Rated PG for some rude humor, mild language and brief smoking
Directed by Roger Kumble (College Road Trip)
Starring Brendan Fraser and Brooke Shields
Definitely not worth your time or money.
When ambitious real estate developer Dan Sanders relocates his family to rural Oregon to supervise the construction of a massive new subdivision, one resourceful raccoon rallies his woodland friends to fight back and shut down the project. As the battle between man and beast heats up, the hapless real estate developer realizes there are some natural environments that are better left untouched.
I’m not going to spend a great deal of time on this one. Here’s the skinny. This is a kid’s movie with every I-can-make-kids-giggle trick in the book. From bird poop to getting hit “you know where”, this film unashamedly uses all of them. Mix that with the whole “save the planet” message and it’s just too much. In fact there is too much of that message. Dan gets beat silly until he admits that building homes for people is evil. Come on Hollywood!
There are plenty of good family movies sitting there on those shelves at your local video store or in that huge box outside Wal-mart, I say skip this one and rent something the whole family will enjoy.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
There is the typical slap-stick humor and some mild language, but nothing to get upset about.
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
Q: What are the messages (or the message) of this movie?
A: The unmistakable message in this movie is “be nice to Mother Nature.” Hollywood goes (way) out of its way to get that point across. This movie definitely wants to get the point across that we humans have to be conservation-minded, “green,” and nature-friendly.
Q: How should Christians react to this movie?
A: In light of other movies, the message of Furry Vengeance is an honorable one: take care of the planet. But the movie goes over the top with their point.
We must bear in mind that God’s design for the planet would be that it would help take care of us! The earth was just one of God’s gifts for us to enjoy. It’s true, when God created the world and us, He also gave us a big job to do.
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.
And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground– everything that has the breath of life in it– I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
~Genesis 1:28-30
But we must remember that our chief goal in life is not to “save the planet,” but to help save people.
Q: How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
A: For sure, Christians should model “earth-friendly” attitudes about recycling, waste management, and conservation. We should recycle what we can. We should avoid creating excess waste. We should use water responsibly. And we shouldn’t eat “bald eagle sandwiches” or “polar bear soup.”
But, we must also remember that “taking care of the planet” was only ONE of God’s requirements to us. The two main commands He gave us were to love Him and then to love others. The earth is just a thing. It’s never gonna be more important to God than somebody!
