Mid Week Movie Review

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    When I was a growing up, nothing really good came out of Russia except Mikhail Baryshnikov. Back then, it was the USSR, but most people called it the Soviet Union. Whatever it was called, Russia evoked fear and dread. Chernobyl, the KGB, War and Peace—these were the subjects of nightmares. But it's different now. There are some really cool things going on in Russia. Maria Sharapova was the most Googled athlete last year. Prime Minister Valdimir Putin shoots tigers. Well, maybe that's not exactly cool, but it is macho. And now Russia is making crazy science fiction movies. Thanks to Kevin Tracy, who mentioned this movie on his blog, I have become a fan of Russian sci-fi. This movie has it all and, as a bonus, it's full of Christian themes and imagery. The hard part this week is writing a blog about it and not a novel. Oh, yeah. That's been done already.

    Night Watch (R) is a high speed, science fiction, fantasy film based on a series of books by Russian writer Sergei Lukyanenko. In Lord of the Ring's style, the story begins centuries ago with a battle between the Warriors of Light and the Warriors of Darkness. When it becomes clear that they will destroy each other, a truce is called. Each side forms a watch force composed of "Others", humans with supernatural powers, to insure the truce is kept. With both sides policing each other for truce violations, the balance between good and evil remains equal. In present day Moscow, the balance becomes threatened when Anton Gorodetsky (Konstantin Khabenskiy) hires a witch to help him reunite with his estranged wife. The witch informs Anton that, if he consents, his wife will return but her unborn child will be killed. At the moment Anton agrees, he slips into a place called the Gloom where he sees the Light Others arresting the witch for her crimes. He discovers, by accident, that he, too, is an Other. He chooses to join the Light Others and becomes a policeman on the Night Watch. Twelve years later, while hunting vampires, Anton finds his son Yegor (Dmitri Martynov). He also discovers a woman named Svetlana who has been cursed with a vortex of doom. Anton has to use all his strength and skill to save his son and stop the woman from destroying the world.

     In the beginning I was reluctant to write about this movie. I will say that this is not a movie for small children. In fact, I think they will be terrified and have nightmares for weeks. In light of the Twilight popularity, though, I think teenagers will probably love it. I don't think they will be bothered much by the language, and after a few minutes, they will get used to subtitles anyway. I should mention that there is obscene language and one scene of brief frontal nudity. On the whole, though, I believe the entire film can be viewed from a Christian perspective. I was troubled by only one concept—the idea that good and evil must remain in balance or equal. This idea is, in fact, antithetical to Christianity. Keeping that in mind, I still enjoyed the movie and believe that Christians can find ample discussion topics. I think most viewers can pick up on obvious themes like abortion, free will, and good vs. evil. But I did find some other interesting themes lurking behind the gore and special effects.

    The main characters in Night Watch are Others. Each one, at some point, has made a choice to use their abilities for good or evil. Their decision is permanent. The Others are virtually invisible to humans, yet they are around either to protect them from or subject them to evil forces. The Light Others, mostly shape-shifters and seers, intervene when they discover evil forces at work. The Dark Others are mainly vampires and witches who prey on people, enticing them into evil behavior. This concept is very similar to angels and demons. Angels can be found in almost every book of the Scripture. They are protectors, messengers, and guides. Some are mentioned by name. God created the angels before he created man. He created these spiritual creatures to share in the joy of heaven, but God also created them with free will. Unlike humans who can reject and embrace God at any time, the angels may make this choice only once. The angels who visited Sodom and Gomorrah, the Archangel Gabriel who spoke to Mary, and the angels who comforted Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane all made the choice to love God in the heavens. God sends the angels to help do his work on earth. For many Christians, the angels offer them a glimpse of heaven. But there are angels who rejected God. Satan was created one of God's angels. When he recognized that he could never be equal to his Creator, he rejected God. God cast him down from heaven and other rebellious angels joined him. Jesus makes it clear in Matthew 25:41 that Hell was "prepared for the devil and his angels." They can never repent and return to heaven. The devil and his demons have one purpose—to convince humans to reject Christ through sin. Some Christians in current times have a tendency to reject the idea that Satan exists. Other Christians bestow the devil with too much power. This is a good time for Christian parents to remind their teenagers that Satan only has power in their lives if they allow it. There is no power greater than God, the Almighty.

    One central theme in Night Watch is the destructive power of guilt. Anton is consumed by his feelings of guilt regarding his wife's abortion. Even though he is a Light Other, he lives in total darkness. His thoughts often return to the events on the evening he visited the witch. He questions every decision he makes. At times, his guilt is so overwhelming, Anton is not certain that he is doing good. At the same time, the cursed Svetlana has become so distraught by her own guilt feelings that she begins to destroy everything she touches. It is human nature for people to feel guilty over their sinful actions. The reality that the sin causes pain and sorrow, particularly to loved ones, can be debilitating. The Lord knows the detrimental nature of guilt. Therefore He offers forgiveness. Christians often find healing and peace through confession, even when it's offered with private prayer. Christian parents can use this opportunity to share with their teens the need for repentance and the power of God's forgiveness. Illustrations of God's mercy and forgiveness can be found throughout the Scripture.

     I'll admit I was perplexed after I watched Night Watch. When I finished watching it the first time, I wasn't sure how I felt about it. After I logged onto Netflix and put the sequel Day Watch in our queue, I knew I had to blog about it. At first, I wasn't sure what I wanted to say. I thought it was obvious, yet I was confused. I think Christianity is like that sometimes. Some things about Christianity seem so simple. Other Christian concepts seem to defy explanation. That, I suppose, is the Mystery of Christ.

Mid Week Movie Review

My family loves to watch movies. Yet, I’ve found sorting through the plethora to find something appropriate for children can be quite a challenge. Generally speaking, I’ve discovered that the MPAA ratings are quite helpful but not necessarily reliable, at least for content. I usually don’t allow our young children to watch PG-13 movies, for example, unless we have viewed them first and likewise with our teens viewing of R movies. Other than that, I allow a lot of flexibility with movie watching. I believe that movie watching can actually be a very beneficial experience. I’ve learned a lot from movies---biographies of people I’ve never heard of, historical events with which I’m unfamiliar, and ideas that I’ve never really considered. I’m particularly fond of science fiction, as are most of our children. While I often feel comfortable using the ratings as a guide for movie selection, I’m convinced there is nothing to really help Christian parents discern which movies might be suitable for their families. I believe there are a lot of really good movies that Christians avoid simply because they are unsure of the topic or misinformed of the intent of the film. I know that Hollywood isn’t particularly friendly toward Christians but I don’t believe that is an excuse for parents to avoid watching movies. On the contrary, I believe movie viewing can be an excellent opportunity for Christian parents to discuss moral values and Christian theology as they apply in the modern world. I hope, then, that my Mid Week Movie Review is both informative and useful.

This week, we watched the sci-fi thriller, Knowing (PG-13). Nicholas Cage stars as John Koestler, an astrophysics professor at MIT. This man of science has recently lost his wife, seemingly a woman of faith, in a tragic event and is now raising his young son, Caleb, alone. Both John and Caleb cope with the loss and sadness in their own way---John by attempting to reconcile his scientific belief with his loneliness and Caleb by hoping in the possibility he will see his mother again. John soon begins to question everything he believes when a time capsule, buried 50 years ago by elementary school children, is uncovered at Caleb’s school. While all the children receive drawings of spaceships and other visions of the future, Caleb receives a paper with nothing but lists of numbers. John, upon briefly studying the paper, comes to believe the numbers are actually predictions of catastrophic events in the last 50 years. Attempting to decipher the numbers, John tracks down the daughter of the child who created the list to discover what may have possessed the young child. All the while Caleb is experiencing voices and visions that he is unable to explain. John eventually has to confront his reductionist scientific beliefs, make difficult decisions about his son, and face the future of the world itself.

At this point, I have intentionally tried to eliminate the spoilers because I think Christian families should watch without really knowing what to expect. Although the movie is captivating and thrilling, I also found it distressing and dark. I enjoyed the visual effects, especially near the end of the film, but I found several scenes involving strange men that I think might be frightening to young children. I think older children can comprehend the implications quite well. I was, however, disappointed at the conclusion, even though I had already suspected how it might end. I also don’t think the movie itself addresses anything new---it’s just another end of the world movie. I do think, however, Knowing can provide an excellent opportunity for parents to discuss Christianity with their teenage children. I have a few suggestions to make regarding topics for discussion, so I warn you that the following paragraphs will contain SPOILERS.

Of course, I have no way of knowing the writers or producers intentions when they made this film. I was able, though, to pick up on some central themes that are in opposition to mainstream Christianity. Rather early into the movie, I discovered the main character grappling with the philosophy of determinism vs. randomness. Although these ideas can be quite complex, I believe the basic principle is something like this: either life is a series of cause and effect events of which individuals can do nothing to prevent or life is composed of completely random occurrences that one has no knowledge of or capacity to alter. Both of these ideas actually reach the same conclusion---that humans have no control over their destiny, either it is determined already by some outside force or it is a compilation of random events. Most Christian theology rejects both of these ideas completely, or at least in part. While God is, of course, omnipotent and omniscient, He also created mankind with free-will. In other words, God created humans with the ability to make their own choices and thus, they are responsible for their own actions. While it is true that some “natural acts” are beyond personal control, individuals can respond to those acts for good or for evil. Humans, then, are not simply observers in a cosmic play. Christian parents can welcome the opportunity to discuss the concept of free-will, especially in the context of a contemporary culture that focuses on individual feelings and desires.

The references to determinism are quite subtle, but another anti-Christian idea is also implied in this film. At various points in the movie the characters see strange looking, silent men standing in the forest or driving by in vehicles. They also hear these men talking to them in “mental” whispers. While this adds some suspense to the thriller, the viewer soon learns that these men are actually aliens who have taken on the physical form of human men. The aliens, at the end of the film, save the children from the destruction of Earth and safely “plant” them onto another planet in the universe. The implications are obvious---life begins because the aliens brought life from elsewhere. This idea is called panspermia and suggests that life existed on another planet and was brought to earth by some force---in this case, aliens. According to this form of direct panspermia, when one planet dies, aliens are responsible for the continuation of life. In spite of what contemporary Christians think, the theory of panspermia is actually centuries old and finds its roots, to some degree in Christian Gnosticism. Authentic Christianity, of course, clearly proclaims God as the Creator of the universe. God alone is responsible for the continuation of life. Christian parents may find it useful to investigate this subject more closely, particularly as it relates to Gnosticism. Gnosticism, though denounced as heresy in the Middle Ages, continues to attract many modern Christians.

In addition to determinism and panspermia, the movie Knowing makes an assertion about Christianity that is growing in popularity---Christianity is acceptable as long as one views it through the eyes of science. The movie makes several references to this school of thought. For example, the movie suggests there is a resurrection but a resurrection by aliens. It also seems to indicate that the guardian angels God gave humankind are also aliens. It also seems to imply that heaven is actually another new planet. The movie also impresses that Christians can use their faith only for comfort, especially if they are ignorant to the truth of science. Christian parents can use this opportunity, though, to share with their children that faith and science do not have to be in opposition to each other. In fact, science, though limited, enriches our knowledge about the universe and creation and gives us a deeper understanding of the greatness of the Creator.

As I said earlier, I believe movies can be a useful tool in educating children in their Christian faith. Christians are called "to live in the world but not of the world." This task can be difficult, especially when one is unsure of what the world is offering. Young Christians can be easily mislead and confused. That is why the role of Christian parent is so important today. I plan on adding a movie review each week. I hope some of this information is helpful when watching movies with the family.