RSS
Home
Night at the Museum sequel curiously avoids a four letter word
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
"The world moves in mysterious ways"
So, cutting-edge guy that I am, I finally got around to seeing Night at the Museum: Batttle of the Smithsonian, the sequel to the original family-friendly film which so far reportedly has grossed over $800 million wordwide.
I didn't see the first film. It's not the first time I've done that. The only Rocky movies I actually saw were IV and V. If you're wondering, V was better than IV though I have no firsthand as to how it stacked up against Rocky I.
But, I digress.
First off, I saw the movie in a theater filled with kids who seemed to have a pretty good time. So did I. Hank Azaria in the role of an evil pharoah particularly funny.
The plot, as you probably know, concerns what happens when exhibits stored at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington come to life. Naturally, I guess, war ensues.
In any event, while I would recommend the movie -- particularly to parents looking for something entertaining to see with their kids -- I found its lack of four-letter words to be, generally, refreshing. But in one particular case, let's just say, curious.
Toward the end of the film, the character of Dr. McPhee, played by Ricky Gervais, sums up the story's neat conclusion with the line "The world moves in mysterious ways."
Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but traditionally hasn't that phrase generally been "The Lord moves in mysterious ways"?
The subtle change, I think, is worth noting because it represents part of a larger picture in secular mainstream films (that is films not expressly labeled as "faith-based") in which even the most passing reference to God (aside, perhaps from the exclamation "Oh, my God!") are ever-so-subtly excised.
It's as if, somehow, uttering the line "The Lord moves in mysterious ways" would be offensive to non-believers in the audience.
Not to get to paranoid about this, but I've noticed the same phenomenon on the morning news programs where the featured victim of the hour is reassured at the end of the interview that "Our thoughts are with you and your family." It seems to me that similar interviews used to end with the word "prayers" in place of "thoughts."
There are other examples as well. For instance, there's December when radio stations attempt to cash in on the ratings-rich audience for Christmas-themed music by devoting their entire playlist to the genre. I don't know about your market, but in the New York area the ratio of Christ songs to Santa songs was, in my listener's estimation, astoundingly low. O, Holy Night, The First Noel and Do You See What I See? made the rotation. But little else of a religious theme.
On the other hand, you'd think Eartha Kitt's rendition of Santa Baby was some kind of traditional Christmas classic. I actually don't have anything against the song. It's amusing. I have no objection to it being played. But where was Hark! The Herald Sing? It seemed like everytime I turned on the radio, there was Eartha.
Perhaps I'm overly sensitive to the issue. But I notice, therefore I rant.
Related Articles:
Comments
