War of the Worlds

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A generation ago, two of Director Stephen Spielberg’s biggest films – Close Encounters of the Third Kind and ET: The Extra-Terrestrial – captured the imagination of filmgoers, presenting a hopeful view of aliens from other worlds. The films perhaps provided the cultural motif for what was soon described as “morning in America,� a time of optimism about what the United States had to offer the world.

Another incarnation of three-finger alien is back in Spielberg’s latest foray into the science-fiction genre – a 21st-century computer-generated retelling of H.G. Wells’ classic novel, first published in 1898. Although Spielberg’s War of the Worlds won’t create outbreaks of hysteria as Orson Welles’ famous 1938 radio dramatization, one of the film’s strengths is the way it portrays the pandemonium of a military invasion by an alien force.

It is no surprise as the film unfolds that characters first suspect the anarchy results from terrorist attacks, a reflection of how much times have changed since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. That the film’s action takes shape in New York City and follows a protagonist, Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise), who receives cargo at a port, also reflects the increased attention to security of U.S. borders.

Yet at its heart, War of the Worlds shows how a broken family struggles to keep from disintegrating. At the outset, Ray receives a weekend visit from his teen-age son, Robbie (Justin Chatwith), who’s in open rebellion, and his 10-year-old daughter, Rachel (Dakota Fanning), as his ex-wife (Miranda Otto) and her new husband leave on a trip to Boston.

Amid the pandemonium of an alien attack, the worst elements of American behavior emerge – vigilantism, survival of the fittest, lack of concern for others. Indeed, Cruise’s fight to keep his family together involves stealing, murder and at one point he is forced to make a choice between meeting the needs of his son or daughter. Robbie does one of the film’s few selfless acts out of concern for others. Yet we later wonder whether he really acted out of selflessness or reckless disregard for his own safety.

Although a key turning point involves people rallying together against the aliens in a scene reminiscent of Finding Nemo, it is difficult to assess whether Spielberg is suggesting that Americans are less welcoming of others, especially aliens, or whether in the face of tremendous adversity a deep-seated spirit of community will emerge. A more obvious message of the film, however, is that the military might and technological prowess of the world’s only Superpower pales by comparison to the plan of Providence.

Like the 9/11 terrorist attacks, survivors marvel at the planning that has gone into this alien assault. “They must have been planning this for millions of years, before any people lived here,� one character observes.

Despite the presence of big-name actors, the special effects are the true star of the 1 hour and 57 minute film. Yet, unlike Spielberg’s most famous monsters (the shark in Jaws and the semi-truck in Duel), these aliens are not that scary. Look to M. Night Shyamalan's Signs for an example of a similar film where the terror factor is much higher.

Because of the familiarity of this story, the outcome of War of the Worlds may not hold a lot of suspense. (If you aren’t aware of the plot, there’s a hint about the outcome in the opening titles.) Yet there are many fine points along the way, including Morgan Freeman’s excellent narration.

While War of the Worlds provides well-paced roller-coaster action, the film’s message is subject to the interpretations of the viewer to a greater extent than other films. Perhaps it provides an illustration that for all our attempts at security, what’s needed is a little more faith in divine design.

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Herbie: Fully Loaded

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Thoughts while sitting in a Father’s Day screening of Herbie: Fully Loaded with my wife and two daughters, who are on opposite ends of the film’s tween target audience. Although neither girl had seen any of the original “Love Bug� series (as I did when in their age group), both have an eye for “slug bugs� since Volkswagen introduced the new Beetle design in 1998, after new versions of the 1950-1970 model had not been made for a generation. In light of the almost instant popularity of the redesigned Beetle, why did it take Disney so long to make another film in this series?

In fact, Herbie: Fully Loaded follows in the recent Disney tradition of taking some of its “old-fashioned� films, some from its most artistically dreadful era, and giving them a fresh look for a new generation of younger viewers: most notably Flubber and The Parent Trap.

In Herbie: Fully Loaded, the ‘63 bug fans came to love is resurrected from a junkyard by Maggie Peyton (Lindsay Lohan), who is given her choice of any car on the lot by her father, aging race driver Ray Peyton Sr. (Michael Keaton). The Peyton dynasty, or lack thereof, is being carried on by Ray Peyton Jr. (Breckin Meyer), Maggie’s older brother. But in an impromptu street race against NASCAR champ Tripp Murphy (Matt Dillon), we discover that Maggie perhaps should be carrying the Peyton legacy when she is forced into racing by Herbie.

Dillon proves to be a worthy villain in a role that will remind older viewers of a previous rogue played by Dillon in the 1980 film My Bodyguard, a much better family film than this one. The temptations that Tripp offers Maggie lead her to make some choices that damage her relationships with Herbie, her father and a close friend and mechanic named Kevin (Justin Long).

Herbie: Fully Loaded emphasizes loyalty, honesty and remaining faithful – both in our relationships and in our sense of God-given calling. Maggie discovers that, with the support of others, her dreams are within reach.

The 92-minute film is cute, but not saccharine; its screenplay well-organized, but predictable. The slapstick antics may have some laughing out loud. My 7-year-old enjoyed it quite a bit; the 13-year-old found it mildly amusing. There are also some nice touches in the film, such as having Herbie learn from watching Maggie’s skateboard moves. And the computer-generated special effects seem believable.

This certainly isn’t a great children’s film, nor am I ready to call it a good film. But it’s good, wholesome and light-hearted entertainment for families – the kind that makes for a good summer afternoon outing.

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Madagascar

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G.K. Chesterton once said the reasons angels fly is because they take themselves so lightly.

The makers of Madagascar perhaps had Chesterton’s advice in mind because the new computer-animated film from DreamWorks seems to soar at its most light-hearted moments:
• There are four penguins who take on each new task in the manner of commandos from Mission Impossible with very funny results.
• Lemurs generate laughs with their silly antics, squeals with their adorably cute faces (think Puss n Boots from another DreamWorks production Shrek 2) and enjoyment from their non-stop freneticism.

And the core of Madagascar features four anthropomorphic animal friends who move us from one set of gags to another. While this makes for many enjoyable moments in the 86-minute film, Madagascar gets bogged down because its flight seems purposeless – there’s no clear sense of story.

The film focuses on four animals who live in New York’s Central Park Zoo: Alex the lion (Ben Stiller), Marty the zebra (Chris Rock), Gloria the hippo (Jana Pinkett Smith) and Melman (David Schwimmer), a giraffe who is a hypochondriac. Alex’s life is akin to a rock idol; he’s the star attraction at the zoo. But Marty, marking his 10th birthday, longs to experience life in the wild. He feels the purpose for which he was created is not being fulfilled.

Through a series of events, the four friends wind up on the island of Madagascar. Marty begins to feel as though the void in his life has been filled. He has found Eden. But for Alex, landing on Madagascar represents Paradise Lost. He no longer is the center of the universe, receiving three square meals.

But in the process of discovering their new world, the animals lose their innocence. A lemur points out that the steaks that represent the staple of Alex’s diet could be them. The animals discover the meaning of carnivore. Or put in the childish humor of Marty’s question to Alex: Why are you biting my butt?

We live in a fallen world. Sometimes the realization of that fallen nature – including our own entanglement in that fallen order – horrifies us. The principal characters go through a montage of cute, fuzzy animals being gobbled up by predators. Alex is dismayed as he begins to see all his friends as steaks, and the conclusion of Madagascar is focused on how the animals discover that friendship is more powerful than the urges that are bound up with our innermost nature. But is it really?

One could draw many spiritual analogies from the film – the loss of innocence when eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, Paradise Lost, the effect of the Fall on the created order, how urges drive us to do the things that we would not do. Yet making such conclusions would go well beyond what is presented in Madagascar. The film offers only cute animal characters ready for merchandising, but not prepared to live in the real world. Look to The Lion King for an animated film that begins to wrestle with some of those questions with greater depth.

In the end, this lion is perhaps not ready to lie with the lamb. But Madagascar does provide some light, PG-rated entertainment for families, despite a few potty jokes. Don’t expect anything profound, but do expect some good laughs – another sign of the presence of angelic messengers of God’s grace.

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Kingdom of Heaven

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What motivates one to go on a quest? There were a variety of motivations for Christians who participated in the Crusades between the 11^th and 13^th centuries, most deplored by believers today.

Kingdom of Heaven is a romantic epic set in the context of the 12^th-century Crusades. It follows the journey of the real-life Balian of Ibelin, defender of Jerusalem in the Second Crusades, portrayed by Orlando Bloom (best known as Legolas the Elf in The Lord of the RingsKingdom of Heaven does not seek to be a documentary about the Crusades, but gives its primary focus to the personal, inner spiritual quest of its protagonist, rather than the external religious conflicts of the period. films).

Just as the film’s title alludes to Christ’s words in the gospels, “the KingdomHeaven is within you,� Kingdom of Heaven intimates that the Kingdom of God may be found within the heart of the noble person who is seeking God. Indeed, the most outwardly religious characters in this film, Christian or Muslim, seem farthest from this kingdom. They make allusions to sacred text to justify acting out of political expediency or for financial gain, rather than out of a motive of faithfulness to the Author of that text. of

From the film’s outset, Balian is confronted with religious hypocrisy in his French village. Bloom’s character begins his journey to warrior as a blacksmith (a path Bloom also followed in Pirates of the Caribbean). After losing his family and murdering a priest who dishonored the memory of his wife, Balian decides to escape to Jerusalem with Godfrey of Ibelin (Liam Neeson), a Crusader briefly home in France, who reveals himself as Balian’s father.

For Balian, going to Jerusalem gives purpose to his life – a chance to gain redemption for his wife, forgiveness for his own actions, an opportunity to know the father he never knew and to discover something about himself by becoming a knight. There is also Godfrey’s suggestion that there are tremendous opportunities for any ambitious man.

Balian learns much on his journey – about honor, one’s word, respect, and about good and evil. This latest epic from Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, Alien, Blade Runner) deserves commendation for its even-handed portrayal of both Christians and Muslims. It depicts extremists on both sides, with the line between good and evil running through the heart of each person. Yet, scholars suggest, those depicted as extremists in the film, particularly the Knights of Templar, probably came closer to representing the mainstream of thought in that era. The broad-minded, interfaith perspective represented by Balian and others was rare, if it existed at all.

In Jerusalem, Balian finds conflict averted by a fragile peace, while extremists continue to fan the flames of hatred and violence. He becomes an advisor to the king, and a romantic relationship develops between Balian and the king’s sister. Yet Balian also learns that good ends never justify the means of achieving those ends, as he refuses to murder a fanatic in order to personally rule Jerusalem and keep the peace.

The 2-hour and 25-minute film is rated R for scenes of extreme violence and epic battle scenes, the special effects for which are the best since The Lord of the Rings. The final act depicts the choices Balian faces in defending Jerusalem. “Before I lose,� he tells the Muslim leader Saladin at one point, “I will burn it to the ground. Your holy places. Ours. Every last thing in Jerusalem that drives men mad.�

Kingdom of Heaven makes comparisons with contemporary conflicts in the Middle East
about land and peace. If the Kingdom of Heaven can be here among us today, it will be found not in the possession of land, but in the hearts and actions of those who seek to do God’s will on Earth as it is in heaven.

KINGDOM OF HEAVEN Cinema Pizza Party
STUDY GUIDE:
Great film. People are talking. If you take a group to see the film, here is a free downloadable study guide (courtesy of Reel)

—Overview
—Photos
—About this Film pdf
—Spiritual Connections