The Incredibles (2004)

(voices) Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Jason Lee

Director: Brad Bird

Disney, Pixar

Rated PG

I can't recall a superhero who was married (I was never a comic book reader so I may be wrong). So when Brad Bird had the idea for a whole family of superheroes, the idea was surprisingly original.

In a world (this should sound like Don LaFontaine in your head too) where superheroes have become more of a burden than a blessing, they have been forced into hiding, leading normal mundane lives while fighting their do-good urges. One such superhero is Mr. Incredible (alias Bob Parr) who, after marrying Elastigirl, hangs up his super suite and raises their three kids in suburbia. But Bob is made an offer Mr. Incredible can't refuse. Coming out of retirement for a secret mission on a remote island, Mr. Incredible is bested by a new rival - a former admirer named Buddy that has become the super-villain Syndrome.

Most superheroes work alone and it is a common plot device for a hero's loved ones to be exploited as vulnerabilities. Love is never a weakness but an asset. And working with others is God's will. Romans 12 and Ephesians 4 talk about Christians being one body with many members, all doing different things but for one purpose. And we are also commanded to "love one another." As the poet John Donne put it "No man is an island" (note the name of Syndrome's island is "Nomanisan (No-man-is-an) Island"). Perhaps if Mr. Incredible had accepted young Buddy's friendship years ago and mentored him, not only would he not find himself in peril on this day, but maybe he and "Incredi-Boy" would have made a good team.

Syndrome (foolishly monologuing as villains tend to do) reveals his evil plan is to eventually sell inventions that would enable everyone to be a superhero. "And when everyone is super, no one will be." But Mrs. Incredible (aka Elastigirl) and her stowaway kids come to rescue Bob, their true strength realized in each other and working together.

Only when we realize our weaknesses can we fully lean on God and others. And when no one is super, then everyone will be.

Contact (1997)

Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Warner Bros.

Rated PG

Based on Astronomer Carl Sagan's novel and views, Contact tells the story of Dr. Ellie Arroway who discovers a signal from outerspace. This discovery opens an international, political and scientific Pandora's box that Ellie is swept up in and ill-prepared to deal with. Her religious beliefs are the most challenged by this discovery but they are also explored by her sometimes lover, a religious leader and ex-priest.

Science and religious have always butted heads but this movie searches for and often finds their common ground by using Ellie and Palmer (the ex-priest) as the voice of science and religion respectively. In one conversation, Ellie quotes scientific principals for her lack of belief in a god. She needs proof. To which Palmer replies "Did you love your father?"

Ellie, "What?"

Palmer, "Your dad. Did you love him?"

Ellie, "Yes, very much."

Palmer, "Prove it."

As the plot unfolds, Ellie experiences something that defies her ability to explain or prove, making her realize Palmer's point of view concerning faith and proof. Faith is the only thing that separates religion from science. Religion's ability to accept things without proof allows it to leap beyond logic.

Contact draws many parallels between the scientific and religious community. As Palmer puts it "As a person of faith, I'm bound by a different covenant that Doctor Arroway. But our goal is one and the same: the pursuit of the Truth."

Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)

Steve Martin, John Candy
Director: John Hughes
Paramount Pictures
Rated R

This is one of my favorite holiday movies, a John Hughes classic and a great road trip movie all rolled up into one. The story follows yuppie Neal Page who is trying to get home to his family in Chicago from New York in time for Thanksgiving. A series of events continually alters his course to intersect with that of Del Griffith, an obnoxious and overbearing traveling salesman.

The character arch of the movie belongs to Neal who is so self-absorbed with his problems and misfortune that the situations of others never occur to him. I don’t think it’s correct to call Del the antagonist. He is more of an agent for Neal’s change.

God unexpectedly puts people in our paths all the time. Jesus calls them “neighbors” and tells a road trip story of his own to illustrate how we should handle these obstacles..er..opportunities. (Luke 10:25 – 37)

It isn’t until the 11th hour that Neal considers Del’s point of view and realizes, through clues in their past conversations, that Del just may be more in need than himself and yet was much more giving than himself.

Neal was never an evil person. He, like many of us, just failed to consider those peripheral people in his life who are in need. We’ve become a world so guarded, so afraid of being taken advantage of, that we close ourselves off completely to opportunities for giving (Romans 14:7), opportunities that we can be thankful for and that can show us how much more we have to give.

Ben-Hur (1959)

Charlton Heston, Stephen Boyd, Haya Harareet, Hugh Griffith
Director: William Wyler
MGM
Rated G

It isn’t hard to find Christian themes in this Hollywood classic. It’s a fictional story penned by a Civil War General who became a believer while doing research for his book. This film also held the record for most Oscars® won until Titanic (1997) tied it at eleven. It’s interesting to note that both films follow fictional characters inhabiting historical events.

One of the great things this story does is bring context and perspective to the world of Jesus. The story follows Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish man who was born the same time and place as Jesus. While Jesus is only a peripheral character, Ben-Hur’s brief encounters with him throughout his life have a profound effect on him. When a childhood friend, Messala, returns to Jerusalem as a Roman official, Ben-Hur finds himself caught between friendship and loyalty to his people. A series of events sees him convicted of a crime, enslaved, freed and eventually elevated to royalty. Sounds like another Biblical character, doesn’t it? Like Jesus and Moses, Ben-Hur wears two rings – that of a slave and that of a prince.

Returning home, he discovers the fate of his family and slaves, including the girl he loves and becomes consumed with revenge toward his former friend. The grand centerpiece of this movie is the chariot race in which Ben-Hur races against Messala for honor and revenge. It’s a marvelous sequence even by today’s movie-making standards.

Water imagery appears throughout the story. As a slave being led through Nazareth, Ben-Hur is denied water by the guards but is given some by Jesus. A naval battle finds Ben-Hur rowing with the slaves but providence intervenes and he survives and rescues a grateful General. Back in Jerusalem, Ben-Hur recognizes Jesus who is carrying the cross on the way to Calvary. When Jesus stumbles, Ben-Hur offers Him a drink of water. Following Jesus and the crowd, Ben-Hur soon finds himself before the crucified Christ. It is only then that he understands the power of forgiveness. It begins to rain and his anger, among other things, is washed away.

There have been many movies since that owe a lot to Ben-Hur. Gladiator (2000) comes to mind. But, if the message of Gladiator is “Don’t get mad, get even,” then the message of Ben-Hur is “Don’t get mad, forgive.”

"King of the Hill"

Episode: “Reborn to be Wild”
Original Air Date: 11/9/03
(voices) Mike Judge, Kathy Najimy, Pamela Adlon
Director: Dominic Polcino
Fox

When Hank gets concerned about Bobby’s most recent behavior, he seeks the council of his church minister who refers him to a church youth group. Bobby reluctantly goes finding them to be a gang of tattooed, skateboarding Christians instead of “one of those murdering gangs” as Peggy puts it.

Hank, pleased that Bobby likes the group, changes his tune when he gets a first-hand look at them after Bobby invites them over to skateboard in the ally. Hank, of course, views them as hippies or thugs and is frustrated because he cannot effectively criticize them. “Wait, I think that one is smoking! Ah, no, (disappointed) he’s praying.”

Hank’s concern grows when he sees how they’re effecting Bobby’s behavior. “I don’t know what to make of this youth group of Bobby’s. Last night he broke curfew but he was reading the Bible. What are you supposed to do with that?”

Later, Bobby offers the dinner time prayer, “I wanna give a shout out to the Man who makes it all happen. Props be to You for this most bountiful meal that sits before us…”

Inspired by the rebellious spirit of the group and their leader, Pastor K, Bobby disobeys his parents by sneaking out to attend Messiah Fest.

This is probably my favorite episode of “King of the Hill,” a show that brilliantly captures small town conservative middle America from which creator Mike Judge sprang. Pastor K and the youth group illustrate the Christian rock, grunge, alternative movement in recent decades. At first, it may seem that they are the antagonists in this story. But we soon learn that Hank is once again just protecting highly impressionable Bobby from himself, as clarified in the final scene.

After retrieving Bobby from Messiah Fest, Hank brings him into the garage where he shows him an old box containing the discarded remains of Bobby’s many childhood phases and trends. Bobby comments about how stupid all those things seem now. Hank replies, “I know you think that the stuff you’re doin’ now is cool but in a few years you’re gonna think it’s lame. And I don’t want the…um…Lord to…um…you know…end up in this box.”

There are a lot of different worship styles and mediums out there for Christianity today. As the world changes, the message does not.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. –Hebrews 13:8

Pastor K and his youth group had good intentions but Hank knew his son and what affect they would have on him. They’re message reaches some but the style may not be right for everyone. Whatever you do for God, make sure your focus is on the substance and not the style. And, whatever trend or phase you decide to follow, make sure it’s true to you and your beliefs.

“My Name Is Earl”

Episode: “Quit Smoking”
Original Air Date: 9/27/05
Jason Lee, Ethan Suplee, Jaime Pressly, Nadine Velazquez, Eddie Steeples, Silas Weir Mitchell, Kathryn Joosten
Director: Marc Buckland
NBC, 20th Century Fox

Guy wins lottery. Guy gets hit by car and losses lottery ticket. Guy learns about karma in hospital. Guy makes list of bad deeds. Guy starts making up for bad deeds. Guy finds lost lottery ticket cementing belief in karma. Guy uses lottery winnings to make up for bad deeds. That’s the premise of “My Name is Earl” as succinctly as I can put it. To say Earl Hickey was a bad guy probably isn’t accurate enough. While he wasn’t the devil either, the pre-list Earl did seem to be devoid of any moral compass when it came to relationships outside his circle of friends and family.

In this, the second episode of the series, Earl is forced by his friends to confess to Donnie Jones that he went to prison for a crime Earl committed. Fortunately for Earl, “crazy eyes” Donnie found Jesus in prison. When asked “What would Jesus Do?” Donnie, peaked into his shirt at his crucifixion tattoo and simply asked Him. Earl was forgiven. Luckily, we as Christians are forgiven as well. But, that wasn’t the end of this story.

Donnie’s mother overhears their conversation and becomes enraged. She attacks Earl with her large print Bible for taking Donnie away from her for the two years he was in prison. Earl reasons that he must put Donnie’s mother on his list and that the only way to cross her off is to help her quit smoking thus adding (hopefully) at least two years to her life. Earl, a smoker himself, kidnaps her and together they quit smoking.

Jesus forgave our sins while He was on earth but that wasn’t the end of that story either. There was still a price that had to be paid (Romans 6:23). That’s why He had to die. All the items on our lists were crossed off by that one act. We don’t need to do anything to earn redemption except give our lists to Jesus and our hearts to God. That’s why Christianity will trump karma every time.

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Billy Gray, Lock Martin
Director: Robert Wise
20th Century Fox
Rated G

A visitor from another world, a deadly robot and an ultimatum - these are the basic elements of what has become the peak of 1950’s sci-fi b-movies. With iconic images and a haunting score by Bernard Herrmann, The Day the Earth Stood Still has been referenced and emulated since its release.

While the filmmakers were unaware of the Christian themes in the story, it is unclear if they were intentionally placed there by the screenwriter (Edmund H. North). Nonetheless, these themes are obvious.

The main character, Klaatu, an alien sent to Earth with an important message, goes underground to observe humans, taking the name “Carpenter” from a dry cleaning tag on the suite he steals. While Klaatu’s namesake, Jesus, didn’t need to observe us to understand us, He also came to Earth with an important message. Only He came so we could observe and understand Him.

Klaatu is accompanied on his mission by Gort, an eight-foot robot with deadly strength and weapons. Gort spends most of the movie as a motionless centurion guarding their spaceship. But when Gort moves, people run. It is revealed in the finale that Gort is one of many robots built to patrol the universe and eliminate any hostile threats. Warning Earth that their Cold War era behavior might incur the wrath of these police is Klaatu’s message. Hmmmm, this sounds familiar. “For the wages of sin is death…” That makes Gort sound like the God of the Old Testament.

Speaking of death, Klaatu continues his Jesus parallels by being resurrected from the dead…with a little help from Gort. It is rumored that Christian activist groups at the time of the movie’s release were upset by this and so they added Klaatu’s line explaining that his resurrection was temporary and that eternal life was reserved only for the “almighty spirit.” This line may have leaned a little heavy against the fourth wall.

In the end, Klaatu and Gort leave Earth to await our response to their warning. “Make peace or die” is a pretty bleak message. Thankfully that wasn’t Jesus’.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life” Romans 6:23

I’ll take spaceship #2, please - the one with grace and forgiveness and without the merciless killer robot.

All in all, The Day the Earth Stood Still is just fun sci-fi camp wrapped around a chewy antiwar center. Or is there more to it? Could it be that the film’s famous line “Klaatu barada nikto” can be translated to “Forgive them, Gort. For they know not what they do?” Is that a theremin I hear playing?