‘The takeaway here is much more sobering than those of cinema’s other big animal fantasies’
Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
‘A radical message for a kids’ movie’
David Sims at The Atlantic
If some kids' movies are “progressive allegories of beings transcending their differences, then ‘Hoppers’ is a surprisingly blunt pushback to that notion,” says David Sims. Its “advertising promises goofy hijinks amid an enclave of diverse species whose ecosystem is threatened by humans,” but the “movie, in actuality, is refreshingly mordant about what might really happen if prey and predators were to try banding together: Their efforts would immediately devolve into a despairing, even political quagmire.”
Article continues belowThe Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
‘The tech bubble might finally be popping’
Nitish Pahwa at Slate
The “AI bubble might finally be on the verge of popping,” says Nitish Pahwa. OpenAI is “shutting down its video-generation model, Sora — just six months after launching a dedicated mobile app, and just three months after inking a deal with Disney.” A “highly capitalized AI startup that bails on one of its most prominent creations and largest corporate deals so soon after hyping them up for months on end is not in a good position as a business.”
‘A myth about dating troubles for high-earning women’
Paul Eastwick at The Boston Globe
When it “comes to the decline in men’s education prospects and the relationship recession, progressive and conservative commentators alike have achieved a rare consensus: They say the first trend explains the second one — because when men are less successful than women, they won’t fall for each other.” But there are “glaring problems with this take.” The “size of a person’s salary has tiny effects on romantic appeal and marital well-being, regardless of gender.”
‘The Pentagon needs to give better answers on its “Golden Dome”’
Bloomberg editorial board
Legislators “tucked an unusual provision into the recently passed $839 billion defense appropriations bill, demanding answers from the Pentagon on its proposed ‘Golden Dome’ missile defense project,” says the Bloomberg editorial board. If “White House officials want this program to succeed, they shouldn’t just accept the need for greater transparency; they should embrace it.” Undue “secrecy over the program risks raising both expectations and fears unnecessarily,” and the “administration risks becoming a victim of its own hype.”
