Ninjago movie
Oct. 3rd, 2017 09:01 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
psocopteraMeh. I really liked both the Lego movie and the Lego Batman movie (best Batman movie in ages) but not so much this one. They lampshaded the "only one girl and she's The Girl" thing but I feel ready to move past lampshading this and just stop doing it. I guess they felt constrained by prior canon (we haven't watched/read/played with anything Ninjago, but I have the impression there's a bunch out there) but a movie seems like a good time to shake things up. Even worse was the whole "boys can only learn physical skills from their dads, single moms can't possibly teach their sons to catch or throw or anything" gag. Kinda want to strap everyone involved to a chair and make them watch "Rookie of the Year" a few times, like, how is a 25-year-old movie so much more progressive?
But actually shitty gender politics weren't the thing that bothered me most. So, spoilers, the big resolution is that Lloyd forgives his evil-overlord dad and his dad decides he wants to be in his life and moves back in and they're one big happy family, and... aww, that's heartwarming I guess? Except, I don't know, I felt like it was totally throwing the possibility of having a *genuinely not-okay parent* under the bus. I mean, I don't have personal experience here, and I guess that in a kids' movie everything has to be basically fine and genuinely abusive or neglectful parents are adult topics, but, like, what about actual kids, in abusive family settings, who don't have the luxury of waiting until they're older to confront that topic? Don't they exist? What is it like to go see this movie, watch the dad character be repeatedly violent, break and destroy things, express flat-out that he doesn't care about his kid, steal from him, and then be told that reconciliation will heal all that, if you actually have a dad who has been violent, who has stolen from you, etc? What is it like to take your kids to this movie as a mom, if you had to leave your kid's dad to give your kid a safe and stable life, like the mom in this movie, and see it end with the dad welcomed back to the family? Maybe it's just fine! I don't know! Maybe I'm being a total concern troll here and it's none of my business how survivors of abusive dads feel about anything! But, like, the alienated dad in the first Lego movie was basically a good guy. Batman in Lego Batman has to connect with the Joker, but they still call each other enemies, it's more of a recognition that they're both in this game they've been playing, and the movie ends focused on the Batfamily. I can see where they thought they were just doing the same plot for the third time and it would be fine, but this time it felt over the line, in different emotional territory. Meh.
On the other hand the animation was *fantastic*, like, the textural detail was just gorgeous.
But actually shitty gender politics weren't the thing that bothered me most. So, spoilers, the big resolution is that Lloyd forgives his evil-overlord dad and his dad decides he wants to be in his life and moves back in and they're one big happy family, and... aww, that's heartwarming I guess? Except, I don't know, I felt like it was totally throwing the possibility of having a *genuinely not-okay parent* under the bus. I mean, I don't have personal experience here, and I guess that in a kids' movie everything has to be basically fine and genuinely abusive or neglectful parents are adult topics, but, like, what about actual kids, in abusive family settings, who don't have the luxury of waiting until they're older to confront that topic? Don't they exist? What is it like to go see this movie, watch the dad character be repeatedly violent, break and destroy things, express flat-out that he doesn't care about his kid, steal from him, and then be told that reconciliation will heal all that, if you actually have a dad who has been violent, who has stolen from you, etc? What is it like to take your kids to this movie as a mom, if you had to leave your kid's dad to give your kid a safe and stable life, like the mom in this movie, and see it end with the dad welcomed back to the family? Maybe it's just fine! I don't know! Maybe I'm being a total concern troll here and it's none of my business how survivors of abusive dads feel about anything! But, like, the alienated dad in the first Lego movie was basically a good guy. Batman in Lego Batman has to connect with the Joker, but they still call each other enemies, it's more of a recognition that they're both in this game they've been playing, and the movie ends focused on the Batfamily. I can see where they thought they were just doing the same plot for the third time and it would be fine, but this time it felt over the line, in different emotional territory. Meh.
On the other hand the animation was *fantastic*, like, the textural detail was just gorgeous.
no subject
Date: 2017-10-03 02:18 pm (UTC)Especially in the context of a family history project, when there are a lot of kids who don't know lots of details about their families, or have shitty details. I mean, I know Monster High is not educational programming, but that is such low-hanging validation for all the kids who have complicated family trees.
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Date: 2017-10-03 02:26 pm (UTC)When they came out with trailer for Ninjago and the mom was describing falling in love with the bad guy, my mom immediately responded, "Oh, like Guardians".
I'm not sure killing your evil dad is the right idea to teach but it seems better than keeping that toxic influence in your life.
no subject
Date: 2017-10-04 12:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-10-04 12:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-10-05 03:24 pm (UTC)