This Week’s Movie Ratings

(CU) Completely Unacceptable

- Film contains levels of Sex, Violence, Profane Language and/or other objectionable content that are gratuitous to the degree that the film has absolutely no redeeming value either as a work of social commentary or as an entertaining diversion.

Examples: Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct, Eyes Wide Shut, Eddie Murphy: Raw

(RU) Rather Unacceptable

- Film contains levels of Sex, Violence, Profane Language and/or other objectionable content that are extreme. As such only through extreme rationalization could someone consider the film fit for consumption. The only reason to see it would be as a study of the current state of Western culture.

Examples: American Beauty

(SA) Somewhat Acceptable

- Aspects of objectionable Sex, Violence and Profane Language and/or other questionable content exist, but either a) Not in a gratuitous manner, b) Not in great frequency or c) With specific redeeming intent. But be very careful.

Examples: Malcolm X, American History X, The Matrix

(RA) Rather Acceptable

- Overall, the film is suitable for general consumption with some concerns over thematic issues or minor objectionable content. But be on the lookout for more subtle Western themes that are of concern to Muslims such as romance and dating.

Examples: Shrek, Atlantis

(CA) Completely Acceptable

- Film content is either tame or fully socially redeeming in nature.

Examples: Jinnah, The Battle of Algiers, Bambi

Joshua (CA-Adult)

Summary: When Joshua rolls into a small town one day, people there don’t quite know what to think of him. That soon changes as Joshua, for some inexplicable reason, starts having the most uplifting and positive impact on people. In their daily lives, townsfolk begin to talk about the newcomer, and everyone seems to be in agreement – Joshua is a great addition to the town. Two local preachers, however, don’t quite see it that way. Maybe it is because of arrogance over their own positions as clergymen; but they find themselves, more often than not, at odds over various issues. The issue of Joshua is no exception. But through his persistent positive work in the town, Joshua eventually impacts even the lives of these two and, in doing so, unites a town around tolerance and good works.

Joshua is being hailed as one of the most positive films to come to the screen in a long while. While its themes are probably beyond the comprehension of children, it is a fully acceptable movie for adults.

Scorpion King (RU-Adult)

Summary: Inspired by the most recent installment of The Mummy, the Scorpion King tells the back-story of Mathayus, a rebel assassin of ancient Egypt circa 3000 BC. When faced with the impending onslaught of an evil ruler and his military forces, nomadic desert people turn to Mathayus as their last hope. Tasked with killing the ruler’s sorcerer, Mathayus slips into town, only to find that the magician is actually a beautiful woman. Unable to kill her, he instead flees with her to the desert where he plans a final rebel push for freedom.

The big news about this movie is that professional wrestler, The Rock, plays the protagonist. So there are no doubt throngs of wrestling fans clamoring to see this film. Unfortunately for Muslims though, this film contains strong themes associated with shirk (polytheism) and sehr (sorcery), both of which Muslims don’t need to see romanticized on the silver screen. Additionally, there is a great deal of violent action in this film along with any number of scantily clad desert dwellers. In short, this is not the best film for Muslims to see.

If, however, Muslims are interested in the story behind the film, they might want to search on the Internet for information about the real-life Scorpion King, whose exploits have been written of in the annals of history.

Triumph of Love (CU-Adult)

Summary: Let’s see. Mira Sorvino plays an 18th century cross-dressing, gender-bending French woman set upon seducing the romantic object of her fancy. In the process she ends up targeting not only the man, but also his mentor and the mentor’s sister. If this sounds completely unacceptable for Muslim consumption, that is because it is! AVOID AT ALL COSTS!

Murder By Numbers (RU-Adult)

Summary: Murder By Numbers explores the twists and convolutions of the criminal mind. When two high school students think they have created the “perfect crime” a skilled detective (Sandra Bullock) is brought in to crack the case. As cliché would have it, Bullock is paired with a rookie detective who hinders her more than he helps; so the two must overcome their personal issues in order to work the case effectively.

In overcoming their personal issues, the two apparently sleep together in a fairly graphic sex scene. If they didn’t, the MPAA probably wouldn’t have rated the film “R” for, amongst other things, “a sex scene”. Add in the violence and foul language, and you suddenly have a film Muslims don’t need to see.