Related articles and links |  1 of 4

Maybe it was just a general spirit of thanksgiving in the air, but Christian critics rolled out the red carpet to welcome Toy Story 2 with some of their most unqualified praise in recent years. Moviegoers also welcomed the film eagerly, propelling it to the third-biggest opening of all time.

Only fellow sequels The Lost World and The Phantom Menace can boast larger opening weekend tallies, but neither can match the nearly universal critical acclaim that Disney's Toy Story 2 is enjoying. Mainstream and Christian reviews alike are trumpeting the film's story, energy, wit, animation, and heart. Jason Murphy, guest reviewer for Christian Spotlight, says "it's rare that I find a movie where I find myself laughing half to death, choking back tears, AND walking out of the theater with a huge giddy grin on my face." The second outing for Woody, Buzz, and the gang (who, if you missed the original, are a collection of computer-animated children's toys) finds Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) on a mission to rescue Woody (Tom Hanks) from an antiques collector who's stolen him to complete a set of "Woody's Roundup" dolls. The film's emotional core centers on Woody's choice between returning to his owner and staying with the rest of his new "Roundup" friends. Critics praised the film for wrestling with such weighty issues as identity and purpose, although it's interesting to note the many conclusions reviewers gleaned from these examinations. Focus on the Family's Bob Smithouser saw the owner/toy relationship as parallel to that of friends: "Parents can use this as a metaphor to help children understand the pain of losing a friend who simply outgrew the relationship or shifted loyalties." For Ted Baehr, editor of MovieGuide, the relationship mirrors that of parents and children: "Dads should not expect another Hollywood movie than maligns them, but one that affirms them. Really, what Toy Story 2 does is affirm parents, and the toys even become metaphors for parents." Michael Elliott of Movie Parables compares the relationship to that of God and humans: "Are we fulfilling the purpose for which we were created? Or are we living our lives inside a box of our own making, afraid or unwilling to step outside and function as we were designed to function? As with the toys in Toy Story 2, we have a limited time in which we may serve the will of our Creator."

Several new Christian reviews for the nineteenth James Bond adventure were released this week, bringing with them a few too many "shaken, not stirred" puns. (MovieGuide and Focus on the Family agree family audiences will be shaken, but take opposite sides on the stirred factor.) This time around, James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) must stop a psychotic ex-KGB terrorist (Robert Carlyle) from taking over the world, and for some reason must also woo an underdressed nuclear physicist (Denise Richards). Bond's libido raised objections in most Christian reviews, including one by Bob Smithouser of Focus on the Family: "Bond continues his promiscuous ways in this nineteenth ode to the objectification of women (if the assassins don't get him, an STD will)." In fact, Bond's entire character gets criticized by reviewers like Sarah Barnett of Culture@Home: "It's the same old objections: bad accents and uneven acting, women portrayed as nothing more than sex objects, a callous disregard for human life and a hero that I find neither heroic nor appealing." Douglas Downs, guest reviewer for Christian Spotlight, argues that the series' tone might be improving: "If you compare this one to those of the past, The World Is Not Enough is, in my opinion, the least offensive." Less offensive doesn't necessarily mean smarter, though, according to Movie Parables' Michael Elliott: "Somewhere along the line, the attempts to make a bigger and better Bond film has been reduced to simply this: more explosions."

next page... |  1 of 4

share this page

November (Web-only) 1999, Vol. 43