Art and Philosophy do not need to be linked. My favorite painting of all time is Starry Night, but it doesn't contain any higher ideals or philosophy. But it's beautiful, extremely complex, and makes me feel deep things. To me, this is the purpose of art, which includes movies.
On a purely pragmatic level, trying to include a complex moral message in a movie is almost always going to make the film clunkier, and tying it to a political movement is the easiest way to make a film seem dated.
On a purely pragmatic level, trying to include a complex moral message in a movie is almost always going to make the film clunkier, and tying it to a political movement is the easiest way to make a film seem dated.
I realize I'm not contributing much by just publicly thumbs-upping this, but what can I say, I wouldn't change a word. It's all dead-on and appropriately limited (IE: saying they do not need to be linked, not that they shouldn't or cannot be).
I particularly like the distinction about including a complex moral message. A lot of films I love and admire have clear points of view, but they almost invariably have the thoughtful and elegance to make their message relatively timeless, and broad enough, that it doesn't feel overtly topical or axe-grindy.