Video/DVD Review: Blast from the Past
Rate This Article
What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this movie has some strong
language and some sexual references, including a prostitute of
ambiguous gender and adult video stores (nothing shown), and
"comic" alcohol abuse (Adam's mother becomes an alcoholic while
she is confined to the bomb shelter). Some parents may also be
concerned about an addled character who founds a new age style
religion based on the belief that Adam and his family are gods.
In general, the movie's values are sound, however, emphasizing
Eve's essential honesty and her appreciation of Adam's
integrity and courtesy.
Families can talk about the differences between the early
1960s, when Adam was born, and the late 1990s, when he first
experiences the world beyond his family's bomb shelter.
Families can also learn more about the history of bomb
shelters.
In BLAST FROM THE PAST, Brendan Fraser plays Adam, who was born in 1962, in an elaborate bomb shelter constructed by his eccentric genius of a father (Christopher Walken). His parents, mistakenly believing that a nuclear bomb exploded in Los Angeles, stayed in the shelter for 35 years. Adam comes out in 1997 to get supplies. He meets Eve (Alicia Silverstone) who is at first annoyed and bewildered by his innocence and old-fashioned values, but then charmed by them.
This leisurely comedy has no surprises or special insights, but it does have attractive performers (including Dave Foley as Troy, the gay best friend). It doesn't waste much time on Adam's surprise at the changes of the last 35 years. Instead, it allows us to share his undiluted joy from the simple pleasures he has never had a chance to experience, like the sunrise and the ocean. And it's even poignant as Troy and Eve envy Adam's old-fashioned good manners and love for his family.
PleasantvilleBack to the Future
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
