History Anvilicious / Film

** ''Film/BornOnTheFourthOfJuly'': Two messages to hammer home: UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar was bad-''bad''-''BAD'' (and anyone who thinks otherwise is either dumb, a {{Jerkass}}, or otherwise seriously misguided), and [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped we must take care of our veterans.]]

* ''Film/{{Birdemic}}'' is composed almost ''entirely'' of ClimateChange anvils, despite ostensibly being a romantic comedy/monster movie.

* ''Film/TheLastJedi'' is an anvilicious deconstruction of the franchise's formula and themes and a TakeThat to the [[AcceptableTargets purist/right-leaning section]] of the fanbase by condemning the hot shot-male protagonist archetype, [[BlackAndWhiteInsanity the black and white way of thinking of the protagonists]], the idea that you have to be part of a special family to be special yourself (an attack on the fans theories/demands that new protagonist Rey (an orphan with incredible powers) be related to established characters), the idea that holding onto the past is important to one-self (metaphorically, the Original Trilogy). The movie also has a WomenAreWiser subtext and a CapitalismIsBad sideplot. This is why it is considered the most controversial ''Franchise/StarWars'' film since ''Film/ThePhantomMenace''.

* ''Film/{{Birdemic}}'' is composed almost ''entirely'' of GlobalWarming anvils, despite ostensibly being a romantic comedy/monster movie.

* The UsefulNotes/{{Bollywood}} film ''Bollywood/MainHoonNa'' is mostly a silly action comedy, but a key plot point involves a reconciliatory prisoner exchange between India and Pakistan that is taken extremely seriously.

* The UsefulNotes/{{Bollywood}} film ''Bollywood/RabNeBanaDiJodi'', loosely translated as ''A Pair Matched by God'', takes the theme that one sees God in the face of one's beloved to extremes. There's a song called "I See God in You"; the male love interest tells the heroine that he sees God in her; the heroine prays to see God's face, and lo and behold! sees her husband walk toward her. Ultimately, [[spoiler: she decides to stay with her husband because she realizes she sees God in him. This is good news for the husband because he sees God in her, too.]]

* ''Film/{{Crash}}''. Apparently racism is not a good thing. But then [[FamilyUnfriendlyAesop everyone in Los Angeles is racist so it's normal]].

* If not for this trope, Creator/SpikeLee wouldn't have a career. From ''Film/{{Do the Right Thing}}'' where the entire cast looks directly into the camera and screams, "Wake UP!" to ''Film/BlacKkKlansman'' where the ending makes the "racism will never, ever, disappear from America'' message very explicit.

* ''Film/BlacKkKlansman'': After depicting real life events of the 1970s, the film ends on a montage directly paralleling Ku Klux Klan rhetoric of the 1970s with 2010s-era Alt-Right rhetoric, including footage of the infamous Unite the Right rally.

* ''Film/Da5Bloods'': A lot of run-time is devoted to characters criticizing historical events and social issues, with archival footage and photographs inserted over the words like a [=PowerPoint=] presentation.

* ''Film/MalcolmX'': After a pretty even-handed, warts-and-all biography of Malcolm X, the film ends in a montage in which Ozzie Nelson speaks directly to the audience, telling them to forgive Malcolm X's flaws and revere him.

* [[Film/{{Metropolis}} The mediator between head and hands must be the heart.]]

** With a additional slightly smaller anvil on top of the first in that Bobby/Iceman's comic book version was later revealed to be literally gay.

* ''Film/MalcolmX'': After a film that presents a pretty even-handed, warts-and-all biography of Malcolm X, the film ends in a montage in which Ozzie Nelson speaks directly to the audience, telling them to forgive Malcolm X's flaws and revere him.

-->'''Nelson Mandela:''' Someone gave me this note when I was leaving Boi Patong, and I want to read it to you. ''[reads from note]'' It says, "No peace; do not talk about peace. We have had enough. Please, Mr. Mandela, no peace. Give us weapons, not peace." ''[puts note aside]'' Here is my answer There is only one way forward...and that is peace.

* "I have not spoken since I was six years old. No one knows why, not even me." ''Film/ThePiano'' keeps laying it on, thicker and thicker, until you get to the point where the titular instrument is ''literally'' pulling the main character underwater. Only marginally redeemed by introducing us to Creator/AnnaPaquin.

** It just builds from there. Very few of Peter Parker's elders ever just shoot the breeze with him; nearly every conversation they have with the kid involves them imparting some profound wisdom with the subtlety of a piledriver.
---> '''Weird Al:''' With great power comes great responsibility / that's the catch phrase of old Uncle Ben / if you missed it, don't worry, they'll say the line / again, and again, and again.

* ''Film/SuperSizeMe'' is a documentary designed to warn the audience about the dangers of fast food, which it does pretty openly. However, most people misinterpret the intended message of the film's central stunt, in which Morgan Spurlock eats three meals a day of [=McDonald's=]. The point was not that it's unhealthy, which is obvious, but to show ''how'' unhealthy it is. This is why the film juxtaposes his doctors' expected results at the beginning ("You'll gain some weight") to their analysis at the end ("Stop this experiment if you value your life").
** The extent to which it was unhealthy for Spurlock has remained controversial however, because nobody's been able to accurately recreate the results he was able to get in the movie. Some of this is no doubt due to [=McDonald=]'s no longer offering a super size option, but some have speculated that it may have also been due to Spurlock having been a vegetarian before he started the experiment and thus his body wasn't used to high meat intakes anymore. The fact that Spurlock never released the [=McDonald=]'s receipts that he got during the experiment has only fueled these controversies.

* Left alone, ''Film/{{Gattaca}}'' is already a borderline case of this, but some of the cut scenes on the DVD ''really'' drive the point home.

* ''Film/LittleWomen2019'', an adaptation of an already Anvilicious novel, quotes a letter by Louisa May Alcott in case the thesis of the story wasn't clear:

* ''Disney/BrotherBear'' is all about the cycle of revenge, and why you shouldn't kill wildlife needlessly.

* ''{{Disney/Frozen}}'' gives two lessons and in turn deconstructs many of Creator/{{Disney}}'s earlier films. One: There is no such thing as LoveAtFirstSight. Only by getting to know and understand someone can you possibly fall in love with them. Two: An act of true love isn't about romance. It's about loving someone with all your heart, unconditionally.

* ''Disney/LadyAndTheTrampIIScampsAdventure'' is about how you need to stop dreaming about travelling the world and experiencing life outside the place where you grow up, because it's your duty to settle down and behave yourself. Trying to find happiness outside domestic pursuits is dangerous and will get you in trouble.

* ''{{Disney/Pocahontas}}'': Racism is bad. This gets taken UpToEleven when one of the villain's lines in song is: "They're not like you and me, which means they must be evil!"

* The 1949 adaptation of Creator/AynRand's novel ''Literature/TheFountainhead'' is as Anvilicious as the novel it was based on.
* In Creator/StevenSeagal's ''Film/OnDeadlyGround'', Seagal battles the thugs of an evil oil company. In the end, he delivers a speech about how evil oil companies are. Written and directed by Seagal himself, the film is one big AuthorTract.
* Left alone, ''Film/{{Gattaca}}'' is already a borderline case of this, but some of the cut scenes on the DVD ''really'' drive the point home.
* ''Film/ADayWithoutAMexican''. The film's only purpose is to showcase the benefits of Mexican immigration to the U.S.
* "I have not spoken since I was six years old. No one knows why, not even me." ''Film/ThePiano'' keeps laying it on, thicker and thicker, until you get to the point where the titular instrument is ''literally'' pulling the main character underwater. Only marginally redeemed by introducing us to Creator/AnnaPaquin.
* ''Film/TheLostWeekend'' expounds its "alcoholism destroys lives" theme with very little subtlety.
* [[Film/{{Metropolis}} The mediator between head and hands must be the heart.]]
* ''Film/CSATheConfederateStatesOfAmerica'' is largely hammering in about how bad slavery is and how backwards the way of thinking is. (And, if you think about it, the movie's message is completely unnecessary, since slavery has not existed in this country for well over a century. If they wanted to mount an abolitionist crusade, they were late to the party.)
* The first ''Film/SpiderMan1'' movie was like this with its theme of "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility." One gets the feeling that perhaps anvils are neither big nor heavy enough for this message while watching the movie. It's pretty obvious that many people felt that way, as the "with great power comes great responsibility" line has been made fun of many times in numerous other films and TV shows since then; for example, ''Film/KickAss'' was advertised with the tagline, "With no power comes no responsibility."
** It just builds from there. Very few of Peter Parker's elders ever just shoot the breeze with him; nearly every conversation they have with the kid involves them imparting some profound wisdom with the subtlety of a piledriver.
---> '''Weird Al:''' With great power comes great responsibility / that's the catch phrase of old Uncle Ben / if you missed it, don't worry, they'll say the line / again, and again, and again.
* ''Film/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'' movie ''Literature/TheVoyageOfTheDawnTreader'' is one big anvil (made of several slightly smaller anvils). Wishing you were more attractive is equivalent to wishing you were never born and taking gold that is lying about - with no obvious reason not to - will turn you into a dragon (or, alternatively, into a gold statue).
** Explained better [[Literature/TheVoyageOfTheDawnTreader in the book]], where Lewis specifies that it's Eustace's greed that turns him into a dragon, not taking the gold. So far as Lucy's wish that she were more attractive, the movie has her wish that she were as beautiful as her sister, which is reinterpreted as her wishing she ''were'' Susan. The intended message is "BeYourself, don't worry about your looks," but the sequence does turn it into a bit of a SpaceWhaleAesop.
* ''The Doctor'' tries to show physicians should show humanity toward their patients - by making every single physician, including the protagonist, a complete and utter unfeeling JerkAss. Aside from the LittlestCancerPatient, there are almost no sympathetic characters.
* ''Film/SuperSizeMe'' is a documentary designed to warn the audience about the dangers of fast food, which it does pretty openly. However, most people misinterpret the intended message of the film's central stunt, in which Morgan Spurlock eats three meals a day of [=McDonald's=]. The point was not that it's unhealthy, which is obvious, but to show ''how'' unhealthy it is. This is why the film juxtaposes his doctors' expected results at the beginning ("You'll gain some weight") to their analysis at the end ("Stop this experiment if you value your life").
** The extent to which it was unhealthy for Spurlock has remained controversial however, because nobody's been able to accurately recreate the results he was able to get in the movie. Some of this is no doubt due to [=McDonald=]'s no longer offering a super size option, but some have speculated that it may have also been due to Spurlock having been a vegetarian before he started the experiment and thus his body wasn't used to high meat intakes anymore. The fact that Spurlock never released the [=McDonald=]'s receipts that he got during the experiment has only fueled these controversies.
* ''Film/{{Birdemic}}'' is composed almost ''entirely'' of GlobalWarming anvils, despite ostensibly being a romantic comedy/monster movie.
* The ''[[Franchise/TheMatrix Matrix]]'' sequels, ''Film/TheMatrixReloaded'' and ''Film/TheMatrixRevolutions'' were heavily criticized for being full of lengthy philosophical pontifications by several characters, including Councillor Hamann, The Oracle, The Merovingian (twice), Agent Smith, and Morpheus. Most of these speeches were extremes between HumansAreTheRealMonsters and RousseauWasRight, from both sides of the war. Perhaps the series was less anvilicious and more of a failed MindScrew or [[EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory ontological discourse]] to some.
* ''Film/BoogieNights'', is not, on the contrary a morality tale against pornography, but rather hubris and not keeping up with the times. First of all, the actors do cocaine because it's the Seventies, not necessarily because they're in the porn industry, which in turn fuels their downfall by making them overconfident, irrational and unable to perform. Secondly, Little Bill killed his wife not because she was a porn star (which in the film is not stated, to my recollection), but because she was cheating on him, and very publically. The other characters barely bat an eye at this, further emasculating him. Note that there are no cameras around the times he catches her. Oh and DrugsAreBad mmm'kay.
* The documentary about steroids, ''Bigger, Stronger, Faster'' gives the message on how using steroids to get an edge over everyone else is morally wrong, but at the same time, points out how those that do use it, often get over and find success while the ones that don't use and compete honestly, get cheated in the end. He concludes that the reason is because of the American cultures obsession to win, no matter what. This point is brought home when one of the narrator's brother uses steroids to win a lifting competition before the ending credits. Everyone in the family knows he won because of steroids, but they cheer for him and act like nothing is wrong, including the narrator who admits it.
* ''Film/ManOfSteel'' goes out of its way to portray Superman as some sort of messiah for the human race. He adopts a CrucifiedHeroShot multiple times in the film and has lines such as, "I will save them all, father."
* ''Film/TheGreatGatsby2013'' gives the message that it's not wise or beneficial to hang on to one's past, or believe one can make things in the present, like they were in the past. It's best to face ones current reality and act towards the future.
** This hasn't stopped people from [[MisaimedFandom wanting to be like the titular Gatsby]], and [[http://www.cracked.com/article_20543_the-5-most-insanely-misunderstood-morals-famous-stories.html throwing parties inspired]] [[DoNotDoThisCoolThing by the ones Gatsby threw]].
* ''Film/TheGreatDictator'' concludes with a 4 1/2 minute speech delivered directly to the camera. While Chaplin's political views were complicated, the clear takeaway is "Down with Hitler."
* ''Film/{{Elysium}}'': Impoverished, Spanish-speaking citizens of Earth trying to illegally immigrate to a space station owned by the English/French-speaking 1%? Bonus points for name-dropping the Department of Homeland Security. Yeah, this film is not subtle with its allegories regarding illegal immigration, universal healthcare, and the Occupy movements.
* ''Film/TeamAmericaWorldPolice'' has quite a bit to say about the War On Terror and American foreign policy.
-->'''Gary Johnson''': "[[{{Eagleland}} We're]] dicks! We're [[DestructiveSaviour reckless]], [[ItsAllAboutMe arrogant]], [[UnwantedAssistance stupid]] dicks! And the [[FunWithAcronyms Film Actor's Guild]] are pussies! And [[UsefulNotes/NorthKorea Kim Jong Il]] is an [[{{Jerkass}} asshole]]! Pussies don't like dicks, because [[MightMakesRight pussies get fucked by dicks]], but ''[[BlackAndGreyMorality dicks also fuck assholes]]''. Assholes who just want to shit on everything. Pussies may think that [[PeaceConference they can deal with assholes their way]], but [[GoodIsImpotent the only thing that can fuck an asshole is a dick]]... [[ViolenceIsTheOnlyOption with some balls]]. The problem with dicks is that sometimes [[TheresNoKillLikeOverkill they fuck too much]], or [[DisproportionateRetribution fuck when it isn't appropriate]] - and [[WhatTheHellHero it takes a pussy to show them that]]. But sometimes, [[StrawCharacter pussies get so full of shit that they become assholes themselves]]... [[{{Metaphorgotten}} because pussies are only a half-inch away from assholes]]. I don't know much about this crazy world, but I do know, that if you don't let us ''fuck'' this asshole, we're going to get our dicks ''and'' our pussies all covered in shit!"
* Creator/FrankMiller, Irvin Kershner, Jose Padilha and especially Paul Verhoeven are not aiming for subtlety in ''Franchise/{{RoboCop}}'' (in fact, Verhoeven has never even heard of such a concept). The movies gleefully raise Anviliciousness to an art form, bombarding the viewer with DrugsAreBad, ThereAreNoGoodExecutives, and [[AIIsACrapshoot Drone Warfare Is A Crapshoot]]. Although, if one compares the state of Detroit between the first movie and the 21st century reboot it appears that SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped.
* InUniverse in ''Film/{{Godzilla 2014}}''. When asked by the admiral why he doesn't want to use nukes to kill the [=MUTO=]s, Serizawa hands him his father's watch, stopped at 8:15, referring to the UsefulNotes/AtomicBombingsOfHiroshimaAndNagasaki. In the original Godzilla film, the monster itself was an anvilicious allegory for the horrors of nuclear weapons.
* ''Film/SaveMe'' is more than a little this way in its anti-ex-gay message -- justifiably perhaps, but certainly not subtly.
* In ''Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom'', Nelson Mandela gives an especially anviliscious televised speech near the end of the film.
-->'''Nelson Mandela:''' Someone gave me this note when I was leaving Boi Patong, and I want to read it to you. ''[reads from note]'' It says, "No peace; do not talk about peace. We have had enough. Please, Mr. Mandela, no peace. Give us weapons, not peace." ''[puts note aside]'' Here is my answer There is only one way forward...and that is peace.
* ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad'' is not subtle about its [[http://www.shakesville.com/2015/05/liss-and-ana-talk-about-mad-max.html feminist]] message. The bad guys are all men. Every woman is a good guy. Even the title character is a SupportingProtagonist to a strong, independent woman who ultimately takes power from a patriarchal regime. An early ArmorPiercingQuestion is "who killed the world?" with the implication that it's the men in power who are the cause of the Crapsack World of the setting and the movie makes no attempt to claim otherwise.
* ''Film/Switch1991:'' Sexism is so bad that premeditated murder in this life and eternal damnation in the next (unless you manage to find the exit just in time) are just what's coming to you.
* ''Film/BladeRunner2049:'' Lieutenant Joshi drops one on the audience when she states: "Am I the only one who can see the fucking sunrise here? This breaks the world, K!" Heavy? Certainly. Subtle? As an anvil with a neon sign attached to it with duct tape flashing the word "Important!".
* ''Film/TheBookOfEli'' The Bible is the source of all good and is so powerful it can convert anyone and make them an ardent believer with just a few passages. It is the only thing that will save humanity. Bonus Points awarded for it also being the cause of the global apocalypse. Furthermore, true belief (or the ability to memorize the entire book) will give you super powers.
* ''Film/PacificRim'' delivers a really heavy-handed GreenAesop right in the middle of its otherwise straightforward "giant monsters on giant robot fight" action, by revealing that the evil aliens had visited Earth in the prehistoric times, but couldn't colonize it because the environment wasn't to their liking, so they decided to wait until somebody pollutes it enough. Which we did. 60 million years later. [[SpaceWhaleAesop And that's why there're giant monsters roaming the planet]]. [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment This storyline never goes anywhere either]], [[AbortedArc the acquired knowledge isn't used in any way]], and [[BrokenAesop the world is saved with a nuclear bomb]].
* ''Film/TheLastJedi'' is an anvilicious deconstruction of the franchise's formula and themes and a TakeThat to the [[AcceptableTargets purist/right-leaning section]] of the fanbase by condemning the hot shot-male protagonist archetype, [[BlackAndWhiteInsanity the black and white way of thinking of the protagonists]], the idea that you have to be part of a special family to be special yourself (an attack on the fans theories/demands that new protagonist Rey (an orphan with incredible powers) be related to established characters), the idea that holding onto the past is important to one-self (metaphorically, the Original Trilogy). The movie also has a WomenAreWiser subtext and a CapitalismIsBad sideplot. This is why it is considered the most controversial ''Franchise/StarWars'' film since ''Film/ThePhantomMenace''.
* ''Film/SilverLode'''s point about turning against one's neighbours because an (ostensible) authority figure makes accusations is not exactly subtle, and the message is made even more abundantly clear by having the bad guy be named [[UsefulNotes/JosephMcCarthy McCarty]].

* The [[ScareEmStraight "educational film"]] ''Film/ReeferMadness'': Notorious for the sheer ludicrousness of the anvils it drops against marijuana - or as it spells it, "marihuana". Apparently, pot makes you a horrible driver, (the one thing that was admittedly true about the film), can drive you insane... [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and lets you play the piano really fast]]. Even worse: the movie is just so ''[[CriticalResearchFailure wrong]]'' on every level that modern audiences consider it [[{{Narm}} unintentionally hilarious]] and [[TheStoner advocates of pot legalization]] use it to promote their cause. The film was later parodied with ''Film/ReeferMadnessTheMusical''. It sends up the original by [[RefugeInAudacity going even further]] (for example, claiming marijuana causes ''cannibalism'')... but then turns around and drops its ''own'' anvils against censorship with the last number. (Yes, ''real'' subtle with the book-burning cheerleaders...)
* ''Film/AmazonWomenOnTheMoon'' ended with another parody of this.
* Almost every movie ever made that includes drug use, with two exceptions: stoner movies (for obvious reasons), and ''Film/AScannerDarkly'', which demonizes the war on drugs more than drugs themselves.
** At the end of both the book and movie versions of a ''Literature/AScannerDarkly'' a list of all the author's friends who died or were brain damaged by drug use is included. This is also the implied fate of most of the characters in the story. The users aren't [[{{Demonization}} demonized]] but an anvil is definitely dropped about hard drugs and the user lifestyle.
** One of those names is "Philip." As in "Philip K. Dick". As in ''the author'' (who died of irrepairable damage to his pancreas caused by his drug abuse not long after the book came out).
* ''Film/TheHappening''. Just in case you didn't get the environmental message pervading every second of the film, there's a crazy scientist on TV at the end whose sole purpose is ''to drill this into the audience''. Oh, and ThePowerOfLove can subvert nature. Creator/CleolindaJones' ''Movies in 15 Minutes'' version of the film comments on this with the line "and angry trees lob an anvil towards the audience" (yes, the link was in the original text).
* ''Film/ThePoseidonAdventure''. Christian symbolism list: Climbing a Christmas tree to salvation? Check. Religious figure in charge? Check. Other religions make a HeroicSacrifice? Check. Lake of fire? Check. Crucifixion scene? Check.
** [[Series/FatherTed He doesn't even say Mass!]]
* The "coming of age in the hood" parody ''Film/DontBeAMenaceToSouthCentralWhileDrinkingYourJuiceInTheHood'' lampshades the anvils by having the postman, played by producer Keenen Ivory Wayans, pop up whenever a character is delivering a particularly anvilicious speech to loudly exclaim "Message!" directly to the audience. In itself {{lampshaded}} when the main character gives a long-winded, confusing speech that pretty much summarizes every other anvil up to that point in the longest way possible, the Postman arrives, looks at the camera confused, and then says: [[BreakingTheFourthWall "The fuck is he talking about?"]]

* ''Film/JohnnyMnemonic''. Johnny having the "cure" to an obvious AIDS reference, and that the villain is the medical companies for whom selling the treatments that don't work is more profitable than selling the cure.
* ''Film/TheDayAfterTomorrow'' has a similarly subtle suggestion that if we don't take care of the environment, the world will end and freeze up to the tropics, causing the equatorial nations to open their borders to the refugees from the US and Europe.
* The UsefulNotes/{{Bollywood}} film ''Bollywood/MainHoonNa'' is mostly a silly action comedy, but a key plot point involves a reconciliatory prisoner exchange between India and Pakistan that is taken extremely seriously.

* ''Film/{{Crash}}''. Apparently racism is not a good thing. But then [[FamilyUnfriendlyAesop everyone in Los Angeles is racist so it's normal]].
%%* In ''Film/DeadPoetsSociety'' one of the teachers says: "Think for themselves? Of course we shouldn't teach the boys to think for themselves!' It's almost as if the film-makers didn't ''want'' us to like him. The death of [[spoiler: Neill]] could be seen as another example of the anvil. The short-sightedness is inconsistent with the character's previous behavior and a direct clash with the oft-repeated theme of the film. Taking a year away from one's dream of acting would be tough, but taking the dirt nap is about as far from "carpe diem" as you can get.
* Before the 2000s ''Film/{{Left Behind|2000}}'' series, which is certainly Anvilicious, there was a terrible miniseries in the 1970's or so released on video titled ''A Thief in the Night''. It had a theme song "I Wish We'd All Been Ready," by Larry Norman with the lyrics, "There's no time to change your mind, the Son has come... and you've been left behind!" The videos were about all of the horrible things that would happen to non-Christians at the end of the world. It was like having your TV grab you by the face and scream, "You're going to die horribly, and then you're going to Hell! Repent! Repent!" On the plus side, it doesn't gloat about those sent to hell like its contemporary does.
* ''Film/SpyKidsAllTheTimeInTheWorld'' has a particularly bad example. At one point in the film, Carmen tells the new spy kids "A spy is more than his gadgets." Later, the boy is trying to punch open a door with his gadgets. But when they fail to do the trick, he sits there with an upset and puzzled expression on his face, then his face lights up like he saw he was getting 50 Christmas presents and he yells out "A SPY IS MORE THAN HIS GADGETS!" He proceeds to think of a new way to get through, without any gadgets. Way to be subtle.

* The promotional material for ''Film/{{District 9}}'' isn't dropping anvils as much as it is rapid-firing them from a gravity gun. The plot involves refugee aliens being separated from humans in South Africa (apartheid!), humans demanding weapons from the aliens (Humans Are Greedy!), humans saying the aliens probably eat dogs (FantasticRacism, also apartheid), and taglines to report non-humans (apartheid again). WordOfGod and reviews have stated the film itself is much less overbearing, though. WordOfGod from writer/director Neill Blomkamp says that he never intended to make an overtly anvilicious movie - [[WriteWhatYouKnow this was just the environment in which he grew up.]]
* In ''Film/{{Volcano}}'', after volcanic ash covers Los Angeles, a child mentions how everyone looked the same now (cue shot of black guy next to white guy).
* ''Film/CharlieWilsonsWar'' featured [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped anvils of assorted necessity]], which is unsurprising since it dealt with the UsefulNotes/ColdWar and the Russian invasion of Afghanistan. The worst offender is at the very end, when Charlie and his friends are celebrating the Russians being run out of Afghanistan thanks to the weapons they helped smuggle in. Charlie's CIA liaison pulls him aside and warns him that religious zealots are starting to show up, [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything just as plane roars over Charlie's apartment which happens to face the Pentagon.]] The next scene shows him failing to raise a few million dollars (after he had increased the defense budget by literally 500%) because normalizing relations with Russia is more important than building up Afghanistan. The real Charlie Wilson resented the idea that they had basically armed the Taliban.

* ''Film/{{Avatar}}'': Plundering other cultures for their materials is wrong! Embracing other cultures is good! Oh, Creator/JamesCameron, [[SarcasmMode you're so subtle.]] The DVD was released on Earth Day, in case the film was too subtle for you.

* Invoked by the title character in ''Film/SevenFacesOfDrLao'' throughout the film, but taken to the absolute limits in the finale. The movie centers around a town about to sell out to a tycoon, with a few people believing that what they have in their town (friendships, etc) is too important to abandon for money. These intangible things are too subtle for most of the town to appreciate though, a point that Dr. Lao seems to understand. In the finale, he uses magic to tell a story, which draws close parallels to the current situation to say the least; for example, the characters in the story are identical to the townspeople and tycoon. In the story, the townspeople sell out, causing a violent rapture which seemingly kills everyone. Then, in the real town, everyone is magically teleported back to town hall to vote on the sale.

* ''Film/{{Untraceable}}'' was pretty anvilicious from beginning to end. The whole plot is one big anvil about how much modern culture sucks due to its lack of empathy and glorification of violence. That being said, the internet comments that the movie ended on ''were'' amusingly accurate depictions of what one finds on various chat boards.

* In ''Zero'', a short stop-motion film, a narrator states that all the cute little yarn people in the story are judged by a big number printed on their chest (which totally isn't a metaphor for anything). On this basis, we see all types of horrors acted out, such as child abuse, Jim Crow/Apartheid-style segregation and discrimination, and even eugenics. Problem is, the brown skinned Zeroes are the only ones we see treated badly, while the blonde haired peach puppets ranked 1-9 mingle freely. You never see any of the white puppets treat each other badly based on number alone, despite the narrator stating outright that those ranked 5 and below are considered mediocre. Thus the ranking system is reduced to thin camouflage for a message steeped in white guilt.
* ''Film/X2XMenUnited'' has general pro-gay connotations, but the negative response from Bobby's mom spells it out so clearly, it's now a TropeNamer:
-->'''Madeline Drake''': [[HaveYouTriedNotBeingAMonster Have you tried... not being a mutant?]]
** With a additional slightly smaller anvil on top of the first in that Bobby/Iceman's comic book version was later revealed to be literally gay.

* UsefulNotes/{{Bollywood}} films in general tend to bring over their various messages (parental tyranny is bad, true love is best thing ever, fight for freedom, Brits are awful...) by tacking them to a brightly-colored anvil and dropping that into a huge dance routine.

* Most of the pre-1970s driver's education films were notorious for this. Keeping in mind this was an era long before HIPAA and privacy laws, many of these films used actual footage from real fatal accidents (many provided by state patrol agencies). An example is the 1959 film "Signal 30," which showed the bloody aftermath of several accidents; repeatedly, viewers were shown broken and mangled bodies, and at least twice the victims were charred so badly dental records were needed to identify the body. Throughout, the narrator related what caused each of these accidents -- speed, reckless driving, failure to obey stop signs, racing trains to the crossing, falling asleep behind the wheel and more -- and relating a very clear moral: Even one mistake behind the wheel, no matter how seemingly minor, could be your last ... and it surely could prove deadly for innocent people as well. The fact that many "ScareEmStraight" driver education films of the era came without disclaimers (and oftentimes, the teacher never warned his students) made these films even more anvilicious.

* Practically every single film by Creator/OliverStone. In particular:
** ''Film/{{Platoon}}''. Just in case we didn't get the subtle subtext involved in Stone placing an evil sergeant and a good sergeant in charge of plastic-faced Charlie Sheen's raw recruit as the devil and angel on his shoulder, Stone has Sheen provide a wildly anvilicious voiceover monologue at the end of the movie. "I felt like a child born of these two fathers fighting over my soul."
** ''Film/WallStreet''. There is only one reason and one reason alone Gordon Gekko gives the "richest one percent" speech near the climax of the film: Stone really seemed to feel the need to lecture the audience about the disturbing power and influence of corporate raiders like Gekko. Story-wise, there's no reason at all Gekko would suddenly lecture Charlie Sheen's character on the subject.
** ''Film/BornOnTheFourthOfJuly'': Two messages to hammer home: UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar was bad-''bad''-''BAD'' (and anyone who thinks otherwise is either dumb, a {{Jerkass}}, or otherwise seriously misguided), and [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped we must take care of our veterans.]]
* Like Stone, Creator/AaronSorkin seems to have this as part of his brand. His latter-day screenplays are arguably less and less guilty of this, though.
** ''Film/TheAmericanPresident'' has a famous example of this, with the president's (Creator/MichaelDouglas) press conference at the end. It's even worse when you realize that ''most'' of the subject matter, in this case, arguably has ''precious little to do with the rest of the movie''!

* D. W. Griffith. Anyone who has taken film school and been forced to watch his films, from ''Film/BrokenBlossoms'' to ''Film/{{The Birth of a Nation|1915}}'', knows that the father of modern cinema was not exactly a master of subtlety.

* While his movies haven't ever exactly been subtle, especially with the HumansAreTheRealMonsters message (literally every "zombie" movie Romero has made, including ''Film/TheCrazies1973'' as well as ''Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1968'' and sequels has the main characters almost encounter still living people who are just as, if not more, dangerous as the monsters), Creator/GeorgeARomero cranked the anvils up to eleven in ''Film/DiaryOfTheDead'', where the main character flat out asks if humanity is worth saving at all over a clip of two guys using zombies for target practice. He could honestly be said to live on this trope.

* If not for this trope, Spike Lee wouldn't have a career. From ''Film/{{Do the Right Thing}}'' where the entire cast looks directly into the camera and screams, "Wake UP!" to ''Film/BlacKkKlansman'' where the ending makes the "racism will never, ever, disappear from America'' message very explicit.

* ''Disney/LadyAndTheTrampIIScampsAdventure'' is about how you need to stop dreaming about travelling the world and experiencing life outside the place where you grow up, because it's your duty to settle down and behave yourself. Trying to find happiness outside domestic pursuits is dangerous and will get you in trouble.
* ''Disney/BrotherBear'' is all about the cycle of revenge, and why you shouldn't kill wildlife needlessly.
* ''WesternAnimation/HappyFeet'' has a couple in it, including the BeYourself aesop and the [[GreenAesop environmental message]] that pervades about the last quarter of the film.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}'': Parents should let their children choose their own fate instead of controlling their life. Numerous scenes are devoted to this, including a 10 minute speech at the end. But children should listen to the knowledge and wisdom of the elders and both should have the wisdom to listen to the other.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheIronGiant'' was 86 minutes of "don't judge a book by its cover" and "extremism is bad". Oddly, it went both ways - Kent Mansley shouldn't have assumed that the giant robot was a war machine that should be destroyed at any cost, and Hogarth shouldn't have assumed that the giant robot ''wasn't'' an alien superweapon. The film being set during The Cold War helps mitigate the anvil-ness somewhat.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars 2}}'' is also a case of dropping the moral anvil. The basic message is that organic alternative fuels are good while oil companies are evil. Too bad that people hate this particular movie because of how violent it is and how [[TheScrappy Mater]] hogs up screen time.
* The 2012 film adaptation of Creator/DrSeuss' ''WesternAnimation/TheLorax'' frequently takes the original book's anti-corporate, pro-environment message to an extreme, beat-the-viewer-around-the-head-with-it extent, especially in the numerous musical numbers. This is in stark contrast to the '70s short, which had an intentional StrawmanHasAPoint from the Once-ler, when he asked "What about all the people who work here? What would they do if I closed shop?" Even the titular Lorax can't provide a good answer.
* ''WesternAnimation/QuestForCamelot''. After watching it, people are likely to ask "could they hammer home the lessons about teamwork and ThePowerOfFriendship ''any'' harder?"

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfTheHunchback'' is not subtle at all, specially with the moral of the story: TrueBeautyIsOnTheInside. It keeps saying that by making it a constant discussion, [[AsTheGoodBookSays telling that the Bible tells you that you should respect ugly or deformed people]], and putting a full song with that purpose.
* ''{{Disney/Frozen}}'' gives two lessons and in turn deconstructs many of Creator/{{Disney}}'s earlier films. One: There is no such thing as LoveAtFirstSight. Only by getting to know and understand someone can you possibly fall in love with them. Two: An act of true love isn't about romance. It's about loving someone with all your heart, unconditionally.
* ''{{Disney/Pocahontas}}'': Racism is bad. This gets taken UpToEleven when one of the villain's lines in song is: "They're not like you and me, which means they must be evil!"

* TheMovie for ''WesternAnimation/DrawnTogether'' has the rather unconventional message that vulgar humour doesn't need an {{Aesop}} tacked on to the end to justify itself. Ironically for a show that tries to put down other {{Grossout Show}}s for being too preachy, it is very preachy about this particular message... and it's really hard to tell if they were trying to be ironic about it or not.

* If not for this trope, Spike Lee wouldn't have a career. From ''Film/{{Do the Right Thing}}'' where the entire cast looks directly into the camera and screams, "Wake UP!" to ''Film/{{Black KKKlansman}}'' where the ending makes the "racism will never, ever, disappear from America'' message very explicit.

* ''Film/TheLastJedi'' is an anvilicious deconstruction of the franchise's formula and themes and a TakeThat to the [[AcceptableTargets purist/right-leaning section]] of the fanbase by condemning the heroic-male protagonist archetype, [[BlackAndWhiteInsanity the black and white way of thinking of the protagonists]], the idea that you have to be part of a special family to be special yourself (an attack on the fans theories/demands that protagonist Rey, be related to established characters), the idea that holding onto the past is important to one-self (metaphorically, the Original Trilogy). The movie also has a WomenAreWiser subtext and a CapitalismIsBad sideplot. This is why it is considered the most controversial ''Franchise/StarWars'' film since ''Film/ThePhantomMenace''.

* ''Film/TheGreatGatsby'' gives the message that it's not wise or beneficial to hang on to one's past, or believe one can make things in the present, like they were in the past. It's best to face ones current reality and act towards the future.

** The extent to which it was unhealthy for Spurlock has remained controversial however, because nobody's been able to accurately recreate the results he was able to get in the movie. Some of this is no doubt due to McDonald's no longer offering a super size option, but some have speculated that it may have also been due to Spurlock having been a vegetarian before he started the experiment and thus his body wasn't used to high meat intakes anymore. The fact that Spurlock never released the McDonald's receipts that he got during the experiment has only fueled these controversies.

* InUniverse in ''Film/{{Godzilla 2014}}''. When asked by the admiral why he doesn't want to use nukes to kill the [=MUTO=]s, Serizawa hands him his father's watch, stopped at 8:15, referring to the AtomicBombingsOfHiroshimaAndNagasaki. In the original Godzilla film, the monster itself was an anvilicious allegory for the horrors of nuclear weapons.

* ''Film/TheLastJedi'' is an anvilicious deconstruction of the franchise's formula and themes and a TakeThat to the [[AcceptableTargets purist/right-leaning section]] of the fanbase by condemning the heroic-male protagonist archetype, [[BlackAndWhiteInsanity the black and white way of thinking of the protagonists]], the idea that you have to be part of a special family to be special yourself (an attack on the fans theories/demands that protagonist Rey, be related to established characters), the idea that holding onto the past is important to one-self (metaphorically, the Original Trilogy). The movie also has a WomenAreWiser subtext and a CapitalismIsBad sideplot. This is why it is considered the most controversial ''Franchise/StarWars'' film since the ''Film/ThePhantomMenace''.