Burn the 'Bridge to Terabithia'

After watching the commercials for "Wild Hogs," a new movie in theaters, I decided I wanted to watch it, seeing as how I hardly ever spend the money to watch a movie in theaters unless I can't wait to rent it.

I know, I'm cheap, but I'm not the only person who does this. So, my friends and I decided to spend $8 to go see "Wild Hogs" this weekend. Upon arriving in the theater's overflowing parking lot, we already knew the movie was sold out. We were told "Wild Hogs" and "300" were completely sold out by the time we got to the front of the monstrous line, so we decided to go to "Bridge to Terabithia."

Even though I don't like childish movies, I was excited about "Bridge to Terabithia," because I thought the graphics looked amazing on commercials. The movie started and I was very intrigued by the story line, a boy bullied at school and feeling neglected at home. The boy becomes friends with the flamboyant girl who moves in next door. The graphics were outstanding and there was creativity galore.

I kept a mental note that the bullying was over-exaggerated, but I still enjoyed the story line. It wasn't until the boy and girl get revenge on the eighth-grade bully that I realized how ridiculous this movie was. The events that followed, which I won't divulge in case the readers would like to find out for themselves, dealt with subjects way too intense for the audience at which the movie is aimed. I was shocked and even a little disturbed by the content, let alone how it would affect a child viewer.

I was extremely perturbed by the religious conversation the boy and girl had after attending church. The scriptwriter obviously has a vendetta against Christianity. There are blatant stereotypes made about what the Bible says and the girl's free spirit is presented as the answer to the bondage of religion. Being a Christian myself, my jaw dropped as soon as the conversation began about religion.

The other subject I felt was inappropriate for a children's movie was death. I know that death is a part of life that all people must deal with, but a child doesn't have to be exposed to it in the manner that the movie presents it. The movie surprise attacks the audience with death, making it too intense and its emotions incomprehensible for a child. If I were by myself watching, I would have been bawling my eyes out!

In order for the boy to deal with death, the writer makes him confront another stereotype of Christianity. I was shocked at how the writer used that moment, when he has the viewers gripped in emotion, to enforce his/her problems with religion. Just when I thought the movie was going to be a good lesson for children in dealing with problems and maturing, I was proved wrong by the author's immature bashes on Christianity.

Besides all that, I will say that the ending was reassuring and delightful. After the boy apologizes for shoving his sister into the ground, he makes it up to her, showing that imagination and creativity can help people escape their problems. I don't know if I agree with the whole concept of escaping life through fantasy, but it was a happy ending after all the depressing events that the young children had to deal with.

As you can tell, I was not too fond of "Bridge to Terabithia." I did enjoy the graphics and creativity, but I bet the humor in "Wild Hogs" would have been ten times better.

If I were a movie critic, I would rate this movie a one and a half out of five. So, there's my opinion, and you can call me overcritical or say I am right.

I would just like to say that if you are a Christian, you will probably find this movie offensive. I should have just waited to see "Wild Hogs" next weekend, because now my money is spent and I will have to wait to see it when it comes out on video. Curse my petty cheapness!

Marielle McKean is the Columbia Basin Herald intern. She is also the resident basketball expert and the counter to the newspaper's resident movie "critic" Chaz Holmes.