<\/p>\n
Hollywood\u2019s movie awards season fired off its first salvo this past weekend at the Golden Globes, with many more awards ceremonies to follow<\/a>. And while awards shows are far less popular than they\u2019ve been in the past, they still hold influence in our current cultural landscape. According to the Associated Press<\/em>, 6 in 10 U.S. adults said that they had watched<\/a> an awards show (or clips from an awards show) in the past year.<\/p>\n That kind of awareness can have an impact on our media choices.<\/p>\n When movies like One Battle After Another<\/em><\/a>, Hamnet<\/em><\/a> and KPop Demon Hunters<\/em><\/a> take home awards-show hardware, that bestows a sort of cultural legitimacy. These are important works in entertainment<\/em>, it seems to say. Don\u2019t miss them<\/em>. And while the explosion of entertainment options (due largely to streaming services) over the past several years has contributed to the decline of our media monoculture, positive press still has a pull.<\/p>\n When you see a film showered with praise and golden statuettes, you might ask yourself, Should I watch it?<\/em><\/p>\n Here\u2019s the thing: Hollywood isn\u2019t concerned about whether you should<\/em> watch something. That\u2019d be like going to a car dealership and asking if you should buy a new car. The answer, invariably, will be yes<\/em>.<\/p>\n But the truth is there are<\/em> some things that we shouldn\u2019t watch. What those things are will vary from person to person. Oh, sure, there are some films that you could argue no one<\/em> should watch\u2014last year\u2019s grotesque and blasphemous The Carpenter\u2019s Son<\/em><\/a> comes to mind. But more often than not, the answer to that question will be determined by each individual\u2019s own convictions and knowledge of self.<\/p>\n Should I watch it?<\/em><\/p>\n That\u2019s the question that Plugged In<\/em> is here to help you answer. Millions of people come to our site each year looking for detailed information about what\u2019s really popular in entertainment, and what\u2019s really in<\/em> popular entertainment. Industry ratings\u2014such as the Motion Picture Association\u2019s G, PG, PG-13 and R distinctions\u2014only tell you so much. We go deeper, diving into the specific content and its context within a biblical worldview.<\/p>\n So, should you watch it? <\/em>The truth is that we won\u2019t give you a definitive yes<\/em> or no<\/em>. Rather, we\u2019ll give you as much information about the movie\u2019s content as we can to help you make an informed decision. Sure, there are some films that we might lean more heavily toward one answer or the other. Even so, some movies with harsh content can have surprisingly positive messages. And even great family films can have some tricky elements to navigate.<\/p>\n In short, the answer to \u201cShould I watch it\u201d<\/em> will always depend on the viewer<\/em>, not the reviewer<\/em>.<\/p>\n With that in mind, we thought we\u2019d dive into how we structure our Plugged In<\/em> movie reviews\u2014and how you can use them to help you (and your family) make wise entertainment choices.<\/p>\n Each movie review is made up of 10 distinct sections. That may seem like a lot, but we\u2019ve organized our reviews in this way to help our users find exactly what they need as efficiently as possible.<\/p>\n First, we have the Parents\u2019 Guide Overview, which is designed to give a short summary of the film, touching on the plot and major content concerns. While we\u2019ll always encourage our users to read the rest of the review (a 50-word synopsis doesn\u2019t usually capture the details and nuances contained in a full write-up), we do understand the value of a concise summary\u2014especially for those who need to make a quick decision as to whether they or their family should watch a film.<\/p>\n You can think of this section as more of an introduction to the film\u2019s plot. We lay out the basic premise of the story and introduce some of the main characters. It\u2019s helpful to understand the context of the film and, for some, this may tell them all they need to know about whether to watch something or not.<\/p>\n In this section, we list the positive elements that viewers should know about. Even a movie with serious content issues may still have positive messages and moments\u2014and those are highlighted here.<\/p>\n A quick note: Positive elements that concern faith and spirituality are reserved for the next section.<\/p>\n Here, we list all spiritual elements found in a film, whether good, bad or neutral. If a movie is informed by or promotes a particular religious (or counter-religious) worldview, that will be detailed in this section.<\/p>\n This section covers all sexual or romantic content. Though content in this section can be perceived as uniformly negative, that isn\u2019t always the case. For example, if a man and woman share a kiss on their wedding day, that content wouldn\u2019t be negative, but we will note it for readers.<\/p>\n It should also be noted that this section typically excludes content about sexual assault\/harassment (which will be noted in Violent Content) or puberty, menstruation and birth (listed in Other Noteworthy Elements). However, that wasn\u2019t always the case. So if you see an older review with that type of content listed here, just keep in mind that this decision was made more recently in response to user suggestions.<\/p>\n In this section, we list all violent content found in a film. This would include instances of sexual harassment and\/or assault. There can be a marked difference between the type of violence seen in different films\u2014a slapstick comedy versus a graphic war film, for instance. But we\u2019ll explain that as needed in this section.<\/p>\n All profanity is included here, including abuses of the Lord\u2019s name. Racial or sexual slurs will also be detailed here, along with rude phrases and gestures.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll note all drug and alcohol content in this section, whether these things merely make an appearance or are being used and\/or abused. In certain instances, use of medication may be listed here, too.<\/p>\n This section details all remaining content of note\u2014both good and bad\u2014including but not limited to nonviolent deaths and crimes, natural bodily functions, puberty, menstruation, birth or other negative elements that don\u2019t quite fit into the other categories (such as lying).<\/p>\n The conclusion provides our final thoughts and may include a deeper discussion of the themes, artistic merits or even the wider conversation surrounding a given film. While Plugged In <\/em>doesn\u2019t make official recommendations regarding entertainment, you can get a good sense of what the reviewer thought of the film in this section. When appropriate, we remark on how navigable a film might be for a family audience.<\/p>\n That\u2019s a peek behind the curtain at Plugged In!<\/em> And if you\u2019ve browsed our site for any length of time, you\u2019ve probably realized that we don\u2019t just<\/em> review movies. We have hundreds of reviews covering TV shows<\/a>, video games<\/a>, books<\/a>, music<\/a> and even YouTube channels<\/a>. While those reviews follow a slightly different structure than our movie template, each still includes the positive elements and content concerns of a given piece of entertainment.<\/p>\n So, how can you use our reviews to make wise entertainment choices for yourself and your family?<\/p>\n First, we encourage a bit of prayerful self-examination. Every person is unique and will have different sensitivities. Acknowledge the types of content you might struggle with if you see them in a movie or read them in a book. Some people will find themselves more affected by violence. Others may want to avoid depictions of alcohol use. This honest, private evaluation isn\u2019t meant to shame you but to set you up for success when navigating today\u2019s entertainment.<\/p>\nShould I Watch It?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The Plugged In<\/em> Movie Review<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Parents\u2019 Guide Overview<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Movie Review<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Positive Elements<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Spiritual Elements<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Sexual & Romantic Content<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Violent Content<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Crude or Profane Language<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Drug & Alcohol Content<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Other Noteworthy Elements<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Conclusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n
How to Use Plugged In<\/em> Reviews<\/strong><\/h2>\n