- RECOMMENDABLE
- ENJOYABLE
- NOT WORTH WATCHING AGAIN
- A NOTE ON AGE RECOMMENDATIONS
- NOT WORTH WATCHING
- WORTH AVOIDING
- NOT APPROPRIATE FOR ANY VIEWER
Recommendable:
This is the highest rating we have, and refers to a film that we would bring up in a conversation. The question “Have you seen any good movies lately?” would be answered by films within this rating. “Recommendable” does not mean “Perfect” and there still may be content that needs to be considered by individual families, based on their own standards, which is why we still write full-length reviews on “Recommendable” movies.
Philippians 4:8; 1 Timothy 4:12
Enjoyable:
“Enjoyable” generally means just that. The content or quality is going to be inferior to Recommendable, but we would watch an Enjoyable film again, though we’re unlikely to bring it up in conversation except as an answer to a question about a specific theme (“Have you seen any good movies about ________?”).
Romans 16:19
Not Worth Watching Again:
This is our own position and not necessarily a suggestion that other families who enjoy the movie should never watch it again. We truly do not plan on ever seeing any of these films again, because of a less-than-comfortable amount of negative content or because of significantly inferior artistic quality. However, if you tell us that this is your favorite movie, we’re not going to try to argue you out of it. We may point out some of our concerns, though.
Job 28:28; Romans 14:10-13
A Note on Age Recommendations:
The question we ask ourselves about each film is not “What age could handle this?” but “What age is not going to be adversely affected by this content?” A child may be able to “handle” gory, gutsy violence, but it’s not because he’s mature; it’s because he’s desensitized. Worldview problems in the movies are more likely to influence children, and waiting until after the movie to discuss the worldview with children is usually too late to keep it from affecting them, if the movie was at all well-made.
We’re not out to criticize parents who have let their children watch these movies at a younger age than we recommend, but we’re still going to suggest that parents or older children preview films before letting sensitive children, or children under the age recommendation, see them. Above all, we want to avoid exposing children to content they are not mature enough (and note, we don’t say “smart enough” or “well-behaved enough”) to deal with properly. They can always see the movie some other year.
We don’t include age recommendations in the lowest three ratings, because we don’t recommend them for any ages. We also may not include a minute list of offensive content in these reviews, in the interest of spending more time on broader issues. Purity and Precision cannot bind the conscience of Christian movie-goers. In our negative reviews, we provide the information we feel is most significant, and we offer our own conclusion, but each family or individual is responsible to God—not to Purity and Precision—for their decision whether or not to see these films.
Not Worth Watching:
“Not Worth Watching” doesn’t simply mean that your time could be better spent. It means that the negative content has outweighed any other merit in the film. We suggest that you do not select these films for viewing.
Proverbs 13:20; 14:7, 16
Worth Avoiding:
These films either have content that is actually defiling, or a worldview that is too subtle and pervasive for viewers to be able to deal with it fully and respond to anything else in the film (the entertainment, any “educational” aspects, cultural relevance, etc.). Unless you’re talking through the entire movie, pointing out every last thing wrong with it for the sole purpose of showing people how terrible the movie actually is, we strongly recommend avoiding these films.
Proverbs 4:14-15; Proverbs 28:26; Romans 16:17
Not Appropriate for Any Viewer:
This is an understatement. If these movies were books, we’d be burning them. Movies in this category contain either content so defiling or worldviews so corrupt that we wouldn’t want them to fall into the hands of even unbelievers. Movies in this category aren’t sold or given away after the review. They’re thrown out.
Matthew 18:6; Acts 19:19
Purity and Precision is committed to erring on the safe side, but just because we’re committed to it doesn’t mean we actually accomplish it all the time. If you feel that we have given a film a rating that’s too high, or an age recommendation that’s too low, or that we’ve failed to provide adequate content lists, we will be happy to have you work with us to resolve the problem!
