, innocent, and refreshing compared to similar scenes in other movies. However, I think that this scene still earns the movie its PG-13 rating, and I cannot recommend the film for young viewers.

The Lord’s name is taken in vain a couple times, but, besides that, there is no foul language (unless it is disguised in that fancy Shakespearian lingo). The violence consists of quite a few duels and several deaths. Most of the deaths occur by stabbing, and most of the stabbings happen at the end of a duel when one swordsman is defeated. The camera actually shows the sword or knife going into the body, which is rather disturbing but not overly bloody. (Think The Count of Monte Cristo.) A couple characters talk about suicide, and one character poisons himself.

Again, this movie is not appropriate for small children and pre-teens. However, for families with teens, I definitely recommend Romeo & Juliet. I encourage families to take the opportunity to discuss the lessons this story has to offer. Talk about what “true love” really is. Talk about the choices Romeo and Juliet make throughout the film. Although the two lovers certainly suffer consequences for their rash decisions, their choices to commit suicide come across as somewhat glamorous or romantic. Parents should be aware of this and should not hesitate to offer guidance to less mature viewers. Humans are human, which means our control over the future is extremely limited. That is why it is so important that we surrender our lives to God’s will, letting him carry out his plans for us instead of constantly trying to control our own lives. We will only make a mess of it. This is a lesson that Romeo and Juliet would have benefitted from before their desire for control brought their own lives to a desperate end.

The Book Thief

Overall Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Appropriate for: Ages 13+

Genre: Historical Fiction

Length: 550 pages

Year of Publication: 2005

In this historical fiction novel by Markus Zusak, our narrator is Death, and he needs a vacation. He needs distraction. It’s not because of the number of souls that he must carry away, however. It’s because of all the humans those souls leave behind: the survivors. This book is about one of those survivors, a person Death calls “an expert at being left behind.” To start off the tale, Death recalls that he saw this survivor three times. He calls her “the book thief.”

The book thief’s name is Liesel Meminger, and her story begins when she is nine years old, on a train with her mother and brother. They are in Nazi Germany, and it is January 1939. Her mother is bringing her two children to a street named after heaven to live with foster parents, who will hopefully be better able to feed and educate the boy and girl. However, Death sees the book thief for the first time on that train as he takes the soul of Liesel’s little brother. Liesel steals her first book in the graveyard where her brother is buried. She alone is delivered to her foster parents, and her new life on Himmel Street begins.

Death recounts the following five or six years of her life, describing both the beauty and ugliness of the young girl’s life in the messed-up world. Through the experiences that define this part of her life—reading with her loving foster father, thieving with her loyal friend and neighbor Rudy, caring for the spirited Jew hiding in their basement—Liesel begins to see the power and value of words and to recognize their demanding presence in the world. Books and words begin to mean everything to her—and so do the relationships that she develops with her parents, her neighbors, and others whose lives converge with hers.

This book creatively examines themes such as the power of words and the mysterious nature of humans—creatures who often tend toward hatred and malice, yet can also be strong, good, and loving. It also illustrates the implications of a worldview that lacks the biblical understanding of God. Zusak presents God as distant, silent, and careless of human history. The very modern view of existence that the book presents makes it perfect material for discussion and analysis. Parents of teens who read this book should take the time to discuss the implications of the book’s worldview and the Christian understanding of God’s involvement in history. Parents may also wish to discuss human nature and the real cause of sin and death.

Although I have seen this book classified as a “children’s book,” I cannot recommend The Book Thief to children under thirteen. Even though the reading level is not difficult, the subject matter is best suited to mature individuals. My main reason for not recommending this book to young readers is because of the disappointingly large amount of foul language and misuses of the Lord’s name that it contains. Reading a book is generally a much more intimate experience than watching a movie, making the issue of language even more significant than it is in movies. When you’re reading, all of the words are loud and clear in your head.

The other aspect of this book that earns it a PG-13 rating is its nitty-grittiness. The descriptions of death and dying are not for the sensitive reader, and the accounts of the Second World War’s horrors make this book an unviable option for children. Among other things, the author describes a few fistfights, the aftermath of a plane crash, the bombing of a neighborhood, a young boy being forced to strip naked for a medical examination, and Jews being brought to a concentration camp. Although less of an issue, there is also some content involving alcohol and smoking. Due to these elements, I think that even young teens should ideally read this book with a parent—if at all.

To more mature readers, however, I recommend this book as an interesting and thought-provoking read. The style is innovative and the topics are very pertinent. This book is certainly a work of modern literary art. If you are looking for an enjoyable, sweet, exciting, or suspenseful read, however, I would not recommend this book. Although it is enjoyable, sweet, exciting, and suspenseful at times, it did not grip my attention or my heart until the bitter-sweet ending.

I decided to read this book after seeing the 2013 film adaptation. While I thoroughly enjoyed the movie (see my review), I did not enjoy the book very much at all. I was actually quite shocked by my own reaction. After all, the flavor of the book is very similar to that of the movie, and, although some events are altered and the story is significantly truncated in the film, the basic plot is the same. However, the character of Liesel in the book seemed totally different from the sweet, innocent, curious character I met in the movie. The novel revealed that her motives for stealing books were actually somewhat spiteful. In the movie, she seemed to steal the books out of curiosity and a desire to read them—not out of a desire to vent her anger. This made it harder for me to enjoy the read.

When I started reading the book, I was expecting it to be sad and traumatizing—like the movie was. But it was even worse. In addition to being sad and traumatizing, it was also filled with a sense of despair and fatalism that I hadn’t noticed in the movie. This was partially due to the author’s style of writing—something you don’t get to experience while watching a film. Zusak wrote The Book Thief in a way that is very non-traditional, repeatedly using short, one-sentence-long paragraphs and a plethora of sentence fragments—elements that are popular in contemporary writing. He matched these choppy paragraphs and sentences with a choppy plot, allowing the narrator to reveal many major developments before the narration reaches that point in the chronology of the story. While I can handle some foreshadowing, I didn’t enjoy being constantly reminded who was going to die at the end of the book. The perpetual foreshadowing made the tone too despairing for my taste—even though I knew what would happen since I had already seen the movie—and the author made Death address the book’s future events in a rather heartless manner. Although the narrator does seem remorseful and sensitive at times, he often discusses the death of characters so matter-of-factly that the fatalism even manages to kill any sense of sadness. There is only despair. Five and a half hundred pages take a while to read, and that’s a long time to be depressed about something that doesn’t even happen until the end of the book. It’s especially hard when the plot leading up to that event is not even overly engaging.  

This book is certainly a work of art. But, for every work of art, there’s always some people who just don’t appreciate the artist’s work. For this book, I guess I’m one of those people.

How to Train Your Dragon 2

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

MPAA Rating: PG for adventure action and some mild rude humor

Appropriate for: Ages 7+

Genre: Family Action Adventure

Length: 102 minutes

Year of Release: 2014

(Family discussion questions for this movie can be found at http://christianperspectivereviews.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html)

Welcome back to Berk. It has been five years since the nerdy, awkward, and likeable young Viking, Hiccup (the voice of Jay Baruchel), changed everything by showing the world that dragons and Vikings can coexist—that they can even be best friends. Now, all is well in the village. All of the Vikings in Berk have dragons of their own, and one of their new favorite pastimes is dragon racing. Hiccup, though—he has even more exciting things to do. He and his trusty Night Fury dragon, Toothless, have been busy exploring the waters and islands surrounding Berk and piecing together a map of the newly-discovered areas. They are also enjoying testing out their new flight technology and satisfying their thrill-seeking personalities at the same time. When his father, the chief of the Vikings, approaches Hiccup with the prospect of soon succeeding him as chief, Hiccup is adamant that the position is not for him. He’s convinced that he is not cut out to be a leader. He wants to do what he loves, and he loves spending time with his dragon.

One day, while on a flight together, Hiccup and his girlfriend, Astrid (the voice of America Ferrera), discover a threat that just might end the happy harmony of Vikings and dragons in Berk. If Hiccup is going to stop this evil enemy that he and his friends now face, he must step up, become the leader he was meant to be, and do what he knows is right.

This sequel to the 2010 How to Train Your Dragon is a fun and exciting computer-animated family flick that touches on some important themes such as the value of friendship, the importance of standing up for what’s right, and the power of a family who works together. In addition, this second Dragon film has brought us yet another beautiful soundtrack and some more absolutely stunning animation.

From a family-friendly perspective, some of the battle sequences could be frightening for young children. Although completely clean of blood and gore, there are still some scary monsters and bad guys as well as a few sad moments involving the death of a well-loved character. Additionally, there are some sequences throughout the film consisting of dragons and Vikings falling through the air that can be intense at times.

A few hints at profanity, although minor, also present a bit of an issue. However, most of these consist of phrases such as “soil my britches” and “gods help us all.” The phrases in the film that would have been actually offensive are tactfully cut short to exclude the expletive and are, therefore, easy to dismiss as a non-issue.

The romantic elements in the flick were tasteful, involving mostly just a couple kisses and hugs. Other than that, there is one young Viking lady who repeatedly appears to be obsessed with one guy’s muscles, but this element turns out to be more laughable than suggestive. Regarding the controversy surrounding the character Gobber, I would say that the objections are not unfounded but that the issue was blown a little out of proportion. The character’s sexuality is only hinted at—the film does not shove the fact into the viewers’ faces. It is not even explicitly stated and would likely go unnoticed by younger viewers. However, I would warn families not to become desensitized by these small attacks to the Biblical worldview. Parents, don’t shy away from discussing this issue with your children. However, I would not count this objection as a reason to not see the film. In fact, the film actually presents the nuclear family in a very positive light, even celebrating the love of a husband and wife as they choose to reconcile with one another after spending many years apart.

My biggest objection to the movie is the way in which Hiccup disobeys his father on a couple occasions. Instead of suffering the consequences of disobedience, however, Hiccup’s rebelliousness actually ends up being rewarded. At times, Hiccup’s father even seems to be rather unintelligent, adding to this culture’s habit of depicting fathers as wimps. In the end, however, Hiccup’s father is shown to be a loving, caring, and strong leader and a man who Hiccup clearly hopes to emulate.

As a whole, I highly recommend this film. Although it depends on the kid, I would probably not recommend the movie to families with kids under the age of seven due to the intense sequences. No matter whom you watch this with, however, I hope you take the time to consider the biblical truths that this story presents and let them inspire and encourage you as you stand strong for what is good, true, and beautiful.

Maleficent

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

MPAA Rating: PG for sequences of fantasy action and violence, including frightening images

Appropriate for: Ages 10+

Genre: Action Adventure Fantasy  

Length: 97 minutes
Year of Release: 2014

(Family discussion questions for this movie can be found at http://christianperspectivereviews.blogspot.com/p/maleficent-discussion-questions.html)

It seems the fairy tales have tricked us yet again.

Maleficent retells the story of Sleeping Beauty—except this time, the tale does not begin with the birth and christening of Princess Aurora. Rather, it begins with a young fairy named Maleficent. Maleficent isn’t your average fairy, however. She is the size that any human child would be at her age. Horns, similar to a ram’s horns, grow from her head, and a pair of beautiful feathered wings extend from her back. Maleficent is beautiful, kind, and good. She takes care of her home, the Moors—a fairy-land full of mysterious and magical creatures. She is practically a princess herself.

One day, a young human boy strays into the Moors from the neighboring human kingdom. Maleficent and Stefan meet and become friends. As the years pass, their friendship turns to love. Although Stefan tells Maleficent that their love is true love, Stefan leaves one day to pursue his dream of becoming a great man in the kingdom. While they are apart, the kingdom begins attacking the Moors in order to overcome the magical realm. Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) is powerful, however, and she defends her home, fatally wounding the king in a great battle. On his deathbed, the king promises his crown to anyone who can overcome Maleficent. Hearing the king’s promise, Stefan returns to Maleficent only in order to betray her, his desire for power darkening his heart. He takes her wings to the king, receiving the crown in return. A few years later, Maleficent, overcome by her hatred of Stefan and her desire for revenge, curses Stefan’s newborn daughter to an eternal sleep that will begin on her sixteenth birthday. This death-like sleep can only end if the princess receives true love’s kiss—something that Maleficent knows does not exist. But, as Maleficent watches this young princess (Elle Fanning) grow, she realizes that she made a terrible mistake: Aurora’s gentle and joyful spirit may have been the only thing that could unite the kingdom of the fairies and the kingdom of humans. Maleficent must undo the evil that she caused.

There is no profanity to speak of in this movie, and the romance goes no further than a couple of innocent kisses. This flick’s biggest concern for families is certainly the violence. Although bloodless, there are two main battles in this film that are relatively intense for a PG film. The battle scenes are comparable to the battles in Disney’s 2008 film, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, only a bit darker and a bit more intense. This movie also has a smattering of magic throughout, which can only be expected in a Disney fantasy movie. Although you could consider the magic to be “dark” at times—especially Maleficent’s curse on Aurora—it is clearly presented as evil. Therefore, I would not consider the element of magic in this film to be any more harmful than the magic in the Narnia movies. Several frightening images also make an appearance in this movie, including a scary wolf, a fiery dragon, a character suffering from burns in several places, a pair of glowing green eyes, and the transformation of a crow into a man. Although these violent and frightening elements don’t quite earn this movie a PG-13 rating, I would definitely not recommend the film to families with children under the age of ten. However, be aware that this movie might even be too much for even some sensitive thirteen-year-olds.

On a positive note, however, Maleficent is a touching story that examines the consequences of hate and revenge, showing us the corrupting nature of a selfish love of power and the danger of acting in anger. This movie also shows the power of love. Not your average mushy boy-girl love, the love of a pretty face or of charming words. No, this flick differentiates between selfish love and selfless love, championing the latter over the former. This film paints a picture of self-emptying love—a love directed at a pure and joyful heart.

While examining the nature of true love, this movie also examines the nature of the heart. It does so by presenting Maleficent as both a hero and a villain. Like many other recently released Disney films—including Oz, the Great and Powerful and Frozen—Maleficent touches on the mysterious battle that is continually raging on within every human being. It shows how the heart has the shocking tendency toward terrible thoughts and actions. By God’s grace, however, it also has the capacity for goodness, truth, and beauty. This element of the flick is the perfect material for a family discussion on the nature of man. It reflects the words of Paul in Romans 7:15-25 when he discusses the battle between his sinful nature and the Spirit. In verses 22 and 23, Paul writes, “For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me” (NIV). Maleficent examines this mystery: how one person can be both villain and hero. It shows that the biggest battles are not fought out on a field but in the deepest parts of the heart.

Because of these redeeming elements, the brilliant acting, the exciting plot, and the beautiful cinematography—not to mention a great soundtrack—I would definitely recommend this movie, especially to families who love a bit of action and adventure and who are looking for a good movie to discuss.

Rose in Bloom

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Appropriate for: Ages 10+

Genre: Classic Romance Novel

Length: 344 pages

Year of Publication: 1876

In this beautiful and satisfyingly romantic sequel to Eight Cousins, Louisa May Alcott follows the sweet, young, nineteenth-century heiress, Rose Campbell, through the experiences that bring her from girlhood into womanhood. In the opening chapter, Rose returns to America with her uncle and friend, Phebe, from two years abroad. These two years have brought changes in the two young women as well as in the seven cousins back home on the “Aunt-Hill.” As Rose becomes reacquainted with her seven cousins—now nearly all young men—she discovers that some have changed for good and others for ill. She also discovers that several of her aunts have been speculating about her marriage to one or the other of her handsome cousins in order to keep her fortune in the family. When one of the young men actually falls in love with her, Rose must learn how to handle the love of a young man and how to read the feelings of her own heart. She also learns to discern what makes a man a true gentleman. This new element of romance brings new struggles and joys to the life of twenty-year-old Rose. However, through these struggles and the other new experiences of this young, ambitious woman, the bud that was once the little girl from Eight Cousins begins to bloom, becoming a woman of true virtue.

As Rose in Bloom is one of my favorite books, I struggle to find a true cause for criticism in the abundance of beauty that this book offers. However, one objection that I wrestled with when I read this novel for the first time several years ago was the prospect of Rose marrying one of her cousins. This being generally unheard of in my day and age, I was initially rather scandalized at the thought. One must not ignore historical context, however. In the nineteenth century, the marriage of cousins was not yet unacceptable. Please, before you read this book, drill this fact into your brain. Otherwise, the entire story will be ruined for you.

In addition, it must be noted that the subject matter of this book is slightly heavier than its predecessor, Eight Cousins. Most of the young characters are now in their twenties and, therefore, face the trials and temptations of young adults. One of the young men in particular struggles with alcohol addiction, bringing an element to this book that is more serious than any seen in Eight Cousins. This cousin is also described smoking. However, Alcott gives her heroine, Rose, an admirable distaste for this young man’s way of life and examines the true ugliness of such a life without discipline. This novel also sees the tragic death of a character—another element that makes this novel less of a children’s book and more appropriate for young adults.

From a Christian perspective, another objection to this novel is the absence of Jesus Christ from the lives of the characters and other small ways in which Alcott’s transcendentalist worldview shows through. Although Rose and her relatives often refer to “God” and “being good,” they seem to have no strong foundation for their desires to “be good” other than to please and help each other. The characters also speak and act as if they can make themselves good. To the Christian, however, humans are sinners and need Jesus Christ in order to be truly good. Good works cannot save anyone; they are only the fruit of a life changed by Christ. As long as the reader understands this, however, Alcott’s discussion of “being good” is not harmful. Instead, she explores the lives of her characters in a way that expands the reader’s understanding of what a truly beautiful and virtuous life looks like—an image that would be nearly spot-on if Christ had not been left out of the picture. (For more discussion on the concept of goodness, see my 2010 blog post “Be Good.”)

Despite these few objections, I strongly recommend this novel to any ambitious young reader looking for a good classic romance. Obviously, this genre of novel would generally lend itself to young ladies rather than to the boys, but I would caution parents against giving this book to a lady who is not old or mature enough for romance—even though this romance is very innocent and lighthearted. Miss Alcott handles Rose’s romance tastefully and offers wholesome advice to her readers through the medium of this little book; however, I would still not recommend the Eight Cousins sequel to children under the age of ten due to the more mature elements and subject matter mentioned above.

In closing, I think I can easily say that Rose in Bloom is one of the most refreshing and heartwarming romances that I have read in a long time. Written in Alcott’s intelligent, humorous, and engaging style, this book presents a beautiful image of true womanhood, true manhood, and true love. In addition, I have found that this is a novel worth reading over and over again because, although it is as sweet as sugar, it is wholesome at the core and good for the soul.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action/violence.

Appropriate for: Ages 13+

Genre: Superhero Sci-Fi Action Adventure

Length: 142 minutes

Year of Release: 2014

(Parent/Teen discussion questions for this movie can be found at http://christianperspectivereviews.blogspot.com/p/the-amazing-spider-man-2-discussion.html)

In the opening scenes of the latest installment of The Amazing Spider-Man, Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) is graduating from high school. As he enters a new chapter in his life, Peter also contends with new challenges and new struggles. One of his biggest struggles is his relationship with his high school crush, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). The problem is that they love being together, but the memory of Captain Stacy’s last words to Peter continually haunts poor Spidey: “You’re gonna make enemies. People will get hurt. Sometimes the people closest to you. Leave Gwen out of it.” Along with this tension in Peter’s relationship with Gwen, Peter makes some discoveries regarding the truth about his parents and faces new villains connected with the infamous Oscorp. These are no ordinary villains, however; they are friends turned foes—a fact that makes Peter’s role as Spiderman both bitter for him and dangerous for the ones he loves.

I’ve overheard some people criticizing this movie for being so unrealistic. If you go to see a movie with the word “Spiderman” in the title, however, you shouldn’t be expecting realistic. Also, it’s based on a comic book, so it won’t exactly be scientifically accurate. Nevertheless, this is a good thing to note: if you don’t like superheroes and genetically mutated villains, you will not appreciate this movie.

Along with the superheroes and genetically mutated villains comes quite a bit of violence and destruction which certainly earns this movie its PG-13 rating. The violence is no worse than it was in the previous Amazing Spider-Man, however. In addition to some disgusting bad guys and a couple gross-looking characters, this film also has some foul language and misuses of the Lord’s name. Although I would not say that these negative elements are enough to keep families from watching this movie, the language and violence are still present and would not be suitable for sensitive viewers. As a result, parents must be discerning as they consider this film for a family movie night. I certainly would not recommend the movie for kids under thirteen. 

Although I definitely found this Spider-Man to be a lot more emotional than the previous film, I actually enjoyed it more than the first movie in some ways. I appreciated that this movie showed Peter struggling with some very real problems—even while he’s battling genetically mutated Oscorp employees—and making some really tough decisions. The audience sees him try to do what is best for his girlfriend, persistently pursue the truth about his parents, and reach out to a hurting friend from his childhood, even though it ends up costing him dearly. Although this movie certainly doesn’t attain “happily ever after” for our favorite web-slinging dude, Peter does mature through his experiences and he recognizes his important role of bringing hope to the people of New York. Peter himself even learns to hold on to hope even when the future seems bleak.

Although I found the theme of hope in this film to be refreshing, the source of the hope for the characters in this movie seemed so flimsy to me. The movie tells its audience that we can find hope in our fellow humans and in ourselves when, in truth, humans are a mess and Christ alone is our source of hope. This movie recognizes that every life comes to an end, but it ignores what comes after that end, saying that the only thing that matters is what a person does in this life. As one of the characters says, “Fight for what matters to you, no matter what. Because even if you fall short, what better way is there to live?” Without God and without Christ, though, what does that even mean? What difference does it really make?

Despite the failings in the worldview of this movie, I still highly recommend this film to families with older kids. Maybe when you watch it, talk about the movie’s worldview. Bring up these questions about hope, and examine Peter Parker’s source of hope. Think about the fact that maybe Spidey needs a Superhero of his own.

Eight Cousins

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Appropriate for: All ages

Genre: Children’s Novel

Length: 292 pages

Year of Publication: 1875

Set in nineteenth-century Boston, Louisa May Alcott’s Eight Cousins—originally published serially—follows a year in the life of young Rose Campbell. Rose, a sweet and delicate thirteen-year-old, is an orphan. She never knew her late mother, and her father recently passed away, so she is now subject to the care of her aunts and uncles and the attention of her seven boy cousins. There is a problem, though: Rose is dreadfully afraid of boys. How will she ever manage among a throng of young, energetic lads? The efforts of her great aunts to restore her to health and happiness being fruitless, her legal guardian, Uncle Alec, takes over Rose’s “bringing up” upon his return from overseas. Uncle Alec, a bachelor and a seafaring doctor with innovative views on raising children, makes a deal with the aunts: they must give him a year to try his best to bring Rose back to health and happiness, and, if his methods prove ineffective, he must hand her over to someone else’s care at the end of the year. As Rose soon discovers, Uncle Alec’s methods may actually be more practical than anyone ever imagined—and boys may not be as bad as she thought. Through numerous adventures with her uncle and seven rambunctious cousins, Rose learns what true happiness is and begins to recognize what it means to be truly rich—rich not in money and possessions but in virtue and love.

I wish they still published books like this. Sure, it may feel a bit moralizing at times, and the plot may not be exactly riveting, but this book has some beautiful elements that make it worth more than all contemporary children’s books put together. One objection I do have to this book is the absence of Jesus Christ in the lives of the characters. While Rose and other characters often talk about “being good,” they speak as if they have the ability to “be good” on their own—as if they can purify themselves. In the Christian worldview, however, humans are subject to the sinful nature. Without Christ, no one can be delivered from that nature. (For more discussion on the concept of goodness, see my 2010 blog post “Be Good.”)

Despite the absence of this foundational concept, I still find it refreshing to read a book that champions morals, virtue, the beauty of family, and true friendship. The children in this book actually respect their elders, and Alcott clearly praises the adults who are active in the lives of the eight cousins. This book shows that, even in an imperfect world with imperfect people, families can still thrive.

Eight Cousins easily falls in the category of wholesome children’s literature. Although I would rank this book somewhere below The Chronicles of Narnia, it’s right up there with works like the Little House series, Little Women, The Secret Garden, and the Caddie Woodlawn books. In comparison to many modern works of fiction for children, this book has a lot of meat in it. It’s not just air and sugar like some contemporary works. It has substance. Although the reading level of this novel may be somewhat advanced for younger children, I highly recommend Eight Cousins to readers of all ages. Parents, read it aloud to your young kids. Teens, why not give it a shot? It may not be a thrilling story, but it is beautiful. It will make you smile—and maybe even laugh out loud. If you give it the time of day, you’ll find yourself caught up in the lives of some lively and lovely characters and falling in love with Alcott’s witty and engaging voice.