Cinema

Index of Films Reviewed on this Site

Essays and Articles

• Should we be fighting evil with another kind of evil? The ultimate antihero messiah for the post-9/11 "War on Terror" era apparently can be found in The Chronicles of Riddick, the sequel to Pitch Black. Overcoming evil with evil, unfortunately, seems to be the spirit of the times.

• Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 offer surprisingly profound spiritual lessons when unmasked from their comic-book disguise. No other films have so evocatively explored the downside of being a superhero. Peter Parker, the reluctant everyman messiah, must constantly choose between self-interest and self-sacrifice, choose between his own needs and those of others, choose between his own social life and social obligation, and make all these choices while being misunderstood and unappreciated. Being a superhero never seemed so difficult. Read Unmasking the Spirituality of Spider-Man.

• In the mythology of the very influential The Lord of the Rings, J. R. R. Tolkien employed several Christ figures, the most obvious being the wizard Gandalf. In Tolkien's "fundamentally religious and Catholic" novel, the symbolism of Gandalf's "death and resurrection" scenes was implicit, but Peter Jackson's film versions visually made Gandalf's Christ-figure symbolism more explicit.
  Read "Middle Earth's Messianic Mythology Remixed: Gandalf's Death and Resurrection in Novel and Film." This article will explore:
  • The cultural impact of Tolkien's mythology
  • The meaning of myth to Tolkien
  • The characteristics of a Christ figure
  • What a Christ figure subtext may add to the psychological/mythological impact of a work of art
  • How Gandalf's death and resurrection scenes portrayed him as a Christ figure
  • How these two scenes in the films diverged from the book
  • The possible meaning of that divergence (of the mythology remixed)
  (This article is published on the Journal of Religion and Popular Culture.)

• In The Matrix trilogy, the Christ figure motif goes beyond superficial plot enhancements and forms the fundamental core of the three-part story. Neo’s messianic growth (in self-awareness and power) and his eventual bringing of peace and salvation to humanity form the essential plot of the trilogy. Read "He is the One: The Matrix Trilogy's Postmodern Movie Messiah." (This article is published on the Journal of Religion and Film.)

• Superman, the original superhero, is a culmination of the great mythic heroes of the past. The hero's journey, a recurring cycle of events in mythology, is described by Joseph Campbell. The three acts in Superman: The Movie portray a complex calling to the superhero's role, consisting of three distinct calls and journeys. Each of the three stages includes the death of someone close to him, different symbols of his own death and resurrection, and different experiences of atonement with a father figure. Analyzing these mythic cycles bestows the viewer with a heroic "elixir." Read "The Superhero's Mythic Journey: Death and the Heroic Cycle in Superman." (This article is published on the Journal of Religion and Film.)

• Science fiction films often examine cultural issues through a magnifying glass of technology-tinged fantasy. How do time travel films comment on people's views of time and history? Read "History Lessons: Time-Travel Films as Postmodern Parables."

• Want to know more about the relationship between science fiction, spirituality, and cinema? Want to know more about the films The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Time Machine, and The Little Prince? Read "A Prince, Machines, and Stillness: Theology, Technology, and Time in Three Science Fiction/Fantasy Stories Transformed into Film"

• The cybercraze comes to cinema in the year of the computer. Computers starred in multiple films in 1995, but better computer flicks came earlier. Read "Cybercinema: Hollywood's Year of the Computer."

• Science fiction films often examine cultural issues through a magnifying glass of technology-tinged fantasy. How do time travel films comment on people's views of time and history? Read "History Lessons: Time-Travel Films as Postmodern Parables."

• So many movies, so little time... Visit other movie sites on the web.

Reviews

• Can play and innocence triumph over violence and paranoia? Read review of Toys.

• Tired of seeing department stores install their Christmas decorations and wares before their Halloween candy sells out? Well, it could be worse. Read review of The Nightmare Before Christmas.

• Heaven help the children (and adults) who are "different." Read review of Powder.

• Blessed are the Gump in heart? Read review of Forrest Gump.

• It was the best of films. It was the worst of films. Read review of Jurassic Park and Super Mario Brothers.

• If you had only one day to live, would you do it with debauchery, despair, or dignity? Read review of Groundhog Day.

• Dracula films refuse to die. Here's yet another reason to grab a stake and a cross. Read review of Bram Stoker's Dracula.

• Because of the real-life coincidences surrounding this film, it could be the eeriest movie ever made. Read review of The Crow.

• Two movies with differently paced spiritual parables. Read review of Speed and Little Buddha.

• The legacy of a most unlikely savior. Read review of Schindler's List.

• In 1962, monsters were popular in matinees, but the the real monster was the threat of nuclear war. Read review of Matinee, a movie within a movie.

• Aliens, abductions, true stories, oh my! A skeptical look at a filmed "true story." Read review of Fire in the Sky.

Go to the Cinema, Spirituality, and Science Fiction Home page, or to the Spirituality page, or to the Science Fiction page.