MAN OF STEEL



Superman is back – in a big way – in MAN OF STEEL, written by David Goyer (BATMAN BEGINS and BLADE) and directed by Zack Snyder (300, WATCHMEN, and LEGENDS OF THE GUADIANS: THE OWLS OF GA’HOOLE). Super-smart, super-exciting and super-rewarding, MAN OF STEEL is one of the most satisfying, most redemptive, and most moving superhero movies made yet. It even includes some overt Christian content. There is some foul language and intense action violence, however.

Like the first huge Superman movie in the late 1970s, MAN OF STEEL begins on the planet Krypton. Superman’s father, Jor-El, is helping Superman’s mother give birth to little Kal-El, aka Clark Kent aka Superman. It’s the first natural birth in centuries on Krypton, a highly technological society that’s lost touch with its own humanity. The planet is being destroyed by its own people. The Kryptonians have stopped their exploration of space and turned inward, but in their search for energy, they have irreparably damaged the planet’s core.
Jor-El realizes the society and the planet are doomed. No one has listened to his warnings. So, he and his wife have decided to send their baby on a spaceship to Earth, where Jor-El has special plans for his son that no one can fathom.

Meanwhile, the evil General Zod tries to take control of Krypton, but Jor-El stops him. Zod and his officers are arrested and sentenced to the Phantom Zone. However, in the process, Zod kills Jor-El.
Cut to years later on Earth. Little Kal-El has become Clark Kent, from Kansas. Clark has tried to hide his growing superpowers, in fear that people won’t understand. Even so, he keeps using his powers to save people’s lives, then having to move on.

Everything changes when Clark discovers his Kryptonian heritage. Then, Lois Lane, the intrepid reporter from the Daily Planet, discovers Clark’s true identity. Soon, General Zod and his soldiers show up on Earth, demanding that Clark surrender to them. Will Lois reveal Clark’s true identity? Can Clark trust General Zod if he surrenders? What will the American military do?

MAN OF STEEL has all the bells and whistles moviegoers might expect from a new blockbuster action adventure movie about Superman. Most of the scenes play true and contain strong performances from all concerned. It’s also brilliantly structured, with a powerful character arc for the title character. Each encounter Superman has with other people, each life he saves, hones his character and influences the decisions he makes. When he’s asked to surrender to Zod, for instance, Superman seeks solace in a Christian church. Superman tells the priest he knows he can’t trust General Zod, but he’s not sure whether he can trust the humans. With a stained glass picture of Jesus behind them, the priest tells him that, sometimes, if you take a leap of faith, trust will follow. Other similar scenes contain a clever use of flashbacks. For instance, several times, the movie flashes back to important incidents in Superman’s life as a boy with his adoptive parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent. Eventually, Superman becomes the positive role model for the humans that his biological father wanted him to be, and his faith and trust are rewarded.

Hope is another theme in the movie. Superman tells Lois that the “S” on his chest is his family’s motto and it means “hope.” That’s what Superman gives the humans when Zod reveals that he intends to kill all the humans so that Earth can become a new home for the Krypton race.

All of this gives MAN OF STEEL a very strong Christian, redemptive and moral worldview. The movie extols many positive values, including faith, trust, hope, being a good role model, protecting the innocent, saving lives, sacrifice, and doing the right thing despite personal cost. MAN OF STEEL does contain some foul language, however, and intense action violence, so caution is advised. The worst foul language, though, seems to come from the bad guys, and never from Superman.

 

EPIC



EPIC is a big story in a little world.
It starts off with a human girl, MK (short for Mary Katherine), coming home to the father she’s never known as a result of a promise to her recently deceased mother. The father is obsessed with finding another dimensional, teeny tiny world.
As it would happen, MK finds the tiny world, a world where the Leaf people are fighting the Rot people to save nature. The Rot people, led by their evil king, want to destroy all of nature. Every 100 years, at the summer solstice, when there’s a full moon, the queen of nature finds a bud, which turns into the next queen in the ancient temple when the full moon hits it. The Rot people mortally wound the queen, and she hands the bud to MK, and MK becomes a little person.
Now, MK, along with the captain of the queen’s forces, Ronan, and a disobedient young warrior named Nod, have to fight the evil Rot king and save the bud, so that nature will be saved. In the process, MK falls in love with Nod, while her father franticly searches for her.
EPIC has a lot of good qualities. It is fast-paced. There are plenty of laughs and tears. The valiant leaf people show loyalty, honor, self-sacrifice, and forgiveness. All of these traits would suggest a Christian story. However, the story’s setting involves an overtly monistic environment promoting Mother Nature and extolling the “balance of nature.” The good news is that that pagan part of the story is kept very light, so media-wise families can enjoy the movie if they explain the truth before watching to their older children.
Finally, EPIC is a little scary for young children and has two parallel plotlines, which are a little confusing. Therefore, it’s not as good as the previous ICE AGE movies by Blue Sky.

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS



STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS gets lost. The script has several openings and several endings. The timing of the direction sometimes seems off. Moreover, there is some annoying content, including a significant, excessive amount of foul language.
The movie opens with the Enterprise exploring a primitive planet. To save Spock, Captain Kirk lets the natives see the starship, violating the Prime Directive not to change a primitive planet’s culture or history.
Back in 2259 San Francisco, Captain Kirk is removed as commander of the starship and reduced to first mate. Then, a Starfleet traitor named Harrison wipes out a top-secret Starfleet weapons facility in London. All the commanders are called to strategize at headquarters in San Francisco, and Harrison tries to wipe them all out. During the battle, Kirk’s friend and mentor, Admiral Pike, is killed. After the battle, Harrison transports to a remote spot on the Klingon home planet.
Kirk is given back his command by the head of Starfleet, Admiral Marcus, and he goes on a mission to kill Harrison in Klingon territory with newly developed photon torpedoes. However, Spock convinces Kirk it’s wrong to kill the man without a trial. Making matters worse, the Enterprise has undergone a mysterious engine malfunction. So, Kirk decides to arrest Harrison on a remote section of the Klingon homeworld while the Enterprise is being repaired.
Things get even more complicated when Harrison shows up and saves Kirk and his people from some Klingon soldiers. During the battle, it seems as if Harrison has superhuman strength.
[POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOLLOW] After the battle, Harrison tells Captain Kirk that Admiral Marcus is the real villain because Marcus wants to start a war with the Klingons. He says Marcus wanted Kirk to kill him to silence him. Sure enough, Marcus suddenly appears commanding a new spaceship and threatens to blow up the Enterprise if Kirk doesn’t give Harrison to him.
Epic battles ensue. Meanwhile, Harrison’s story starts to unravel. Will Kirk find out the truth before he and his friends are killed?
A great movie makes you feel good after watching it. With some poignant references to the best STAR TREK movie ever, THE WRATH OF KHAN, STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS isn’t a total disaster, but it ultimately exhausts the viewer. For example, the movie has several cobbled-together openings and two or three endings. Perhaps Director JJ Abrams and his writers had their minds on other productions. Some of the timing in the action scenes seems very clunky. Instead of building suspense, they dissipate it. Dr. McCoy and Scotty have some positive references to God but Spock says at one point that there are no miracles, and it seems as if the heroes do everything themselves. In addition, there’s a ridiculous shot of Captain Kirk waking up in a bed between two alien women with tails, and another shot shows the admiral’s daughter in her dark underwear while she’s changing into a spacesuit. [SPOILERS FOLLOW] Also, when her father dies, the daughter seems not to care at all. Of course, he does turn out to be a bad guy who believes that the ends justify the means, so the movie does make some strong moral points.
The script to STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS contains some plot holes. For example, Kirk and his team never stop to wonder why Admiral Marcus has given them 72 new photon torpedoes to kill Harrison. Wouldn’t two or three be enough? Also, Harrison flees to the Klingons’ section of space, yet he tries to convince Kirk that Admiral Marcus is the one who wants to start a war with the Klingons. Why should Harrison flee there if he wants to stop the admiral’s dastardly plan?
There are some other problems. For instance, the ending has the Starfleet officers dressed in old Soviet-style uniforms and an obnoxious UN-type flag. The movie also contains a gratuitous, excessive number of obscenities. Finally, at one point, Spock says the many are more important than the one, a true recipe for a disappointing movie about a not-so-heroic Captain Kirk.

THE GREAT GATSBY (2013)



Baz Luhrman’s new 3D version of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s acclaimed novel about the Jazz Age, THE GREAT GATSBY, is an extravagant cinematic vision of some of the basic themes in the book. Ultimately, it tells a tragic, but somewhat sordid, story of how immorality, wishful thinking, gluttony, greed, jealousy, adultery, carelessness, hedonism, and an obsessive focus on material wealth bring tragedy. The movie misses some of the novel’s major nuances, such as the extended reflections and important details surrounding Gatsby’s funeral, but it captures the novel’s spirit while paying homage to the literary contributions of both Fitzgerald and the book.
Basically, THE GREAT GATSBY tells the tragic love story of a poor soldier, named James Gatz, who falls in love with Daisy, a careless girl from upper crust society in Louisville. Having changed his name to J. or Jay Gatsby, he pretends to come from a rich Midwest family. However, World War I intervenes and, still being poor, Gatsby couldn’t return to Daisy right away after the end of the war. So, Daisy marries a wealthy former college athlete, Tom Buchanan.
Daisy and Tom move to East Egg on Long Island in New York. Five years later, Gatsby shows up in Long Island. Now suddenly rich, but probably with bootleg and gambling racket money, Gatsby rents a huge nouveau riche house right across the bay from Tom and Daisy’s, on West Egg. Gatsby holds extravagant parties at his house, hoping that Daisy will come one night, but she never does. So, Gatsby asks Daisy’s poor cousin, Nick Carraway, to invite Daisy to tea at the guesthouse Nick rents from Gatsby’s neighbor, and Gatsby will unexpectedly show up. Nick knows that Daisy’s husband Tom has a mistress, so he agrees to Gatsby’s plan.
Gatsby and Daisy resume their love affair. [SPOILERS FOLLOW] However, Gatsby eventually grows impatient with her. He wants her to tell her husband that she always loved Gatsby, not him. This leads to an angry confrontation between Gatsby, Daisy and Tom in front of Nick and Nick’s casual girlfriend, who’s a longtime friend of Daisy. One thing leads to another, and Gatsby is tragically murdered by the husband of Tom’s mistress.
Narrating this story is Daisy’s cousin, Nick, who’s writing the story as part of his therapy in a sanitarium for alcoholics. The original book by Fitzgerald is full of sometimes cynical, sometimes psychological, sometimes moral, and sometimes social insights and details from Nick. A movie can’t possibly convey all of those insights and details, but Director Baz Luhrman nevertheless does a good job of incorporating some of them. He does a fine job of capturing the more important insights and symbols that lead up to the novel’s famous ending about the flashing green light on the pier outside Daisy’s home.
THE GREAT GATSBY brilliantly bookends Fitzgerald’s tragic story by opening and closing on the logo that Gatsby has fashioned for himself and his house. The art direction and costumes are beautiful, even when they focus on the darker aspects of the story, characters, and setting. It all looks gloriously extravagant in 3D, but the 3D effects draw viewers into the story and characters, something that the book doesn’t always seem to accomplish.
Leonardo DiCaprio does a great job portraying Gatsby, both the mysterious rich man and the hopeful, romantic poor man. If the other actors at times pale in comparison to him, that’s not necessarily their fault. That’s because the mature DiCaprio has become such a good actor himself. This also seems true of the book, however, where, when Gatsby finally reveals the truths about himself and his actions, the reader can’t help but sympathize with him while still recognizing the personal flaws that bring him to his tragic end. DiCaprio IS Gatsby.
Some critics and Fitzgerald fans have criticized the extravagance of this version of GATSBY. Ironically, however, by criticizing the extravagance of Luhrman’s portrayal, which comes complete with lavish 3D images, these critics are missing the point of the movie, and a major point in the book – that the materialistic and emotional excesses of the rich in New York City during the early 1920s brought out the darkness that lurks in the sinful hearts of all people. As the book clearly suggests at a couple points, in the debauched excesses of the 1920s, America replaced God with the daily personal concerns, including materialistic possessions, of private and public life, such as the all-encompassing search for “the American Dream.”
All that said, Fitzgerald is no religious moralist, so THE GREAT GATSBY doesn’t really have a Christian or a biblical worldview. It’s more like a somewhat cynical and disillusioned humanist critique of extravagant wealth, extravagant dreams and extravagant desires. The book’s ending, and the movie’s as well, says that these hopes and goals are unattainable and, even if we do attain them, they will never leave us satisfied. Of course, in the Christian worldview of the New Testament, the only and best attainable hope and goal is establishing a deep and profound personal, and moral, relationship with God through Jesus Christ and His Gospel. Through such a relationship, we are able to establish more fulfilling relationships with our fellow brothers and sisters, love our neighbors as ourselves, get our basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter met, and obtain real glimpses of the wonderful joy we will have with Jesus in Heaven.
THE GREAT GATSBY also contains some foul language, an implied sex scene, a brief montage of implied sex scenes, brief violence, lots of alcohol use, and some scenes of drunken revelry. For example, Tom forces Nick to party with his mistress, her sister and some other friends in the city. Before the others arrive, Nick sits awkwardly in the living room of the apartment Tom has bought for his mistress, while Tom and the married woman can clearly be heard having relations behind the closed bedroom door. There is also a montage of shots showing Gatsby and Daisy in bed kissing, but nothing explicit is shown there. The director has added these shots and scenes, while the book is more PG than PG-13. All this content, however, as well as the cynical, disillusioned, sad comments about unattainable that conclude both the novel and the movie, warrants extreme caution.
The famous ending of THE GREAT GATSBY says that true satisfaction is always unattainable. That is true, BUT only if we seek satisfaction apart from God through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Let us, therefore, as the great apostle writes in Hebrews 12:2, “Fix our eyes upon Jesus” and, as Jesus commands in Matthew 6:33, “Seek first the Kingdom [or reign] of God and His righteousness.”

IRON MAN 3



IRON MAN 3 goes back-to-basics by delving even more into the things that make its iconic hero, Tony Stark, tick. It also provides slambang action entertainment with great villains, better character arcs for the supporting characters, and lots of heart.
The move opens with billionaire Tony Stark saying he created his own “demons” back in New year’s Eve on 1999 when he failed to listen to a young nerdy man’s business proposal. Thirteen years later, that man, named Aldrich Killian, has become a wealthy military contractor. Worse, he’s placed a new weapon at the disposal of a global terrorist called the Mandarin.
One of the Mandarin’s new human bombs puts Tony’s friend, Happy, in a coma during the Christmas holidays. Tony challenges the Mandarin to come after him personally. Tony’s own hubris, however, also endangers his girlfriend, Pepper’s, life. They barely escape the Mandarin’s all-out attack on their fancy Malibu home.
Now, Tony finds himself stranded in a small Tennessee town, with only a young boy and an unreliable Iron Man prototype to help him. Tony has to rely on his instincts and ingenuity to stop Killian and the Mandarin, including their demonic henchmen.
The story in IRON MAN 3 is very well structured. The characters are also very well developed, with all of them undergoing their own striking character arcs. Besides the exciting non-stop action, IRON MAN 3 also has lots of heart. The scenes between Tony Stark and the young boy are heartwarming. Even better, the franchise finally finds some good subplots for major supporting characters like Tony’s girlfriend Pepper, his buddy Col. Rhodes, and his friend, Happy. Of course, Robert Downey, Jr., is once again superb as the heroic Tony Stark aka Iron Man. Ben Kingsley and Guy Pearce make wonderful villains as the cold-hearted Mandarin and the fiery Aldrich Killian.
Screenwriter Shane Black (LETHAL WEAPON and THE LAST ACTION HERO) gets to direct IRON MAN 3 as well as co-write the script. Interestingly, IRON MAN 3 marks about the fourth or fifth time that Black has set one of his stories around Christmas. He admitted at a recent press conference MOVIEGUIDE® attended that he was reluctant, at first, to set this new movie during Christmas, but he was convinced to do it when he found some ways to integrate the holiday into his story and script. In essence, he said, the story for IRON MAN 3 is partly a nod to Charles Dickens’ CHRISTMAS CAROL. Thus, the demonic villains in IRON MAN 3 represent the “ghosts (and demons) of Christmas Past” that come back to haunt the hero and his girlfriend.
What lessons does the hero, like Scrooge, learn through his ordeal?
Well, you’ll have to go see the movie and find out. Suffice it to say, however, that the personal demons the hero must face in IRON MAN 3 make for a wild, fun ride at the movies. That said, IRON MAN 3 does have plenty of mostly light foul language, lots of intense action violence and mayhem, and some bedroom references. Thus, caution is advised.

KING’S FAITH



KING’S FAITH is an entertaining movie about a tough subject.
A foster family takes in a foster boy in his teens who’s just been released from jail. The foster kid is Brendan King, a white boy who hung with a black gang. Brendan’s new foster parents are a black family, a father who’s trying desperately to make up for the loss of his son and a mother who wants no part of Brendan. Their son was a policeman. Their son’s police detective friend is convinced bad kids never change, so he’s constantly in Brendan’s face, challenging him at every opportunity.
Brendan saves the high school cheerleader from a car accident. This changes his image at the new high school from a loser to a hero. However, the big man on campus who loves the cheerleader is upset. And, Brendan’s old gang is tailing him in order to find the ice cooler full of heroin he buried before he being arrested. The question is, can Brendan escape his past? This question doesn’t just apply to Brendan, but to everyone.
KING’S FAITH is a watchable, entertaining movie. It’s a little rough for young children because of the violence, including several fights at the high school and fights with the gang. In one of the fights, Brendan gets beat up really bad. Brendan is known as a pit bull and he also takes out his anger. Only Christ can help him, of course.
There’s a lot of good in the movie, including conversion, faith, loyalty, giving people a second chance, and doing the right thing no matter what the cost. Since it’s oriented toward the faith-based market, some of it is too talky because it’s trying to replace gruesome and salacious scenes with dialogue. Even so, it does a good job of holding the viewer’s attention.

42



42 tells what happens when the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team signed the first black player in the Major Leagues, Jackie Robinson, in 1947. 42 is an inspirational, superb movie showing how the Christian faith of both Dodgers General Manager Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson helped change society.

42 stars Harrison Ford as Branch Rickey and Chadwick Boseman as Jackie Robinson. An outspoken Christian, Rickey has long wanted to end racism in major league baseball by hiring an African American player. Led by both his faith and by the prospect of more money, Rickey searches for “the right player.” He thinks Jackie Robinson just might be that man.

At first, Jackie is put into the Dodger’s minor league team, the Montreal Royals. With excitement, Jackie calls his girlfriend, Rachel, and not only tells her he was signed, but also proposes to her. After their wedding, Jackie and Rachel go to Florida for Jackie to start pre-training with the team.

After months of Jackie helping the team win games, Rickey decides to take the leap and sign Jackie with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Being the very first time in history and still a racially divided country, the other teammates sign a petition against Jackie playing with them. Rickey doesn’t take that from his players. He tells them if they don’t want to play with Jackie, then they will be traded. Over time, the team has to learn how to work together and defeat racism.

42 is a wonderful movie with a lot of overt Christian faith. Branch Rickey is very blatant about his faith, which inspires him to take on such a challenge. Jackie also has evident faith that helps him get past all the racism, including some death threats, and move on for the greater good. The marriage between Jackie and Rachel is strong and is a good portrayal of a moral marriage. Adultery is demeaned, and prayer is extolled. Though this is the case, the movie has a fair amount of foul language, plus some racial epithets, so caution is advised for children.

42 not only includes a lot of heart and faith, it also has laughs. Chadwick Boseman plays Jackie Robinson and does a fabulous job getting down Jackie’s unique traits. Harrison Ford, playing Branch Rickey, also shows a morally upright character who’s willing to fight for what’s right. 42 is more linear than it needs to be, with no clear climax or ending point, but the overall production is highly entertaining. The filmmakers have done an excellent job with 42. They have captured the moral and spiritual essence of the story, which is that strong Christian faith can defeat evils like racism and bigotry.

SILVER CIRCLE



SILVER CIRCLE is an interesting, provocative animated political thriller. It’s set in the near future when the Federal Reserve has taken over the whole federal government after another massive financial crisis. The low-budget animation gets in the way of enjoying the movie, but the voice work is particularly good. There is some strong foul language, violence and some moments for mature viewers, however, so some caution is warranted.
The movie opens in 2019 with some unknown person torching several homes in an abandoned housing development taken over by the Federal Reserve. It’s a time of hyper-inflation (a glass of beer costs $90 or more and a gallon of gas costs $150 or more) and increased government tyranny. To bring stability to America, the Federal Reserve has been given special powers to seize people’s property. Worse, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, Victor Brandt, has secret plans to seize even more power.
Federal Reserve arson investigator, Jay Nelson, has been charged with investigating the suspicious arson. His investigation leads him to a mysterious woman named Zoe Taylor. Zoe believes the Fed chairman had her brother murdered to keep some uncomfortable facts quiet. Meanwhile, the chairman has sent a couple killers to keep an eye on Jay and Zoe.
Eventually, Jay discovers that Zoe is part of a group of rebels who mint their own silver coins, called silver circles. As Jay finds out more facts about the Fed chairman’s nefarious schemes, he must decide whose side he takes.
The script and dialogue in SILVER CIRCLES is fairly good. It even elicited some chuckles and gasps from the audience at the screening MOVIEGUIDE® attended. An excellent job by the voice cast helps. However, the inexpensive, simple computer animation, especially some of the awkward movements of the characters, sometimes gets in the way of the viewer’s enjoyment and suspension of disbelief.
Morally, spiritually and politically, SILVER CIRCLE has a strong moral, pro-capitalist, and anti-statist worldview with one or two positive references to God. There’s also a figure of a Virgin Mary in a car. The worldview takes a very strong stance against the Federal Reserve System in the United States, which is a kind of Central Bank invented by politicians and financial interests in the 20th Century. The Federal Reserve is in bed with the federal government. Working together, these two entities have created a system of chronic inflation and high taxation that puts money into the pockets of overpaid bankers, politicians and bureaucrats who reap the benefits of an ever-increasing big government leviathan. The system is bound to come crashing down at some point, and the movie envisions just such a crisis, with significant hyper-inflation and a Federal Reserve that’s had to take over the housing market and Wall Street. As a political thriller, SILVER CIRCLE provides some necessary food for thought for thinking citizens concerned about the chaotic financial system created by the proponents of big government control.
Spoiling the movie’s positive, liberty-minded worldview is some foul language and some hints of possible fornication. Also, to take down the murderous head villain, the good guys, essentially, have to frame him for a crime he doesn’t really commit. Therefore, MOVIEGUIDE® advises some caution for SILVER CIRCLE.

THE BIBLE – Full Review



The Bible is once again coming to the small screen on the History Channel starting March 3. THE BIBLE miniseries was developed by Producer Mark Burnett (SURVIVOR, THE APPRENTICE, SHARK TANK) and his wife Roma Downey, who’s most known for her role in the popular TV series TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL.
The first episode of the TV series THE BIBLE begins with Noah as he and his family huddle together in the ark amidst the crashing of the waves. Noah comforts his family by recounting the creation of the universe from Genesis One.
The clear theme of episode one is God’s covenant promise to His people. From Noah, the narrator transitions to Abraham, whose descendants, God promised, would be more numerous than the stars. Much of the episode focuses on the faith of Abram and Sarai (who are renamed Abraham and Sarah), which is always being tested. God sees the strong faith of Abraham and blesses him for it. His descendants multiply just as God promised.
THE BIBLE then takes the audience to the time of Moses. We see how Moses learned his true identity as a child of God and how he brought God’s people out of slavery from Pharaoh. He proclaims to the Israelites that God is with them and His covenant to His people still stands. This two-hour-long, first segment of THE BIBLE ends with Moses handing down the reins to Joshua and grabs the viewer with a cliff-hanger ending.
The second episode to the THE BIBLE miniseries is likely the most exciting one. Though it paces through the Old Testament at lightning speed, it covers the story of Joshua and the battle of Jericho and his promise to protect Rahab. Even though many nations seek to destroy Israel, God’s covenant with his people protect them from overwhelming odds.
One of the enemies of Israel are the Philistines, who constantly oppress God’s people. God blesses a man named Samson with incredible strength to fight the Philistines, but he’s betrayed by a woman named Delilah who discovers how to make Samson weak.
Both of these Biblical stories are creatively told. Samson is played by African American actor Nonso Anozie who gives a wonderful performance as a strong and powerful yet vulnerable man. His relationship with Delilah ends up destroying his life, but God allows him one more strike against the Philistines.
The attacks against the nation of Israel continue for some time. Eventually, they demand high priest Samuel for a king. Samuel advises against it, but God decides to grant them their wish, so Samuel anoints Saul as their king. Saul becomes corrupted by power and greed to the point of even disobeying direct orders from God.
God commands Samuel to anoint the shepherd boy David as the future king of Israel. As David joins the armies of Saul and becomes the greatest warrior in Israel, Saul becomes jealous of David and tries to kill him. David spends a long period of time fleeing from Saul, but eventually Saul dies in battle, and David is crowned king of Israel.
However, much like Saul, David becomes corrupted and even commits adultery and murder. At a great price, David repents of his sin, and God forgives him. Even so, it will be David’s son, Solomon, who will build God’s temple.
In Episode 3, Babylon invades Israel and makes its people slaves. Nebuchadnezzar demands that his subjects worship him. However, faithful believers like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refuse to bow to Nebuchadnezzar. He angrily throws them into a fire, but God protects them from the flames. This causes Nebuchadnezzar to fear the true God of Israel and repent, but later he goes insane and eventually his kingdom is taken over by Darius. The Israelite Daniel, who serves as one of the king’s “magicians,” befriends King Darius. However, the king’s other advisors convince him to sign a law that would require the death of Daniel, because he serves the God of Israel. Daniel is thrown into a den of lions, but God protects him, and God’s power becomes evident to Darius, who brings back Daniel.
Eventually, the Jews are allowed back into Israel, but the Romans come to occupy Israel with their own forms of torture and destruction. Israel cries out for deliverance, not knowing that the Savior of the world has come. Jesus is born at a dangerous time in humble circumstances. Herod commands the death of all baby boys in Bethlehem. Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus barely escape. The rule of Judea transfers over to the ruthless Pilate.
The ministry of Jesus starts when he is baptized by John the Baptist. Jesus then starts his recruitment of disciples where he enlists Peter and declares to him his mission to change the world.
The third episode of THE BIBLE shows God blessing those who are faithful to Him. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Joseph, and Mary are all tested in their faith, but God provides sanctuary and protection for each one of them. Though some of the CGI of the city of Jerusalem is weakest in these episodes, it’s also one of the more powerful segments of the series. The backstory often forgotten in the life of Jesus is presented in the backdrop of the social unrest between the Jews and the Romans.
The fourth episode begins with Jesus being confronted by a Pharisee about his teaching and the miracles Jesus performs as he travels the land with His apostles. During the first hour, Jesus preaches parts of the Sermon on the Mount and makes the claim that he is the Messiah and has power to forgive sins. This upsets the Pharisees even more.
Finally, as tension mounts between the Romans and the Jews during Passover, Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey. The crowds around Jesus increase as Jesus goes to the temple and overturns the tables of the moneychangers. The high priest Caiaphas decides that Jesus must be killed, and he finds out that one of Christ’s apostles, Judas, is ready and willing to betray Jesus. The fourth episode ends with the Last Supper, the betrayal, and the Pharisees condemning Jesus to death.
The fifth and final installment of THE BIBLE starts with the trial of Jesus before Pilate, the Roman governor. Pilate has Jesus whipped to satisfy a biased crowd ginned up by Caiaphas and the Pharisees, but the crowd still isn’t satisfied. So, after questioning Jesus, Pilate decides to have Him be crucified.
The rest of the first half covers Christ’s death and resurrection. Though Peter denies Jesus three times, after Jesus rises from the dead and ascends to heaven, he becomes emboldened and preaches to a large crowd in Jerusalem on Pentecost.
However, new trouble comes when a Pharisee named Saul spewing hatred for Christians and chomping at the bit to destroy them. He takes the lead in stoning of Stephen to death. On the road to Damascus, he meets Jesus and becomes Paul, the Apostle called to share the Gospel with the Gentiles. In one scene, the love chapter in Chapter 13 of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians is presented as a sermon that convinces Luke to become his companion.
The series concludes with a description of how the disciples died, but never wavered in their testimony. John survives being poisoned, only to be exiled on the island of Patmos. Finally, Jesus briefly shares with John some details about His Second Coming, when He will judge the living and the dead.
The beauty of the TV miniseries THE BIBLE is how it weaves the Biblical accounts together while keeping the historical and emotional integrity of Scripture. Mark Burnett and Roma Downey do a masterful job adapting such a large and incredibly significant portion of Scripture. Some details of certain historical accounts are left out due to time constraints. Also, the teachings of God in the Hebrew Scriptures and Jesus in the New Testament documents are often abridged and paraphrased for dramatic purposes and for clarity. So, by no means can this TV series, or any other for that matter, replace the inspired written Word of God – the Bible.
However, THE BIBLE succeeds in making history come alive. Best of all, the final four hours show the Gospel of Jesus Christ being clearly preached, leading to repentance and forgiveness, and winning hearts and minds. In trying to present the Bible in ten hours, the producers have done a tremendous job of showing the value of having faith in God and faith in Jesus Christ as LORD.
Parents do need to exercise caution on whether THE BIBLE is appropriate for their younger children. There are some heavier action sequences and implied sexual sins that aren’t suitable for the youngest viewers. Otherwise, however, from the first episode to the last, THE BIBLE is tremendously exciting, inspiring, and uplifting. The miniseries reminds us that God is always with us, with Jesus Christ as our shepherd.

RUNAWAY SLAVE



RUNAWAY SLAVE is an intriguing, compelling documentary. It explores race and politics in America and to what extent African Americans believe they are free.
The movie follows The Rev. C.L. Bryant, an African American and former pastor and activist. He asks the question, “Are we free at last?” The filmmakers show him follow various threads to find the answer to that query.
He attends the “Restore Hope” campaign organized by Glenn Beck at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., where the population in attendance is predominantly white. Then, viewers are spirited away to another venue in town where Bryant attends Rev. Al Sharpton’s “Reclaim the Dream” rally, where the population attending is predominantly African American. A myriad of community members, preachers, political leaders, and other personalities are seen giving their insights on the state of the black community, socioeconomic issues, and the government.
In addition to the urban scenes, Bryant also shares his story and heritage as a native of a rural town in Georgia. His 64-acre wooded homeland was passed down to him. He shared how many slaves were allowed to have property. As the camera follows him in his neighborhood, Bryant talks about his Christian faith and his calling as a pastor. He reminisces how he was fired as pastor after nearly a decade due to not making political stances the way the church preferred. The story then follows Bryant back to the urban community and various other locations, including Philadelphia.
At the end of the movie, African American interviewees comment on the freedoms and opportunities they do have in America, and their pride in being an American. Bryant admonishes Americans to run from socialism and progressivism and stay free.
Throughout RUNAEWAY SLAVE, there’s a heavy use of jump cuts, hand-held shooting, creative transitions, juxtapositions of shots that add interest only when not overused. Less is more, and the movie often used far more camera editing tricks than necessary. However, the overall composition of shots is clear.
The worldview of RUNAWAY SLAVE is Christian with a strong socialist and anti-socialist elements as Republican, Democratic, and Tea Party supporters converge to share their clashing social views as they address issues pertinent to all Americans today. Eventually, it’s the anti-socialist, patriotic elements that are reaffirmed at the end by a number of African Americans.
RUNAWAY SLAVE is a very worthwhile experience. It may require some discernment for young children because of some arguing and a woman interviewed on the street, who may be a prostitute.

 

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