Fear, bullies, aggression, ugly stereotypes: a toxic brew for kids.

Rating: 1/10 (23 September 2006)

This is one of the worst films for kids I have ever seen with my four year old son. It is built around fear, bullies, aggression, and ugly stereotypes. This film is a bonanza for therapists and sociologists, and it goes a long way towards explaining some of the pathologies of this society. How about a movie that lets kids be kids, instead of this onslaught of cheap sentiments and terror? The calculated story uses every trick to scare kids. The limited imagination of the story writers is particularly insulting. Is everything just about good and evil and the fight for survival? For young kids?? In many ways the film is a throwback to Cold War films such as Red Dawn (1984), in which school kids fought a Russian invasion (no kidding!). Is "A Bug's Life" how we are supposed to prepare our kids for the war on terrorism? In sum, this film is a toxic brew. Kids deserve better.