X-Men 3: The Last Stand...
Power. It is something we all want, we all strive for, and when we get it, we promise to use it for good. Politicians constantly promise to fight for the poor and the oppressed, but once in office they tend to do whatever will get them reelected. So often I hear people say that if they ever become rich, they will give millions away to charity, but statistics consistently show that the more money someone makes, the less they give away. Power. Will it be used for good or for evil?
X-Men 3: The Last Stand centers around that question, but it also brings up another important point. We all have to choices to make, but will we use those choices to do good or to do evil? To be selfish or work for the good of others? Ideally, we would all work for the good of others, but that begs the question. Why does it seem that in this world people watch out for themselves and their own interests instead of the interests for others?
Wolverine's character wrestles with this tension, and he sees first hand that self-interest will result in the death of others, so what is there to do? I will let you watch X-Men 3 to find his answer to that question, which you definitely should do.
X-Men 3 is not a great, but a good movie, and it certainly beats all the other supposed summer blockbusters for 2006 so far. The action is exhillirating and gives pace to the story. Plus, the addition of the Beast is wonderful addition, and his action scenes are some of the best in the film. Wolverine, of course, does not disappoint. Storm has more chances to show off her ability than the first two movies combined. Overall, the movie had the makings of everything it needed to be great.
Unfortunately, some of the most important parts of the story lacked emotion, punch, and the weight of the importance of the different decisions that were made. But do not let this deter you, this is still a movie worth seeing, especially if you enjoyed the first two installments.
One interesting theme in the movie is this idea of 'being who you are.' The mutants are given a supposed 'cure,' a shot that will make them normal human beings. This obviously does not seem right, both to the moviegoer and to the mutants in the movie. After all, these people have been created this way, and their gifts and talents are as much a part of them as their hands or eyes.
This is an idea very prevalent in our culture today, the idea of 'being true to yourself.' After all, if you are made a certain way, just be that, and there is no need to change. But before you think that X-Men is giving on this idea, it is not. The Pheonix, Jean Gray's alter-ego (so to speak), wants to come out and take complete control of Jean's body. The problem is that the Phoenix is ultimately rage-filled and does not control her powers, bringing death to innocent people. Professor Xavier wants to harness this power, so that it can only be used for good, where Magneto wants to let this power be unleashed, in order to use the Phoenix to accomplish his goals.
Magneto's main argument is that Jean Gray has all this power, so why hold it back? This is who she is, and she should be allowed to be that. This brings up such a powerful point, a point that goes against a culture that says you need 'to be who you are.' Sometimes, who we are, brings pain and death. And although this may not be to other people, often it brings those things in to our own lives.
What is it, in who we are, that brings death? Sin. Let's face it, some of the time, OK, for me, most of the time, it is so much easier to do evil things. To just be true to the fact that I'm a dude, and dudes like sex, so I should just sleep around. But that would bring pain into the lives of so many people, not to mention my own. Sin. It is such a tired word, but it is the line between good and evil, and crossing over that line leads to death. And, we have all crossed that line...
Being 'true to yourself' can lead to death if 'yourself' is a sinful being. Which, unfortunately, that includes every person. And when we live our lives in a way that is selfish and self-serving, then we become a force for evil in this world. But when we live our lives in service to others, putting our very lives on the line for others, then we become a picture of the best. One of my favorite things Jesus was Mark 10:45, where he reminded his disciples that "...the son of man did not come in to the world to be served, but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many..." Not only did Jesus try to get us to change who we are to serve others, but he also provided the answer to the death and pain our sin creates. There is no need to wallow in sin, its been paid for with Christ, all we need to do is trust Him, and take on the life of a servant.
X-Men shows the fruits of sacrifice, but it also points out that sometimes who we are need to be changed. Wolverine, the Phoenix, Storm, Scott, all the characters are faced with decisions about either being true to themselves, or putting down their power, their selfishness, or their inhibition to serve others. Either they will serve others, or die serving themselves, which makes for an entertaining movie...
X-Men 3: The Last Stand centers around that question, but it also brings up another important point. We all have to choices to make, but will we use those choices to do good or to do evil? To be selfish or work for the good of others? Ideally, we would all work for the good of others, but that begs the question. Why does it seem that in this world people watch out for themselves and their own interests instead of the interests for others?
Wolverine's character wrestles with this tension, and he sees first hand that self-interest will result in the death of others, so what is there to do? I will let you watch X-Men 3 to find his answer to that question, which you definitely should do.
X-Men 3 is not a great, but a good movie, and it certainly beats all the other supposed summer blockbusters for 2006 so far. The action is exhillirating and gives pace to the story. Plus, the addition of the Beast is wonderful addition, and his action scenes are some of the best in the film. Wolverine, of course, does not disappoint. Storm has more chances to show off her ability than the first two movies combined. Overall, the movie had the makings of everything it needed to be great.
Unfortunately, some of the most important parts of the story lacked emotion, punch, and the weight of the importance of the different decisions that were made. But do not let this deter you, this is still a movie worth seeing, especially if you enjoyed the first two installments.
One interesting theme in the movie is this idea of 'being who you are.' The mutants are given a supposed 'cure,' a shot that will make them normal human beings. This obviously does not seem right, both to the moviegoer and to the mutants in the movie. After all, these people have been created this way, and their gifts and talents are as much a part of them as their hands or eyes.
This is an idea very prevalent in our culture today, the idea of 'being true to yourself.' After all, if you are made a certain way, just be that, and there is no need to change. But before you think that X-Men is giving on this idea, it is not. The Pheonix, Jean Gray's alter-ego (so to speak), wants to come out and take complete control of Jean's body. The problem is that the Phoenix is ultimately rage-filled and does not control her powers, bringing death to innocent people. Professor Xavier wants to harness this power, so that it can only be used for good, where Magneto wants to let this power be unleashed, in order to use the Phoenix to accomplish his goals.
Magneto's main argument is that Jean Gray has all this power, so why hold it back? This is who she is, and she should be allowed to be that. This brings up such a powerful point, a point that goes against a culture that says you need 'to be who you are.' Sometimes, who we are, brings pain and death. And although this may not be to other people, often it brings those things in to our own lives.
What is it, in who we are, that brings death? Sin. Let's face it, some of the time, OK, for me, most of the time, it is so much easier to do evil things. To just be true to the fact that I'm a dude, and dudes like sex, so I should just sleep around. But that would bring pain into the lives of so many people, not to mention my own. Sin. It is such a tired word, but it is the line between good and evil, and crossing over that line leads to death. And, we have all crossed that line...
Being 'true to yourself' can lead to death if 'yourself' is a sinful being. Which, unfortunately, that includes every person. And when we live our lives in a way that is selfish and self-serving, then we become a force for evil in this world. But when we live our lives in service to others, putting our very lives on the line for others, then we become a picture of the best. One of my favorite things Jesus was Mark 10:45, where he reminded his disciples that "...the son of man did not come in to the world to be served, but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many..." Not only did Jesus try to get us to change who we are to serve others, but he also provided the answer to the death and pain our sin creates. There is no need to wallow in sin, its been paid for with Christ, all we need to do is trust Him, and take on the life of a servant.
X-Men shows the fruits of sacrifice, but it also points out that sometimes who we are need to be changed. Wolverine, the Phoenix, Storm, Scott, all the characters are faced with decisions about either being true to themselves, or putting down their power, their selfishness, or their inhibition to serve others. Either they will serve others, or die serving themselves, which makes for an entertaining movie...
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home