A couple of posts back I mused how difficult it is to make a good movie with environmental themes. Usually it dissolves into a two-hour sermon,or comes across as a flippant remark in a funny song, i.e. "So Long and Thanks for All the Fish". Since I finally saw one that I knew would make the cut, here's the list.
10.Prince Caspian. Without giving away the ending, I'll say that C.S. Lewis' stories show a deep respect for nature without worshipping it. The trees, rivers, etc. show character and even kick some butt when needed. This movie did a good job of capturing Lewis' vision and respect without crossing the line into animism.
9.Spiderwick Chronicles. The themes of nature weren't overt in this, but the cinematography does a great job of making the woods seem magical, whether we see creatures in them or not. Like in all great works of fantasy, the forest itself becomes a character. Again, everything's still in its right place.
8. Shane. The best of the 50s classic Westerns I can remember, and definitely the most patient. The title character defends and works alongside the farmers, a people who develop a unique respect for the environment. In the end, it's about the hope of choosing the farmer's way of life over the gunmen's. And did I mention the cinematography rocks? Well, it does.
7.Fight Club. There's a moment in this movie that stil makes me laugh. The members of Fight Club start lashing out at anything and everything that made them angry in the first place. One attack is on a billboard. Who knows what it said before, but when they are finished it says: "Did you know you can use motor oil to fertilize your lawn? A public service announcement from the EPA". The theme of destruction extends from themselves to everything around them. Forget the environment. After all, cleaning up after yourself is emasculating.
6.The Two Towers. The books give a better depiction of Treebeard and the trees, but the movies kept the theme of the tension between nature and people. "I'm not on anybody's side, because no one is altogether on my side." For men, some of that tension can be seen as a necessity, such as shelter and so on, but for those like the orcs, it's just plain evil. Go get them, Treebeard.
5.Quantum of Solace. Green issues and the misuse of them for personal gain became part of the theme of this movie. It wasn't tacked on or even discussed much. It just fit right along with the other moral issues. Well done, James. I'm sure they have a writer called James. They pretty much have to.
4.Idiocracy. The point of this movie is not to harp on environmental consciousness, but among others, the issue is present. And you may not know this, but Brawno has electrolytes.
3.The Simpsons Movie. "Preachy! Preachy!" It's been noted that only the Simpsons can mock people careless about the environment and the EPA in the same movie. Other themes and a lot of trademark Simpsons humor keep this one out of sermon-land. Nice work, considering it only took them ten plus years to make it.
2.Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away. I'll cheese out and call it a tie. Both movies are by the same director, and he does a good job of making aspects of nature into characters. Discernment is needed, as the Japanese word for these characters is either translated "spirit" or "god". But if gods they are, it's more along the lines of the greek myths where they are at least as flawed as we are. Again, the stories are about more than just "recycle or we're doomed".
1. Wall E. I just saw it, so I shouldn't be rash. But I also called it a classic after one viewing, and there's no backsies on that one either. But as much as it was criticized as another Inconvenient Truth, I felt the need to point out a distinction. Good sci-fi has the elements of prediction, and following through with those. Great sci-fi gives us talking points or characters to care about. Wall E did all of these, and even tossed in an appreciation of non-verbal communication.
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