What are your favorite Christian themed movies?

pegastar · 03-23-2009, 01:01 PM

What are your favorite Christian themed movies and what do you love about them, what makes them your favorite?

I just saw a private screening of a trailer for a movie film composer Michael J Lewis is developing, all about love and sacrifice and forgiveness and it got me thinking about how stories can change our lives. Can find more about the movie here http://www.youmakemydaythemovie.com Unfortunately you can't see the trailer I watched cuz they don't want to let the cat out of the bag, but you can see their music video on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMvqfxsyYQs

JerryLove · 03-23-2009, 04:46 PM

Dogma

**Thrash** · 03-23-2009, 04:48 PM

Most of them that I can think of suck....
Passion is pretty good.

JerRocks2day · 03-23-2009, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thrash

Most of them that I can think of suck....
Passion is pretty good.

Same here. In fact, I feel like I haven't watched that in 3 years.

Here-am-I · 03-23-2009, 05:17 PM

I'm typically not a fan of Christian movies because of their oozing cheesiness, but I thought Fireproof was an exceptional movie. And yeah, I am a fan of The Passion as well. Those are the only two I like.

rock_show_host · 03-23-2009, 06:08 PM

The Prince of Egypt. For a number of reasons:

1) Besides a few small liberties, it stays largely true to the story on which it's based. That the movie came out of Hollywood, with big name actors and musicians attached, and still managed to avoid compromising the core of its story and message feels like a small miracle.
2) It has music and songs that, as far as I'm concerned, rival any other animated musical (except maybe the very best of the Disney films).
3) The animation is fantastic; the burning bush, 10th plague, and parting sea sequences are absolutely gorgeous.
4) It empathizes with its characters and their motivations. Christian art sometimes likes to make its non-Christian characters shallow and stupid, as if only to make the Christian ones seem more attractive and likable by contrast. This movie, on the other hand, offered a fair look at all the characters, even the "villains". It's refreshing to see Christians acknowledge that non-Christians are humans too, and that their motives and mindsets are often far more complex and understandable than we would like to admit.
5) It's entertaining. Enough so that most of my non-Christian friends who don't necessarily agree with its message will watch it over and over again, just because they think it's that good.

To me, number 5 is important. C.S. Lewis was an openly Christian author who often wrote blatantly about Christian themes. Yet, I have a number of friends who absolutely LOVE his work and consider him one of their favorite authors despite being unbelievers -- because he's simply that good. He's a Christian whose work can stand alongside the best of the secular artists, and that's saying something.

I think this is something Christian filmmakers should be striving for. I'll be the first to admit I can be a bit of a snob, but it irritates me that mediocre (or even just plain bad) movies are worshiped and hailed as masterpieces simply because they're sold in Christian bookstores, or espouse an openly Christian worldview. The result is that Christians have no motivation to aspire to excellence in film, and the result of that is that -- to put it bluntly -- there are few Christian films that I would take my non-Christians friends to see without being embarrassed that they're the best we have to offer. The Prince of Egypt is an exception. My non-Christian friends love it because it's an exceptionally-made animated musical movie, and it's actually gotten some of them to talk to me about my faith.

The only two other Christian-themed movies I'd say I enjoyed were Fireproof and The Passion of the Christ, but both to me felt like movies made solely for churchgoers. Fireproof had a good message but lousy acting and some truly terrible writing. The Passion was excellent on a technical level (music, cinematography, costumes, lighting) but tended toward inappropriate melodrama and focused too minimally on who Jesus actually was. These are problems that Christians seem willing to overlook, but that say to non-Christians, "The only reason you don't like our movie is because you don't like Jesus." That to me is a bad, and repellent, attitude.

Bryan · 03-23-2009, 06:53 PM

The Prophecy Trilogy

Hopeful · 03-23-2009, 07:11 PM

Other than the aforementioned Fireproof and Passion of the Christ, I have really enjoyed:

1. Saints and Soldiers - this one shows the bond between Christians, both on the German side and the Allied side during the Battle of the Bulge in WWII. This is a very surprising movie.

2. Ben Hur - I saw this one with my mother and even though I was growing up in a Buddhist culture and household, I was still very moved by the story. I believe God was laying the groundwork for my conversion in later years.

3. The Robe - For precisely the same reason as Ben Hur. One thing I should also mention is that my mother, who was also a Buddhist at the time, must have felt compelled to take me to movies like these. God must have also been laying the groundwork for her too.

4. The Ten Commandments - Ditto the above in 2 and 3. Moses meets Charlton Heston or vice versa.

5. A Charlie Brown Christmas - Charles Schulz at his best.

6. The Gospel of John - Put out by Visual Bible International, Inc., it's a word for word dramatization of the book of John.

7. The Nativity Story (2006) - A pretty "real" enactment of the period in Joseph's and Mary's lives when they were to be the parents of the Living God.

rock_show_host · 03-23-2009, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hopeful

5. A Charlie Brown Christmas - Charles Schulz at his best.

I can't believe I forgot this. Definitely one of my favorites.

Pre-Ex-Girlfriend · 03-23-2009, 07:23 PM

It depends on what you mean by "Christian themed" movies. If you mean movies made by Christians or based on Christian books, then I'm not sure I have a favourite. If you mean movies that portray "Christian" themes, then I have a bunch. For example, The 40-Year-Old Virgin has a pro-abstinence, anti-cheating message, and Lars and the Real Girl (definitely one of my favourite movies ever) is about loving someone who is not easily loved. However, neither of those movies would really be called "Christian movies."

***Pauler*** · 03-23-2009, 07:25 PM

how about the LOTR trilogy?

rock_show_host · 03-23-2009, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emo_Rachael

It depends on what you mean by "Christian themed" movies. If you mean movies made by Christians or based on Christian books, then I'm not sure I have a favourite. If you mean movies that portray "Christian" themes, then I have a bunch. For example, The 40-Year-Old Virgin has a pro-abstinence, anti-cheating message, and Lars and the Real Girl (definitely one of my favourite movies ever) is about loving someone who is not easily loved. However, neither of those movies would really be called "Christian movies."

*resists the urge to go into a long rant about how much I hate the need to separate things into "Christian" and "non-Christian" categories*

**bravesfan007** · 03-23-2009, 09:38 PM

Extreme Days was nice. Not for the quality of the work or acting, but because it had some nifty moments and sweet music.

**Epaphras** · 03-24-2009, 07:16 AM

The Chronicles of Narnia.

Also +1 for Prince of Egypt.

JerRocks2day · 03-24-2009, 12:45 PM

Quote:

The Prince of Egypt

I almost forgot about that one. Heh, I remember last year I wasted time posting a random article in a thread, 'critiquing it.' To be honest, it was an awesome movie. I think it was Dreamworks' first full-length animated film. I kinda feel like seeing that before seeing Passion again.