Last weekend I went out and saw Superman Returns. It was an enjoyable film made in a way that honored the traditional characters, orginal films, and updated them both. My wife made a comment that Superman is kind of a boring character. I have to agree with her, birthed out of 50′s America, Superman is not a particularly real person, he is too plastic. But the movie was fun.
One of the overwhelming things that struck about the film, however, was the strong Christ imagery in Superman. Superman is set up as a savior for the people of earth. His father says that he has sent Superman to be a light for the people of earth. Superman takes Lois up in the clouds and tells her that he hears all the cries of help from all the people and that they need him to be their savior. Superman is unquestionably set up as a Christ figure, the savior, the son sent by the Father to save the earth.
There are a number of movies that have Christ figures in them, saviors, redeemers, those who are downtrodden and rise up to lead them people around them into a better life. Just thinking for a minute some of the movies with Christ figures I can come up with are Mel Gibson in Braveheart, The Mission, Neo in the Matrix, V is for Vendetta, The 5th Element, The Green Mile, K-Pax, Starman, Terminator 2 and even Saving Private Ryan.
What is the best Christ figure in a film? Or what is your favorite Christ figure in film? I have to say that my favorite is probably Neo in the Matrix because the parallels to the Gospel are so direct. You have Morpheus as John the Baptist preparing the way of the one to come. You have prophecies about his coming. You have him submitting to the choice of whether or not to take on this mantle as his takes the red pill. Later in the trilogy he even dies to bring salvation to the people of Zion. I am not that huge of a Matrix fan, it got a little overhyped, but always like the Christ imagery.
So now it is your turn. What Christ figures from films do you like? What about some obscure or harder to identify figures?
July 7, 2006 at 2:36 am
I don’t think that intentionality is a necessity for the figure to fall under the Christ figure category. You know us Christians, we are always finding God in everything.
And I would love to see that Zombie movie as well. Another great Biblical account I would love to see made is Genesis 6 where it talks about the Nephilim, they were the heroes of old, the men of renown. Who were they, what adventures did they have and who was Nimrod the legendary warrior. The Bible has crazy stuff in it, you can’t make this stuff up.
July 11, 2006 at 12:06 pm
I found a Christ figure in an unlikely film recently. Michael in Underworld Evolution fits the role. He even had a spike driven through his arm and his blood saved.
July 12, 2006 at 1:20 am
As I was getting ready this morning, a documentary on comics came on the History Channel…that wonderful fount of knowledge and black and white stock footage…It noted that Superman’s creator were indeed Jewish and that he was created in the writer’s imagination as his ideal of what “chicks would dig”. Imagining that he was strong like Superman etc…so that he could score chicks. BUT…they noted that Superman was created with Moses in mind. Coming from a strange land…a castoff using his powers to help the weak. I love the History Channel!
July 12, 2006 at 3:19 am
I think that was the same as the A&E documentary.
July 25, 2006 at 6:48 pm
The Superman symbolism was emphasized in the Donnar movies that Reeves was in, and the new movie picks up on that. I haven’t seen the new film yet, but I am looking forward to it.
I think Disney’s Hercules is a Christ figure, in the end he dives into death itself to rescue the one he loves.
Also, I did a “God on film” message using clips from “Catch me if you can”. In that I compared Tom Hanks to the hound of heaven that pursued after Leonardo’s fraudulent character to bring him to justice. In the end Hanks brought redemption to Leonardo and gave him a life of authenticity. So Tom Hanks’ character was the Christ figure in that film.
July 25, 2006 at 8:24 pm
James,
Thanks, that is a great one. I will use it in a series we are doing in August called Faith in Film.
Peace-
G
December 1, 2006 at 2:04 pm
Yo anyone see superman returns? I loved that movie and i cant wait to pick up the dvd and game for xbox 360….i heard theres a code in the dvd that lets you play as bizzaro in the game, that should be pretty tight. Im lookin forward to gettin it at the end of the month.
January 31, 2007 at 2:39 am
I think John Coffey, in The Green Mile, i like a Christ figure. Notice his initials, and all of his healings throughtout the movie, killing the evil, and healing everybodys pain.
April 18, 2007 at 9:54 pm
E.T., how can we talk about Christ figures in film and leave this little guy out. A stranger from another place, savior to a broken family, persecuted against, dies only to come back to life, returns home. You have to love E.T.
September 15, 2007 at 12:08 pm
a lil question if the lion king contains a Christ figure then by default doesn’t Shakespeare’s Macbeth surly you know that the lion king is another version of the Shakespeare play