Change Your Image
terrob1229
Reviews
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: Benares, January 1910 (1993)
Tedious Polemic on Religion
The script was a superb example of a tedious polemic on the universality of all religions. It would have been fine if the idea that all religions are one (universalism) was mentioned once in the exposition, since the idea is part of the storyline about the thinker, Krishnamurti (sp?), an exponent of universalism. But the scriptwriter has more than one character go on-and-on about universalism for scene after scene. This is a 45 minute show and at least ten minutes are devoted to praising Krishnamurti, universalism, Annie Besant, and Theosophy. It's a kid's show, remember--and it's supposed to be an action adventure series. It was deadly boring.
Be warned: this episode is a thinly-veiled apologetic for Theosophy. If you like that particular philosophy, then you'll love this episode. But if you have problems with it, then you'll find the content of the episode--its message--hard to stomach.
I turned it off after 15 or 20 minutes because it felt like my kids were being brainwashed.
A Thief in the Night (1972)
An excellent independent effort dramatizing the rapture
A THIEF IN THE NIGHT is an excellent fictional account of the weeks leading up to the RAPTURE and the weeks following that pivotal event.
I thoroughly enjoyed both the production values and the content values of this independent Christian movie.
THE PRODUCTION VALUES. Hey, it's an independent movie, with a shoe-string budget, so, ya, it's going to look a bit cheesy (if your standard is A-list Hollywood fare). But, properly compared with other independent movies, this film is perfectly acceptable. More important than acting style, costumes, and music is the narrative itself. Is the story compelling? Do the dramatic moments work? Does the story trajectory build to a satisfying climax? The answer to all these questions is an unqualified "yes." As a side-note, the truly important technical stuff--continuity, sound, lighting--are fine. The viewer is able to watch the show without being distracted by sloppy craftsmanship.
CONTENT VALUE. The message of the movie is superb. When you consider how many ideas the movie-maker developed within the brief span of 69 minutes, you begin to appreciate his artistry. He presents the message of salvation, the consequence of unbelief, the danger of backsliding, the truth of the rapture, and the threat of a world-dominating satanic government with flare, imagination, and--most importantly for an evangelical movie--with biblical accuracy.
The movie-maker is a good storyteller. For example, he develops the message of salvation in two important ways: (1) he shows us through action the reality of Jesus Christ's sacrifice for our sake. This is achieved in a subplot where the zoo-keeper is bit by a poisonous snake and nearly dies. The only cure is blood from someone who is immune to the snake-poison. The poison is like sin; the cure is like Christ's blood, shed on the cross. (2) The filmmaker also develops the message of salvation through dialog. He has various characters explain the truth about human sin and the need for salvation through faith in Christ. So, the movie-maker uses both action and dialog to tell his story.
As a side-note, the fact that a movie produced by evangelical Christians actually contains dialog and scenes that convey a clearly delineated message of salvation, couched in explicitly evangelical Christian language, imagery, and theology is also perfectly acceptable. To criticize this film for being explicitly Christian is absurd; it's akin to criticizing a Nike commercial for promoting sport-wear. What else would evangelical Christian movie makers make, if not a film that states their case? Also, the fact that the movie-maker employs the idea that the unbelieving will be left behind in a godless world is, again, perfectly acceptable. The movie-maker uses the dramatic potential of that idea admirably. How do I know? I heard about A THIEF IN THE NIGHT from a woman who saw the show way back in 1974; it still lived in her memory thirty years later. How many movies can you say that about? All around, a very enjoyable, thought-provoking show. I plan on showing it to my teen group at church.