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Here is a list of movies that should be boycotted by all loyal and sane PETI members, due to their insensitive content toward insects:
Starship Troopers:
This film portrays the slaughter of insects, in particular
arachnids, as a good and noble thing- this is a disgusting and insensitive
portrayal. This movie also shows many children stomping insects to "Do
Their Part." Such depiction's are completely unacceptable.
Men in Black:
This is another movie that shows the innocent slaughter
of bugs under a humorous tone. At one point, one of the main characters
makes reference to the "bad" alien, whom he refers to as a bug, and this
"bug" who gets little peace throughout the movie, is referred to as "filth"
and many other derogatory terms. We at PETI understand that Will Smith
can be a very funny person, but insensitivity towards insects is wrong.
Arachnaphobia:
This movie is all about huge, vicious spiders killing
people. Does this seem like a tolerant portrayal to you? Not only is this
movie morally wrong, but it is scientifically inaccurate. Spiders have
never swarmed and attacked people in that fashion.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom:
This movie also shows insects in large numbers as a negative
thing. It also shows with no special effects to protect them, many insects
being brutally squashed in graphic detail. Did you see the PETI endorsed
label "No insects were harmed in the making of this film" anywhere on the
tape or in the credits? Neither did we.
Home Alone:
Although this film portrays a tarantula in a positive
role, protecting the little boy from the evil bad guys who no doubt in
their day have killed many insects, there are rumors that the original
tarantula was accidentally squashed on the set due to insufficient safety
precautions. It is also said that this tarantula eats "mouse guts" to make
him seem horrifying and disgusting. These are the kind of stereotypes we
are trying to be rid of.
The Fly:
This movie shows viewers that being an insect is a negative
experience- so negative in fact, that the man/fly creature ended up killing
himself after locking himself away for many weeks in his laboratory. This
is exactly the kind of close-mindedness that this organization was founded
to negate.
Antz:
This film depicts the murder of ants with a magnifying
glass, and the killing of a wasp with a FlySwatter as comedic. Once again
let us stress that killing insects is not funny.
Disney's The Jungle Book:
This movie depicts a cartoon boy feasting on poor, defenseless
ants while singing. It's all right to show a bear eating insects - this
is natural. However, when we see a small boy eating ants, that is where
we draw the line. Since this is a cartoon, it can be compared to Joe Camel
advertising cigarettes targeted toward children.
The Girl of the Limberlost:
This movie, praised for it's positive family values,
depicts a teenage girl trapping, killing, and mounting butterflies and
moths for profit. This is completely unacceptable by all PETI standards.
12 Monkeys:
This movie, while undoubtedly having an interesting and
intriguing story line, depicts Bruce Willis eating a harmless species of
spider to conduct experiments on at a later date. We are against all forms
of insect testing, and feel that Bruce Willis was insensitive towards the
feelings of a spider.
Bug's Life:
This movie depicts the graceful caterpillar as a clumsy,
fat, stupid, creature. It also portrays grasshoppers as evil. This is a
negative stereotype that has no doubt caused problems for grasshoppers
everywhere.
The Mummy:
In this film, scarab beetles are shown as evil man-eating
creatures. They swarm on the "innocent" humans who have intruded upon their
sacred home. It also shows the humans shooting their guns into the swarm
of scarabs, and the innocent deaths of these insects. There is also an
locust swarm, that is portrayed as bad, although everyone knows that this
is the natural way.
UHF:
In this little known film, a man brutally shakes an ant
farm. Once again notice the lack of any PETI endorsed labels on this film.
How is the destruction of the product of hours of hard labor by insects
humorous?
James and the Giant Peach:
In this animated movie by Tim Burton and Roald Dahl,
the centipede is depicted as lying, incompetent, boisterous, and bullying.
While we understand that the character was significant to the plot, couldn't
it show more tolerance, especially in a movie geared toward children?
We at PETI are well aware that this list is barely a tip of the iceberg as far as movies insensitive to insects goes. If you know of another movie that should be on this list, please e-mail the President of PETI with the name of the movie as well as the reason it should be on this list.