Very nicely done.
I like the fact that even though it was religious you didn't try to shove it down people's troats. Very nicely done, very touching.
Reviews for "The Good and The Evil"
PauLH responds:
=)
---Surrealistically simple---
Excellent surreal execution of an over-simplified view of life. Part of me really enjoyed this short. Then, when it was over, I remembered how the real world works! Some muggers pretend to be injured, when you help them up... you get a weapon shoved against your chest! Some old people see it as an insult if you try to help them. They think you see them as weak and helpless, instead of just trying to be kind! Some of the homeless aren't thankful if you give money. I've had a lot of experience with them. A large segment of them are crazy or drug-addicted... and dangerous. As for the angry guy who hated Arabs, well... it seems as if I'm the only one who remembers how a bunch of them were dancing and celebrating in Washington Square park ON 9/11. Everyone forgot that! Those 9/11 terrorists didn't believe in peaceful co-existance! Sorry, but if the world was so simple as Good and Evil, black and white, this world would be more like Heaven. But there's a lot of grey area in the real world. I wish the world was as simple to understand as this short makes it out to be; but it's not!
Depends
Well, If you where trying to make a point about relgion and thats the way to go, then i dont agree with this, and dont like the message, cuz i think u can belive in yourself and thats good enough
But, the message i got was not that, and just to be a good person in life, and if thats what u ment, then I do like it
other then that, good animation, and well done
This flash spoke to me
To bad i dont believe in heaven.
A fairly good movie, not sure about the message...
The animation was a bit simplistic at times, I'd say - when he was "walking" along the path, for example, it was still frames instead of animation. I guess it WOULD have taken a long time to do, though. The music fit the flash fairly well.
The other reason I didn't give it a higher score is that I don't agree with it, and since this is a message animation I think that that is a valid reason to take a point or two off; after all its purpose should be to make as many people as possible agree with its message.
As other people have said, your definitions of "right" and "wrong" choices are based on your own opinions. Not taking drugs and not smoking - ok, so that is destructive behaviour - it slowly kills your organism. But how is it actually wrong? You cannot live your life without ever engaging in some sort of 'destructive' behaviour, whether it's not getting enough sleep, not eating the best possible foods for your metabolism, not doing your job as well as you should, etc. It becomes very complicated, because to nearly every 'destructive' behaviour there is also a positive pay-off, and the question is if that pay-off justifies the means.
It seems to me that this is what you're really getting at - this will affect you in life (cost vs benefit), but I do not see how any of those things will impact the afterlife. After all, the Bible says nothing about not smoking. Now, I hate smoking/smokers, but I made that decision without any religious justification for it - I decided that the payoff in life wasn't worth it. Your attempt to tie it in with religion falls flat; I just do not see the connection.
Another thing that really bugs me about that sequence is the "look how good I am" vibe that I get from the flash when his heart begins to glow after he tells off the druggie/smoker. And also at the end when he's the one who gets into heaven and the rest of them are on Earth beating each other up. What kind of a message is that? That because you found something at fault in them, because according to you they did some evil, then that means that they are completely bad people? IMO, too many religious folk look down on others who they perceive are "worse" then them, and because of a lifetime of believing this some of them become complete assholes (see Fred Phelps and his many hate websites - it'll blow your mind).
The final line, I guess, is that I disagree with you - in my opinion, right and wrong are personal opinions distinct to every person (although peer pressure does play a role), and the only reason that you act the way that you act (doing good deeds included) is because it is of benefit to you. Why would I help a homeless man? Because it makes me feel good to do it. That is also why, I am guessing, you are religious - it brings a certain fulfillment to your life. Again, however altruistic the motives, it all comes down to you (I think, therefore I am). If you're doing these things because you want to get into heaven, then it's still about you; if you don't care about getting into heaven, then it's STILL about you because it gives you satisfaction to think in that way. You really can't escape this, but I think it's best to be aware of it.
That's why we have laws, I guess - to try to please as many people as possible so that society as a whole will prosper, because it's impossible to please EVERYONE's ideas of how things should work. What we can do is (generally) please the majority and restrain the minority. Every culture and country does this, although some (eg. North Korea) are a lot more restrictive than others (eg. The... I was about to say the USA, but I guess Sweden is probably a slightly better example nowadays, for better or for worse ;).