“Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade”: Nothing makes religious relics sexier than putting them in the hands of a young Harrison Ford. While not specifically about religion, this third film in the “Indy” trilogy (let’s forget the fourth ever happened) portrays religion as capable of converting the cynical archaeologist to a man of faith and the Holy Grail as capable of not only endowing immortality, but also destroying entire buildings and forcibly aging men into skeletons. That’s the power of God.
See if you like: “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (specifically the face–melting scene), “Call of Duty,” Sean Connery’s accent.
“Kingdom of Heaven”: From the man who brought you “Gladiator,” “Kingdom of Heaven” was a wild flop in the box office. However, it stands as a valiant effort in a post–9/11 world to ignite balanced discourse about religious relations. (Whether it succeeded or not depends on where you sit in the audience.) It’s noteworthy for its less than positive appraisal of Christianity and a rare Orlando Bloom role hailed as “not actively bad.” Side note: the director is an atheist.
See if you like: “Pearl Harbor,” “Master and Commander,” Orlando Bloom.
“Prince of Egypt”: Moses gets animated, with music. From 1998, this film was a staple in the Disney–ish arsenal of animated films from our generation’s childhood. Somehow, as it toed the line between bastardization of Biblical text and brainwashing children with admirable finesse, the result was a damn good film with an inspirational message. With an addictive score and characters voiced by such folk as Patrick Stewart, Helen Mirren, Steve Martin and Sandra Bullock, this childhood gem lithely tackles religion in a way that, one would think, offends no one.
See if you like: “Pocahontas,” “Mulan,” the Torah.
“Godspell: A Musical Based on the Gospel According to St. Matthew”: For some reason, in the 60s and 70s, a bunch of theatre folk decided it’d be a fabulous idea to make musicals based on the lives of religious figures. Much like its brother and sister shows of the time, this musical is really, truly just about hippies. Set in NYC, the film tells the tale of Jesus and his disciples—a band of actors who perform Biblical parables in the streets of New York. The finale is Jesus’ crucifixion in a junkyard. “Godspell” hits the nail on the head with the first, “Jesus was a hippie,” mantra.
See if you like: “Woodstock,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Hair,” sticking it to the man, unwashed humans.
“Bruce Almighty”: God (Morgan Freeman) gives a whiny reporter (Jim Carrey) his power. At a time when moviegoers were willing and wanting to watch Jim Carrey play God, this film gives religious belief a tongue–in–cheek treatment, but ends the day with an entirely heartfelt and earnest message. Naturally, religion is not at the center of the film, but in using faith in God as the fulcrum for comedic goings–on, it simultaneously reinforces and pokes fun at religious belief—making no serious satire in the process. However, some audiences took this more seriously, and the film fueled much controversy, particularly in Egypt where it was banned for portraying God as a ordinary man. Frankly, though, no one regards Morgan Freeman as an ordinary man.
See if you like: “Liar, Liar,” Jennifer Aniston, comedians now past their prime.
