Todd’s Movie Blog

I have been noticing one of the lamest complaints from movie critics lately, even from Ebert himself, that kids films today can’t be enjoyed by adults.  Yeah, I know, what kind of complaint is that?  Does it really matter that there is little to nothing for adults to latch onto in Race to Witch Mountain or  Monsters vs. Aliens?  Oh the humanity!  Hapless parents having to sit through innocuous films that enthrall their children. How can we ever save them?  Give me a break! Any parent who has had to sit through countless episodes of Spongebob Squarepants isn’t going to bat an eye at Monsters vs. Aliens.  Most of the critics are acting like it is an unreasonable expectation to have parents sit through these films, but to quote Dee Snyder’s response to Al Gore’s similar question during the infamous Congressional Hearing on inappropriate music, concerning Snyder’s belief that parents should listen to all of their children’s music and discuss it with them, “Being a parent isn’t a reasonable job.”  Even more eye rolling for me is the lament for the old days when children could enjoy much better fare like Pinocchio, never mind that Gene Autry was crooning about horses while investigating a futuristic lost world located under his ranch in the only Musical/Western/ Science Fiction film ever made, Phantom Empire, and one that certainly lacks the depth of Disney’s  deservedly beloved classic, but the kids probably enjoyed it just as much.  So stop whining and let the kids enjoy their mindless entertainment before they have to growup and face the real world.  Is that so bad?