OPINION:
“Young Woman and the Sea” is quite an inspiring tale of courage and perseverance. Sizzling, explosive violence and profane language short-circuit Jennifer Lopez’s latest sci-fi adventure for family audiences. “Chaos Theory” isn’t nearly as violent as the live-action movies—but it has some issues that still might bite families.
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Young Woman and the Sea – In Theaters
Knowing the story of Gertrude “Trudy” Ederle is one thing. Seeing it onscreen is another. And I gotta say, “Young Woman and the Sea” is quite the inspiring tale of courage and perseverance (with a couple of content concerns for families).
But I’ll start out with those concerns first so parents can be equipped to make that decision for themselves. A couple of profanities are used, and Trudy is shocked when her sister utters a curse. Folks perhaps imbibe too frequently.
A man’s bare rear briefly makes an appearance, since he reportedly likes to swim “in the buff.” But he’s also promptly arrested for public indecency. That scene may be the biggest potential concern for some families, though it’s mostly played for humor over the course of a couple seconds or so.
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Have said that, we also witness a young woman conquer the English Channel against all odds.
As the child of a poor immigrant, Trudy couldn’t fund her own trip across the Atlantic to swim the English Channel. Even though she was an Olympic athlete, she still had to go above and beyond to prove her ability before she could get a sponsorship since she was a woman. Once in France, she butted heads with a coach who actively wanted her to fail—so much so that he sabotaged her efforts and nearly caused her to drown. And when she finally got into the water, she had the Channel itself to conquer, a grueling, 21-mile journey that tried to claim her life with every stroke she swam.
But what really sets this film apart is the sense of camaraderie you get just by watching it. You laugh, you cry (happy tears), and you find yourself rooting for Trudy alongside her family and the people listening to her trek on the radio worldwide.
And the payoff to all of that? Well, if you’ve heard Trudy’s story then you already know. But it’s certainly not going to leave you disappointed.
Read the rest of the review here. View the trailer here.
Atlas – Streaming on Netflix
The movie “Atlas” has an interesting sci-fi premise. And star Jennifer Lopez—who spends much of the movie by herself in an ARC suit cockpit—does a solid job of conveying the tension and emotion of the film. “Atlas” also asks provocative questions about the wisdom of embracing the future of AI—painting a picture of the created rising against its creator with something of a twisted religious fervor.
That said, the film feels like it’s missing a few nuts and bolts in strategic places. Or maybe its circuit diagram should have been checked once or twice more: The logic of the tale doesn’t always line up. The connection between the hero and the villain feels paper thin and given short shrift.
Perhaps most importantly, some of the stab-an-eyeball violence and profane language here will likely make this pic a nonstarter for family audiences.
Read the rest of the review here. View the trailer here.
Jurassic World: Chaos Theory – Streaming on Netflix
“Jurassic World: Chaos Theory” is a continuation of “Camp Cretaceous.” And the show pretty much has all the same content concerns as before.
Adults in “Camp Cretaceous” were rare, and most of them were corrupt individuals who had no problem abandoning helpless teenagers on an island filled with prehistoric dinosaurs. Darius and his friends are the adults now, but we still experience quite a bit of that corruption. And the show’s antagonists still have no quandaries with taking human lives.
The dinos have no problem killing people either. Some do it out of hunger, but at least a few have been trained to hunt humans by humans. As with “Camp Cretaceous,” these types of deaths typically occur offscreen, but there’s no doubt what’s happening.
Sammy and Yaz (both women) became a couple during “Camp Cretaceous,” even moving in together after escaping Isla Nublar. And they’re still a couple here. Brooklynn and Kenji were another couple from the previous show, but they split up just before Brooklynn’s death, leading to some very complicated feelings between foster brothers Kenji and Darius, since Kenji also blames Darius for Brooklynn’s death.
And, of course, you can’t have a “Jurassic World” show without broaching the topic of cloning and gene manipulation, since that’s how the dinos were created to begin with.
So while “Chaos Theory” is certainly a more kid-friendly approach to ravenous, prehistoric dinosaurs (it certainly doesn’t spill as much blood as the live-action “Jurassic World” films), the LGBT content, dino creation and humans potentially serving as bite-size snacks may be unnavigable territory for some families.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at letters@pluggedin.com [or contact us via Facebook or Instagram], and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)
Read the rest of the review here. View the trailer here.
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Plugged In is a Focus on the Family publication designed to shine a light on the world of popular entertainment while giving families the essential tools they need to understand, navigate, and impact the culture in which they live. Through our reviews, articles and discussions, we hope to spark intellectual thought, spiritual growth and a desire to follow the command of Colossians 2:8: “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.”
Reviews written by Bob Hoose and Emily Tsaio.
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