That's a very interesting way to analyze a movie: by the negative feelings it invokes. I mean, at it's core, it is what we all do, but the way you put it sounded quite different. I do remember Fight Club having a similar effect on me as you described Dead Girl. Not so much that I was repulsed by it, but that it was a rather average movie and plot with a lot of punching in it. I watched it again later and found the sociology far more the reason to like the movie than any thing else I saw on the surface.Clearing the Eye said:Nah, not at all. I think anyone who thinks they're too mature to enjoy or to get something from an animated movie is kidding themselves; since when does being mature have anything to do with what kind of film you enjoy? You could be one of the wisest and most well informed people out there and still love a good, brainless comedy or over the top action.Signa said:Well, I started reading your post and I was about to say you just don't get it, but it looks like you half get it. Incredibles actually explores a lot about the human condition and has some deep themes about betrayal and the need to be the best you can be in it that a kid just won't fully grasp. There's even an underlying question that is posed asking what makes a person "super." I like to refer to movies like The Incredibles not as "kiddie" but as "family." Quite literally the whole family can enjoy the movie, because it brings something for everyone. Calling a movie "kiddy" is rather insulting to movies that aren't aimed solely at kids. I agree that many Disney movies, movies I still enjoy from time to time, still could be called "kiddie." Shows like Avatar or Batman the Animated series brings elements to the table that aren't fair to call "kiddie."Clearing the Eye said:Hm? What do you mean? The Incredibles is a movie made primarily for children. I'm not saying such films can't have deeper context or be entertaining for adults. Just that movies made where children or young adolescents are the target audience don't generally appeal to me. Most of the subjects I enjoy thinking on or seeing play out are inherently adult--things you can't work into a film with a rating that would allow kids to see it.Signa said:You're watching the wrong "kiddy flicks" if you think that The Incredibles is actually a kiddy flick.Clearing the Eye said:Just not my thing, it seems. I'm more into movies like Antichrist, Jacob's Ladder, Resovoir Dogs, Martyrs--more sort of serious films that involve a lot of thinking. I guess I'm too uptight to enjoy a bit of a fun, kiddy flickVault101 said:
It's not that movies like Toy Story, Up!, The Incredibles or Bambi are bad and there's a whole lot of subject matter that goes straight over your average kid's head and some really subtle and clever ideas that are super well written--there's a reason they are classics. But I've sort of been there and done all that, so to speak. I'm more interested now in films that explore things like sex and the human condition. I don't like the whole cliche of calling movies "art films" because it's counterproductive, but the kind of things that generally get brushed off as pretentious and "artsy" are more my forte. I'm too boring and I think too much to sit back and just enjoy a lower key flick nowadays, lol.
I'm also afraid when I hear comments like the ones you have made that you are just writing off all animated media because you're too mature for it. I don't know if that's how you feel, but there's a lot of others who you are echoing who do feel that way.
I can see where you could get the idea that I think these family movies are less intelligent or lacking in context. But that's totally not what I mean. Rather, the context and meaning they do have, is just not what I'm interested in mostly. For example, I spend a lot of time studying psychology and the ins and outs of culture and sociology are fascinating. While there's plenty of material with these elements in family movies, the variety I find most interesting can't be worked into a film kids will see.
Deadgirl is a good example. It's basically about two guys finding a woman strapped to a table that can't die. One of them uses her as a sex slave. There's a lot to it, but obviously I'm not gonna talk about all of it. The point is, when my mum saw this movie she was repulsed at the surface content and totally unable to see past it. That in and of itself was interesting to me, because instead of being a horror that was scary, it was a horror story that made someone actually uncomfortable with watching it. I asked her if she was scared and she said no. "The movie isn't scary. I'm just worried what it will tell people about how to treat women." Amazing, I thought. The film had a big impact on her just because it existed.
Still though, if you haven't given it a try, watch The Incredibles. There's plenty of psychology and sociology to latch onto. It's incredible!
