ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

Harrison Ford

Comfort Films #7: Air Force [GLASS]

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When times are tough, what stories do you turn to? Our new series, Comfort Films, is designed to look at the stories that are important to us and why they help bring us up with everything feels down. This week, Seeing and Believing’s Wade Bearden and Kevin McLenithan return to chat about uncovering the truth in Shattered Glass, good vs evil in Air Force One and life-giving honesty in Chef.

You can also stream the episode above on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify or Soundcloud! Or, you can download the ep on Apple Podcasts or Google Play!

The Call of the Wild: True Friends

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If there is one thing the global pandemic has taught us, it’s that our way of living can be turned upside down quite easily. We have all felt the effects of something no naked eye can see. Companies have been reduced to shells of themselves—or even cease to exist. People have learned to adapt to life in a technologically driven world—often through a computer screen. It makes for a world that may look and feel quite different once society is ready to push the start button again. It’s interesting that the recent film The Call of the Wild makes the concept of friendship a focal point, reminding us all that even if we don’t think we need each other, we really do.

Set at the end of the 19th century during the Klondike Gold Rush, the film (adapted from Jack London’s beloved novel) focuses on a dog named Buck.  At the beginning of the movie, he lives with a judge in Santa Clara, California. Buck is huge—both in size and in the ability to cause problems (such as giving into temptation and chowing down on a massive buffet set up for the judge’s guests).  He is captured one night and is thrown on a train to Skagway Alaska, where he delivers mail as part of a sled dog team led by Perrault (Omar Sy) and Francoise (Cara Gee). He’s ready to run the show but doesn’t understand how the pecking order works.  Spitz is Perrault’s alpha dog and will not give it up easily.  However, Buck’s compassion and generosity to the other sled dogs has a ripple effect that eventually leads to him taking over and helping Perrault and Francoise deliver the mail on time for the first time ever. 

But that’s not Buck’s overall plan for life—Perrault and Francois lose their jobs and his sled dog team is sold to Hal (Dan Stevens), a man with a vile temper and no knowledge of how to lead anything or anybody.  As a result, he almost drives the dog team to the breaking point—until John Thornton (Harrison Ford) shows up and rescues him, infuriating Hal even further.  Why did John rescue Buck?  It seems the two had met each other a few times in the past, with Buck returning John’s harmonica to him in Skagway.  This friendship is exactly what the two need, even as they endure nature, the aforementioned Hal, and Buck’s discovery of his place in the world.

The film itself has numerous scenes of absolute beauty—both visually and emotionally. Director Chris Sanders, in his directorial debut, does a nice job weaving in plot points, action sequences, and the requisite Harrison Ford voiceover.  I do think the ending was a bit telegraphed, but it still had a satisfying element to it due to the connection John and Buck have with each other. For the most part, the other characters weren’t memorable, although Sy’s Perrault reminds me of Cool Runnings for some reason (say it with me: “Feel the rhythm, feel the rhyme . . .”). If there is a real issue in the movie, it involves the CGI.  In this day and age, we’re used to realism exactly like real life.  There were a number of times where I was actually distracted due to seeing something abnormal (the jumping on the beds in Judge Miller’s house was one).  However, The Call of the Wild does a good enough job to warrant a recommendation from me.

John Thornton had life change for him with the loss of his son, Tim. He needed stability that did not arrive when he wanted it.  However, Buck’s entrance into his life was a game-changer for him.  John gave into his sense of adventure and began to transform into the person Tim would’ve been proud of. This is exactly what a true friend does—they see our good and our bad yet make the conscious choice to challenge, encourage, and love us.  In fact, the Bible says that “A friend loves at all times” (Proverbs 17:17 NASB).  In life—and even moreso during this once-in-a-lifetime situation we find ourselves in—we need true friends to rally around us as we rally around them. Buck changed for the better in the film and this is part of the reason why. May we take his example to heart today!  

The Call of the Wild is available on VOD now.

Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker

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Daisy Ridley is Rey and Adam Driver is Kylo Ren in STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER

The first words in the scrolling text that opens Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker are “The dead speak!” It continues on with a few things to remind us where the story left off. But those first three words are all we really need, because as the film progresses, the dead will indeed speak over and over.

This is the final film of the Skywalker Saga that began in 1977 with what would become Episode IV: A New Hope and eventually restarted with Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Because it is the final film in the series (the last film in the last trilogy), its main task is to bring the story that has taken over forty years to tell to a satisfying end. Star Wars is such a cultural touchstone that opinions on how well that has been accomplished will vary. My own opinion is that the series does not go out with a bang, but rather with a sigh.

This episode continues the stories of two characters with strong connections to the Force: Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), son of Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and grandson of Darth Vader, and Rey (Daisy Ridley) an orphan who has tried to become a Jedi by training with Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). Ren has chosen to follow the Dark Side and has been trying to bring Rey to join him and together rule the galaxy. They continue their dance of trying to convert each other through this film. Both are seeking a hidden planet where the real power is to be found and grasped or eliminated. While there are other characters involved in various subplots, these two are the real heart of the story.

Ren (aka Ben Solo) fashions his own version of Vader’s mask, and when wearing it has something of Vader’s ominous voice. He has taken the title Supreme Leader, and seeks to grab all power for himself, but would like Rey to join him. Together they would be a formidable power.

Rey, on the other hand, rejects the Dark Side. She trained with Luke, but still feels unworthy to carry his lightsaber. When she sets off on her mission, Leia tells her, “Never be afraid of who you are.” But who is she? That becomes a central question as the film plays out. What is it about her that has made her such a focus of the Force? (And since this is the final film, it will be revealed—but not in this review.) The knowledge of her background will be a challenge for her to accept.

There will be lightsaber duels, space fighter dogfights, explosions, and all the other accoutrements of Star Wars. There will be redemption, sacrifice, and even resurrection. Love will be declared. Loss will be devastating. And the story will be wrapped up with some tears and some celebrations. Then there will be a coda that takes us back to Tatooine, where the Saga began to bring the circle to a close. (Sigh)

But what about those first three words of the scroll? The dead speak! Initially it is because the dead Emperor Palpatine has been making a comeback. But then we get to see or hear others from the past episodes who have died as the story played out. Luke, is prominent, even though he died at the end of The Last Jedi. Now a glowing personage, he continues to teach Rey what she needs to know for her final battle. But in a decisive scene for Kylo Ren’s character, there is another visit from one who has died. Who are all these who speak from the grave? Well, they are essentially the saints of the Saga. Through their words they bring healing and they bring power. As Rey must face her final challenge, she gathers strength from many of these voices.

The scripture that comes to mind is Hebrews 12:1. After retracing the history of Israel’s heroes, the author says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that has been set before us.” [NRSV]

Star Wars has always attracted theological/spiritual reflection. The Rise of Skywalker gives us a chance to consider the idea of the fellowship of the saints. It is not just what we think of sitting drinking coffee in the fellowship hall after worship. It is not even just what it means to come around the Lord’s Table as God’s people. It is also an attachment to the whole history of God’s salvation. We are joined to those who have come before us. And we are joined to those who will come after us.

As we look at the end of the Skywalker Saga, we are able to see the whole arc of a story in which faith in action has been passed on from one to another. It has not always been an easy passing. There are those who have been corrupted, but also those who have found redemption and restoration. The past brings ist strength to a new day—a dawning of new life.

Jack Ryan: Who Gets to Live?

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Before I get going, I need to be honest. First, I’m probably not the most qualified to truly dig into whether or not Amazon’s Jack Ryan strays too far from the original Tom Clancy novels (it’s been years since I read them), or if there will ever be an actor that is as convincing in this role as Harrison Ford was in the 1990’s (I mean, let’s be realistic here). Second, I admit that I first tuned in to see if John Krasinski could successfully transform into anyone other than Jim from The Office. Third, I haven’t watched a series of any kind in years with the exception of the BBC’s Sherlock. So basically, I’m an average person who sat down with a computer and headphones this weekend to see which way this series would fall. But by the second episode, I simply couldn’t have cared less about accuracy or acting or even my lack of standards as I was too busy reeling from the internal battle resulting from a narrative that (in my opinion) flipped the script on typical “us vs them,” war games.

The story starts off with a fairly predictable plot: super smart analyst Jack Ryan (John Krasinksi) identifies a disturbing financial trail, leading to a man he has only identified as Suleiman (played by Ali Suliman), confidently predicting he could be the next Osama bin Laden. He lands the ear of his new boss James Greer (Wendell Pierce), and such begins the relationship that leads them on a manhunt of global import. Krasinski is actually quite charming as he goes about finding his footing as a numbers guy-turned-field agent, and Pierce delivers his bitter yet powerful dialogue with a fair amount of conviction, but the first episode wasn’t really anything spectacular.

But beneath the surface – under the violence and language and questionable nudity – there is a script that is making me reflect just how conflicted I am when it comes to justice…and what exactly that means.

I don’t think it’s a stretch to say shows or movies centered on conflict or war have a pretty well-defined line in the sand between us and them…between the good guys and the bad guys. Sure, a couple of those bad guys may have had a sad start and you have moments of sympathy, but the moments are just as fleeting as their seemingly-deserved defeat by the end of it. So what is different about this show? Why was I pacing across the living room floor at midnight with a husband suggesting I “drink some tea,” to calm down? Because I think the line that was always so clear has been erased. And that’s because there shouldn’t be a line.

Because all life is valuable.

I mean no lie, in one scene I was begging the “bad guy” not to do it – to show mercy and put the gun down and not follow the path of death. And not 20 minutes later, I was yelling at the “good guy” to push the button – to take out the slimy, evil jerk who was on the other end of the scope and deserved to be “removed” from the picture. And the hypocrisy of my own words hit me like a ton of bricks.

Evil or not, innocent or not, human life is human life. I have no right to pick and choose who lives and who dies. There is no value system on the “us vs them,” because at our core, we are the same.

“But Heather, that person is evil. If they live, they can kill more people and do more damage.”

I get that. Believe me, I get that. But I’m not sure I think it’s good enough for me anymore. I don’t think I am ever justified in weighing a person’s worth to the point I decide whether they live or die. As someone who claims belief in Jesus Christ, every action I take should be because I long to see everyone as Christ sees them…in such a way that my brother or sister is valued and honored and beloved as they are made in the image of their Creator.

Ultimately, how can I claim that Jesus died for my sins before I was even born but then point at the enemy and say “but He didn’t for you?”

I admit that I don’t have it all figured out and am still working through the implications of this shift, but I’m sharing it because it’s what we do at ScreenFish – we share. We use film and TV and books to explore what it means to live in community with one another and how our faith is influenced by what we watch and how what we watch encourages us to live out our faith. And right now, Jack Ryan is showing me how I need to look at another person and not see their otherness, and not look for my own reflection…but to see someone that Christ has already died for, worthy of life.

Solo: Love Finds a Way

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A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away….

Lucasfilm/Disney are now 4 films in on their revitalized Star Wars plans. The plans so far have been clear: Honor the past while looking toward the future and a new generation. Star Wars purists have had mixed reaction to the new canon, but there is no denying that the franchise is bigger today than ever before. A few years ago, they took a risk for a standalone story that fell within the timeline but introduced us to a band of new characters. Rogue One proved to be a very good to great film (or neither, depending on your view) that both felt like Star Wars but also stood on its own merit. The film worked on many levels and gave us new characters to love. It’s success certainly opened the door for more risks and standalone films.

Bring on Solo: A Star Wars Story, the next standalone film set within the timeline. Solo brings us the beginning of everyone’s favorite scruffy-looking nerf herder that helped save the universe and married the princess. The film introduces us to how Han became a smuggler, his first encounter with Chewbacca and how he got his ship from the stylish cape-wearing Lando Calrissian (and, of course, finally shows us the Kessel Run). The film itself is fast-paced, action-filled and, at times, even inspirational. However, it’s also forgettable and didn’t really knock it out of the park. It has several plot issues and character development issues that never quite move the film’s overall quality from decent to good (or even great). Solo is a heist film, mixed with a little Mad Max, set in the Star Wars world. It’s fun, but that’s about it.

“Let the past die, if you must, kill it…” Kylo Ren, Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Ren’s quote really resonates within this film. As a big Star Wars fan, I am in the camp that believes that, as much as I love nostalgia, Star Wars needs to move on from the status quo in order to last another 40 years of love, it . Rogue One got that right, understanding that we could stay in the time era as the originals and still feel new and fresh. Solo is a step backwards and mainly I believe that the issue in its execution. Outside of Donald Glover (who was amazing as Lando), the characters fell flat. It is hard to capture the essence of Harrison Ford, but Alden Ehrenreich tried and, unfortunately, fell kind of short. He just didn’t feel like Han Solo. I understand it’s hard to imitate someone else–and this is way before the scruffy nerf herder we meet in Episode IV–but everything seemed forced, trying to recapture his essence while trying to be different. There are moments where he shines, but the overall performance felt like a different character other than Han.

Going into the film, Q’ira (Emilia Clarke) was one of the characters I was most interested in seeing. To finally show Han Solo’s love interest before Leia, it seemed like there’s no better story to tell. Although their story is nothing out of the ordinary, it is the character’s development that is by far the most disappointing. From the moment we first meet her though, it seemed forced and really hard to believe. I won’t spoil anything, but I will say that love is one of the most powerful forces in the universe. No matter what we’ve done or been forced to do, love finds a way. When used without conditions, love is patient, kind, forgives and gives itself up for others. Sin corrupts, and can make the heart go cold but love always penetrates deeper and burns hotter. Love even reminds us that, maybe, the “bad guy” is really good, and can change others as well. Q’ira’s arc defies this belief but, without proper development, it was hard to see how she could. (On a side note, her arc ends with a cameo appearance of a character that even canon wise, the films, books, animated shows, just doesn’t make sense in the timeline, especially if you are one who watched both The Clone Wars animated films and Star Wars: Rebels. I feel this character was nothing but fan service that did the writing a disservice.)

Still, the one character that offered a true representation of what it means not judge a person is Enfys Nest. This is the only character that I want to see more from (outside of maybe a Lando film). I want this character’s story to be told, either before or after Solo. This character was one of the most interesting parts of the film and the film leaves us wanting more of their story.

Overall, Solo: A Star Wars Story is an ok film that could have been better, but won’t rank at the top of the Star Wars franchise. In the end, it’s a fun ride with some good inspirational moments.

Blade Runner 2049: Still Running

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Let’s get this out of the way quickly.  If you’re not a fan on the original Blade Runner, you will likely not be particularly interested or impressed by its sequel, Blade Runner 2049.

If you, like myself, are a fan of the original, however… maybe everything has led to this.

Directed by Denis Villeneuve (Arrival), Blade Runner 2049 picks up thirty years after the original film.  Officer K (Ryan Gosling) is a Blade Runner, a bounty hunter tasked with ‘retiring’ the final remnants of the old edition Replicants, androids in human form created to serve society.  However, when a routine raid uncovers a box containing the remnants of a deceased replicant, K begins to unravel a mystery that threatens the divide between humanity and machine.

Admittedly, when this film was announced, the idea was met with disbelief.  After all, Blade Runner is now largely heralded as a cinematic achievement as one of the most influential science fiction films ever made. Known for its in-depth exploration of humanity and its stunning visuals, Blade Runner was a film that was not in need of a sequel. Unbelievably, Denis Villeneuve seems to have done the impossible. Amazingly, 2049 actually manages to expand and enhance the world first created by Ridley Scott over 30 years ago. Rather than simply offer a retread of the original film as so many reboots have done in recent years, 2049 builds upon its predecessor’s themes and takes the story in a new direction. In fact, it somehow even feels… necessary.  Fans of Harrison Ford’s Rick Deckard should be aware that his role is much smaller than the trailers would have you believe.  Still, Villeneuve makes good use of Ford and his appearance is worth the wait. (Approaching three hours in length, the film does feel a little long so be warned.) Visually, while the color scheme is much brighter than the original’s focus on shadows and darkness, Villeneuve and master cinematographer Roger Deakins succeed in making even the lightest tones feel claustrophobic and menacing.

Whereas the original Blade Runner is preoccupied with what it means to have life, 2049 takes the conversation further with its discussion of what it means to have a soul.  Even though he is a replicant, Officer K is in search of what is real. Despite his love for his digital assistant, he also understands the limitations of and falsehood within that relationship. When approached by a prostitute, he resists her, causing her to accuse him of “being afraid of real girls”. While he seems at peace with his android life, he wonders what life would be like if there (or he himself) were more. He continues to be drawn to things that are ‘real’, albeit nervously. In a subtle homage to Pinocchio, K too seems caught within the ambiguity of his own existence. Is he a replicant?  Could he be more? These are the questions that he needs to answer.  In many ways, this bookend to the original [or potential middle piece of a trilogy?] has within it a sense of hope that is missing from the first entry. Whereas Deckard in the original film feels like a man who is lost, 2049 presents K (and, potentially, Deckard) as a man who is found (or, at least, wishes to be).  2049 recognizes that humanity has something that no android can imitate.

They are missing something.

Interestingly though, 2049 also suggest that the replicant Creator himself is dissatisfied with his achievement. While other recent films have portrayed the Creator as relentless (Noah), distant (Alien: Covenant) or reckless (Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2), 2049 reveals him as restless.

As designer of the new breed of replicants, Niander Wallace (Jared Leto) remains constantly frustrated by his inability to create self-sustaining life. Although he has produced a being of perfect obedience, Wallace is unable to crack the code of procreation. As a result, 2049 presents humanity is viewed as something to withhold. Wallace wants to see life flourish (as long as it follows orders) but he struggles to find the formula to make life actually grow. There is a miracle to life that remains just out of reach. In this sense, while one could look at Wallace as god-like within the film, he remains largely ineffective. This is a Creator who doesn’t understand how to create… and he knows it. As a result, Wallace holds no love for his creation, despite his talk of it. He speaks of his creations as Angels but they still seem to pale in comparison to the reality of humanity.

In 2049, life itself is a miracle.

Herein lies the real heart of Villeneuve’s argument. Although Wallace believes himself to be the ultimate creator, the miracle of life is outside of his understanding. Despite his knowledge, there remains something greater than he. While the film never engages the question of what that something may be, it is a seed of humility that points to a much larger Creator in the end.

Blade Runner 2049 is a film that will require multiple viewings. While it is a little long at almost 3 hours, it’s a dense and beautiful piece that could spark conversations for years to come.

Special features on the Blu-ray combo pack include three prologues: the anime “2022: Black Out”, “2036:Nexus Dawn,” and “2048: Nowhere to Run”. There are also featurettes on the way Denis Villeneuve put the follow-up story together through “Designing the World of Blade Runner 2049” and “To Be Human: Casting Blade Runner 2049.” Views of this strange, new world are also available in “The Replicant Evolution,” “Blade Runners,” “The Rise of Wallace Corp,” “Welcome to 2049,” “Jois,” “Within the Skies: Spinners, Pilotfish and Barracudas.”

4.04 On the Run with BLADE RUNNER 2049

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In the year 2017, director Denis Villeneuve attempted the impossible: to direct a sequel to the incomparable sci-fi classic, BLADE RUNNER. With the release of BLADE RUNNER 2049, Villeneuve’s risk became our reward by creating one of the year’s most compelling films yet it still struggles to find an audience. This week, Steve welcomes Face2Face‘s David Peck and Michael LeFleur to discuss the film’s slow open at the box office, the nature of reality and the relationship between the Creator and his creation.

4.03 Blade Runner 2049

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

A very special thanks to David and Michael for coming on the show!

Raiders of the Lost Ark: Use it or Lose it #TBT

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I’ll just come out and say it: I’ve never seen the Indiana Jones series. I don’t have a good excuse either. Maybe it’s my age (I wasn’t even alive in 1981 when Raiders of the Lost Ark released) or my over-active imagination (face melting – not a fan), who knows. But I am determined to rectify such blatant neglect on my part and am embarking on a #throwbackthursday journey through temples, jungles, and old flames.

Pretty much everyone knows that Harrison Ford stars as Indiana Jones: professor, archeologist, adventurer for hire…ruggedly handsome and charming while stone-faced in the midst of danger (except when there are snakes). Raiders of the Lost Ark is the inaugural event in the series from Steven Spielberg, introducing us to Indy’s mission to hunt down and acquire the ancient Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis do. Karen Allen costars as Indy’s old girlfriend Marion Ravenwood, daughter of a former acquaintance who has inherited a certain relic Indy needs.

With all the hype and nostalgia and admiration of the Spielberg classic, I was prepared to be knocked off my feet. I mean, it’s Harrison Ford in his prime, battling ancient booby traps, leveraging centuries’-old legends as guideposts through life-threatening jungles, all while maintaining a cool demeanor and reminding us just how bad Nazis are. It’s a formula for unprecedented success.

Yet it left me more unsettled than enamored. The story line is great, the acting superb and the visuals delightful (for the 80s). So I watched it again, thinking maybe I was missing a key element of enjoyment. While I still wasn’t blown away, I did realize it wasn’t the movie as a whole that bothered me. It was the situational pursuit of the Ark.

Walk with me.

There are three groups pursuing this ancient source of mystery and power: the Nazis, the American government, and Indiana Jones (technically on the behalf of the Americans).

Obviously, the Nazis want the Ark for its power. To them it is a super weapon that can wipe out hordes of people without resistance. With the Ark preceding any military force, their quest for domination would be uncontested.

Since the Nazis want it for its power, the American government wants to get to it first. They hire Indy to locate it, only to (spoiler alert) hide it away in a giant warehouse of classified government artifacts. If no one knows where it is, no one can use it incorrectly.

Then there is Indiana Jones. Now Indy wants to keep it away from the Germans, but he is also entranced by its historical significance. The Ark of the Covenant is an artifact from an ancient culture that has been wiped away by the sands of time. He doesn’t want to use it, he wants to study it. And all three mindsets bother me. Why?

As a seminary student, a Christian servant in the local church, and as human being, I am irritated when someone has an incredible resource and they knowingly misuse it, don’t use it, or even use it halfway. Power and privilege and influence can be agents of incredible change. And they are things we all have in unique, personal iterations.

Instead, many people use these gifts and means of influence to gain control over others. To hurt, to ridicule, to demean. Or, we don’t use them at all. We know they’re there, and we know we have a voice and opportunity, but we sit in stillness and silence. We lock them up and hide them away.

Or we only go but so far. We identify our areas of influence and our strengths. We use them at our jobs, or once a week at church, maybe during a mission trip. But we don’t take risk. We don’t go outside of what we know.  We use them in “safe” places where we can be congratulated and edified for doing a good job.

The task of the global Church of Christ-followers is to make disciples – people who grab hold of the Gospel of salvation and share it to the ends of the earth. But if we use our gifts like the Nazis wanted to use the Ark – if we use tradition and Holy words to elevate a certain people group at the expense of the other, we are not creating those Disciples.

If we don’t use any gifts at all – like the American government who locks up the Ark in a nondescript box and wheels it into a labyrinth of hundreds of other nondescript boxes – and instead horde the goodness and the compassion and the grace of God out of personal triumph or fear, we are not creating disciples.

And even if we act like Indy – if we limit what those gifts can do by only using them in a safe capacity – if we hold them only to intellectual expectation and avoid the possibility of divine intervention, we are not creating disciples.

Yes, I know that by using the Ark, the Nazis obliterated themselves. Yes, Indiana Jones was the hero. And yes, a key takeaway is that misuse of great power emanating from ancient archeological totems results in annihilation. But when we gaze beyond the theatrical veil, I think we can see that we must use the tools and gifts bestowed upon us with bold conviction and confidence.

Why I Don’t Want To See The Force Awakens

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forceawakens3I remember seeing The Return of the Jedi as a seven year old. Sure, I’d seen A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. I couldn’t wait for the good guys to bust in and reclaim Han (remember, we didn’t know for sure he could be rescued but we hoped), and for the evil Empire to be destroyed. In those days (the early 1980s), Darth Vader was definitively evil, Ewoks were cute and not too annoying, and Luke was on the rise. The film itself was remarkable, spellbinding, mind-blowing, and without comparison – those boring Star Trek movies with all of their witty banter weren’t even on my radar.

My friends and I ran around the playground battling unseen evil. I was Luke because I was blonde, and he was good; my darker haired friend Jeff was Han; our tall friend was Chewbacca. We had a friend named Leia on whom I had a crush (ironically destroyed by the acknowledgment that Luke and Leia were, gasp, related) but she would only periodically move into the sphere of our imagined Tattoine and Dagobah. We could swing from the monkey bars, careen down the slides, slashing our sticks like sabers and riding our imaginary speeders.

Life was good, and Star Wars was even grander in our collective imaginations, before the war of G.I. Joe and the hassles of the real world (in middle school) crashed in. We didn’t care if Han shot first (of course, he had then) or if Jabba walked (he was a slug, not a lizard); the complexities of life and the disappointments of Jar-Jar Binks had not yet invaded the sphere of our imaginations.

forceawakens2

In many ways, that’s the way I want to remember Star Wars. Before the awareness of how Anakin turned bad, and then was redeemed again. Before the world taught us that the rebellion in one galaxy is the ‘right’ in another. Before Jar-Jar and Disney crashed into the simpler model of what it meant to be part of the Force. [I’ll bet you that I hate BB-8.]

That’s why part of me doesn’t want to go to see The Force Awakens.

It’s the part of me that doesn’t want to see my heroes older and fatter. It’s the part of me that thinks Indiana Jones should forever end with Harrison Ford and Sean Connery riding off into the sunset (in Last Crusade, for the uninitiated, before Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) and Mark Hamill should stick to voiceovers.

It’s the part of me that doubts that CGI and grander special effects can top the moments on the playground. It’s the part of me that has only rewatched the original trilogy a half-dozen times, and why I’ve avoided rewatching the terrible first three episodes. [Haters, bring it.] It’s the part of me that doesn’t want complicated politics or a sliding scale of morality to invade the grand, Lewisian-like (or is it Tolkien) epic that says that the good guys are on a redemptive arc and that ultimately, with great sacrifice, they will overcome.

It’s the part of me that has said, quite loudly, if Luke is Kylo Ren, that I’ll start a bonfire of Star Wars memorabilia that will be seen for miles. [No, I won’t raid Target; that’ll just be my own collection.] It’s the part of me that thinks, quite grumpily, that the genius of J.J. Abrams and his Alias, Lost, etc. back catalogue still can’t quite be ready to be canonical.

forceawkens

But then I remember the spring of 1984, walking into that theater knowing that Luke will destroy, annihilate, kill his father who is pure evil. And how the grace-filled redemption of Vader unlocked something in my heart that reminded me that love and forgiveness could be for everyone.

And that spark, some might call it the Force, burns brighter again in my heart.

There’s nothing that could keep me from seeing The Force Awakens, is there?

Do or do not, there is no try.

Awakening the Force

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Star_Wars

Have you got your tickets?

That seems to have been one of the main questions amongst Star Wars fans over the last 6 weeks. Amazingly, as soon as Fandango opened their digital doors for advance tickets for The Force Awakens, the latest chapter in the Star Wars canon, they didn’t just get snapped up… they shattered box office records.

Don’t believe me? On the first day alone, The Force Awakens sold 8x more tickets than previous record holder, The Hunger Games. Then, by November 19th, they reported over $50 million in sales—a full month before the film’s release!

For a lot of movies, that’s more than what they get in their entire theatrical run.

And Luke, Han and Co. did it before anyone’s seen the movie.

Clearly, we’re all still clamouring for a visit to a galaxy far, far away. But why?

After all, it’s not like we haven’t had a slew of incredible sci-fi fantasy to capture our imagination in recent months and years. Mad Max: Fury Road was one of the best films of the year (not just sci-fi). The Martian is arguably favoured to win Best Picture at next year’s Oscars. Gravity, Interstellar, Ex Machina, and Edge of Tomorrow are just a few of the excellent entries into the genre in recent years as well. (We’ll just pretend that Jupiter Ascending and Tomorrowland didn’t happen…)

There has to be more to it.

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Recently, the folks at Reel World Theology made a comment that got me thinking. They suggested that Star Wars offers more than the casual sci-fi film, especially when compared to today’s entries into the genre that do everything they can to feel authentic. For example, films like The Martian, Gravity and the rest do an amazing job of grounding themselves in our world. In most cases, they go to great lengths to prove to people that they are scientifically sound. (Yes! We can plant potatoes on Mars!) In other words, they want to emphasize the ‘science’ in ‘science fiction’.

However, in the process, the focus of these films invariably becomes ourselves.

Our achievement.

Our importance.

The Star Wars franchise takes a different approach. Coming at a time when culture was reeling from tragedies like Watergate and Vietnam, Star Wars offered a new hope. With its focus on the Force, our efforts and choices remain important but it demonstrates a desire to connect with something beyond ourselves. It’s a cry for help and hope for those who are weak. A recognition of something beyond our limited understanding of the universe.

There’s a reason ‘May the Force be with you’ resonates with so many.

As its characters gradually discover the Force, they’re called to significance. Luke lives a humble life but doesn’t discover his purpose until he begins his training with Obi-Wan. In response to the arguments of the Imperial leadership, Vader himself claims, “The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force.” In fact, Ford’s beloved Han Solo is treated as misguided by his claims that “[he’s] never seen anything to believe in some all powerful force that controls everything.”

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In this story, the skeptic is the one who’s missing something.

The Star Wars films have always called us to realize that our significance doesn’t lie within ourselves but in the hand of something mysterious. There is a calling and a longing for us to have purpose. Having had many conversations with atheists, it is clear to me that their desire is to know what’s tangible. Like Han, they rely on their passion for quantifiable substance to judge what’s real. While I completely respect that, I have heard a quiet yearning within them at times that suggests they want to believe in more. As a Christian, I believe that this longing is part of the image of God that calls us back to Him. Isaiah 26:9 says “At night, my soul longs for you. Indeed, my spirit within me seeks you diligently.”

At our heart, we want to believe. It’s a piece of who we are.

Unlike a lot of sci-fi films, the Star Wars franchise points us beyond what we can see to a life of meaning found in something (or Someone) else. It connects with us because it’s part of us. When Lucas began this series, this spiritual imprint was embedded into its narrative framework—and it awakened something within us. I believe that our enthusiasm for the franchise goes far beyond lightsabers, Jedi or even Harrison Ford. At a time when terrorists seem to attack at will and violence has poured in our streets, we find ourselves in a world that echoes the heartache and tragedy of the 70s in many ways. Once again, we’re looking for a new hope. We want our eyes to be opened to the world of the spiritual when so many other stories attempt to close them.

When we allow ourselves to do that, in the words of Obi-Wan, we find ourselves “taking our first steps into a larger world.”

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