Review of Smallfoot
I had seen a trailer a few months back about a yeti discovering that humans were real, and it looked funny, so when I saw that it was in theaters I decided to take the boys to see it yesterday. We settled in with a bucket of stale popcorn, the movie started, and I noticed something right away. While I couldn’t put my finger right on it, there seemed to be some underlying mockery of religion. Honestly, I rolled my eyes and considered leaving yet another attempt by Hollywood to implant ideas in our minds to leave our antiquated ideals behind. However, I decided to stay after I also considered that my filters catch things that go sailing across the guys heads by far and that I might be able to learn something that would help me to become a better teacher…and I am glad I did.
To give a brief summary, this movie revolves around a group of yetis that live high in the mountains and follow a strict set of truths that are written on stones that the leader reveals to them from time to time (even though they are absurd). If there are any questions about what is on the stones, they are told to “push it down” and ignore them. Everyone is happy and content, and if anyone does question any of these truths they are ridiculed or banished. However, there are some who do question these stones and they form a secret society to try to find the truth. The focus of this group is the existence of “The Smallfoot” although they do recognize that if they can prove that if one of these stones (for example the one that says the Smallfoot does not exist) is wrong, they all can be wrong.
Well, long story short, The Smallfoot is real (i.e. you and me) and the movie revolves around finding the truth, accepting it, and sharing it with others so the world can be a better place.
Once the truth was found the secret society shared it with their fellow yetis which brought forth an “age of enlightenment” (sounds familiar) where discoveries were made, and questions were encouraged. Everyone thought this was wonderful… everyone except the leader who calmly creeped everyone in the theater out. I mean, no one can be that chill right? He must be about to lose his temper or something.
Now I would like to share what I learned from Smallfoot. As I said earlier, while I have my suspicions, I will not go so far as to guess the motives behind those who wrote and made this movie. I have not spoken to them and I would be wrongfully judging them if I did so. The thing is, it doesn’t really matter because you will get out of this movie whatever you want. It could be an innocent movie with no agenda at all or it might seem to be taking aim at everything you believe. That being said, there are some things that really jumped out at me after watching it.
The process of seeking and discovering the truth was accurately portrayed. It showed that the desire for truth is good, and I agree with this. The Bible says that “the truth will set us free” (John 8:31-32). That being said, the discovery of truth does not come without consequences. Put yourself in the shoes of someone who just discovered that everything they had always thought to be true is not. This is not a small thing. Accepting or denying the truth will bring forth a time of mourning. Once it is found, it can be baffling, and there might be an attempt at explaining it away. However, once they embrace it, there will be excitement and a desire to share it with others as questions are answered and hope fills their soul.
The thing is, truth is truth. Don’t believe what you do without thoroughly questioning and examining the evidence. Do not take anyone’s word for it whether it is a friend, parent, or preacher. If the Bible really is true and God really is real, the truth will come out. If you seek, you will find. It is really that simple. Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8). He is talking about the gift of the Gospel not physical gifts (2 Tim 1). However, if you don’t believe me, I more than encourage you to study it for yourself 😉,
Second, if you are a Christian who is feeling attacked, I ask why? The God who spoke the universe into existence has not just withstood blasphemy and evil, he has conquered it (John 16:33). I must ask you the same question that Jesus asked His disciples during the storm. They had just witnessed Him heal a leper, a Centurions servant, and Peter’s mother -in-law but as the waves tossed the vessel back and forth, their faith took a beating too. Jesus asked them “Why are ye fearful, of ye of little faith (Matthew 8:23-27). Do you really think a movie is going to win against out God? There have been people and institutions throughout history who have tried to cover up God’s truth in one way or another. As an example, research what Voltaire predicted about the outcome of the Bible and what actually happened. All I am saying is don’t be the person who rallies against this movie, be the one who says “Yes, you should question everything – because real truth doesn’t hide from the light (John 8:12) and I am confident of that (Romans 1:16).
Last, if you are trying to reach the world with the Gospel, remember that we are all souls with a background and beliefs of some kind that mean a lot to us. Be gentle. Show them the truth, be patient, and let God’s Word do what it does.
I know I did not get into the nitty gritty details of the movie but focused instead on what can be learned from it. If you are looking for something cute movie to watch with your family, I recommend it. I also recommend checking out more detailed movie reviews to see if it works for your family. (https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/smallfoot). I think you could have some interesting conversations with your older kids about some of the things that I just wrote about. Whatever you decide, I hope you have been given some things to think about and have been encouraged to always seek the truth.