Christian Movies

[TopazRaven]

[font="Trebuchet MS"]Anyone know of any good Christian movies I could buy? At the moment I only own The Prince of Egypt and another animated movie by Dreamworks, Joseph: King of Dreams. I also own Evan Almighty, but I'm not sure if you guys consider that one a good Christian movie. [/font]

Edit: I also already own most of The Chronicals of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings series. xD

[Peanut]

The Mission, The Mission, The Mission, The Mission, The Mission, oh yeah, and The Mission (if you haven't guessed yet, I really like The Mission). But seriously, The Mission is probably the best (or at least second best) Christian movie I've seen though there is some tribal nudity.

Others worth looking at would be The Passion of the Christ, Bruce Almighty, Romero, The Book of Eli, and Luther.

Edit: Also, Doubt.

[TopazRaven]

In all honesty I'm avioding The Passion of the Christ. I'll cry my eyes out. From what I've heard that movie is very graphically violent and I can't handle intense violence. Especially not towards Jesus! Though I'm kind of at war with myself on it. Is it really good enough that I should give it a try because I read some Christians despise the movie.

[Peanut]

In all honesty I'm avioding The Passion of the Christ. I'll cry my eyes out. From what I've heard that movie is very graphically violent and I can't handle intense violence. Especially not towards Jesus! Though I'm kind of at war with myself on it. Is it really good enough that I should give it a try because I read some Christians despise the movie.

I will say that it is very difficult to defend The Passion these days since Mel Gibson has made some racist comments which seem to confirm the idea that The Passion is an anti-Semitic movie. I don't really buy that criticism but I do see where they get it and admit that that may have been some of Mel Gibson's intent in making this movie. The movie is very violent however that's sort of the point. Gibson has given us the most accurate depiction of what Jesus likely would have gone through during his final hours and, even though I say it is the most accurate depiction, it's not really all that close to what Jesus actually would have gone through. Still, the point Mel Gibson seemed to want to get across, that Jesus performed a tremendous act of love by going through all of this. It's meant to be a somber reminder of the price that was paid for us and it does that very well. The only other criticism I can think of is that the movie is too Catholic which...really doesn't bother me since I've gotten over the Reformation (though apparently some people haven't...). So, check that one out if you can handle the violence but if not, you can pass it by.

[TopazRaven]

Why is it some people are anti-Semitic? The Jews are God's original people after all aren't they? I'm afraid I don't know much about the bible yet. I'm reading through now. Still in the OT. xD Anyway, I'm still deciding wither I can handle it or not. I saw clips from the movie on YouTube and felt sick to my stomach, so I'm not sure. I know the point is to show us how much pain Jesus went through for us humans so I do think it is an important film if it really gets that across.

[ShiroiHikari]

Doubt is a very good movie. I personally don't know if I'd consider Bruce Almighty a "Christian" film though.

[Peanut]

Doubt is a very good movie. I personally don't know if I'd consider Bruce Almighty a "Christian" film though.

I can kind of see your point though I would still lump it in as a Christian film because of its message. The same could be said about The Book of Eli though I still have no problem with calling that movie a Christian film.

[Atria35]

I like Bruce Almighty and Saved, though they aren't really considered Christian-Christian films

The Chronicles of Narnia is pretty good (I liked the first one, wasn't too thrilled at the second, though!)

Amazing Grace was pretty good, and then you always have the classic "It's A Wonderful Life".

[SailorDove]

"Set Apart" won "Best Picture" and several other awards.
http://www.setapartthemovie.com

[Atria35]

"Set Apart" won "Best Picture" beating out "Firefly".
http://www.setapartthemovie.com

Yeah- in Christian film festivals. I think there's a certain bias there.

I also felt that it was okay- but the story was cut in favor of the action, near the end of the film/

[SailorDove]

She did ask:

[font="Trebuchet MS"]Anyone know of any good Christian movies I could buy?[/font]

Granted its not "Narnia" or "Prince of Egypt" but it does have a positive "Christian" message w/o it being preachy. Plus, its a "movie" based on 2 real life ministries of 2 brothers. Something worth supporting if she decides to buy it.

[Beau Soir]

I suggest A Walk To Remember, based on a book by Nicholas Sparks. I don't remember much of the book, but the movie is very romantic (if you like romantic movies?) without being dirty (although some of the main character's old friends can be crude, but it's not about them anyway.)

[Atria35]

Granted its not "Narnia" or "Prince of Egypt" but it does have a positive "Christian" message w/o it being preachy. Plus, its a "movie" based on 2 real life ministries of 2 brothers. Something worth supporting if she decides to buy it.

True. I just think that the film festival where it beat out Firefly is a factor in why it won out.

[Sheenar]

The End of the Spear is a fantastic movie. It's about the missionary team Jim Elliot was on and their ministry to the native tribe in South America. It has a beautiful message --one of my favorite Christian movies.

Another great one is To Save a Life --SO good! I bought this one when it came out on DVD --we took our youth group to see it in the theater and even the non-believers in our group really enjoyed it and several of our youth started making extra effort to befriend people.

[Nate]

Why is it some people are anti-Semitic?

Why is anyone racist? That's all it really boils down to. Humans have a tribal mentality, even in our modern society. For most people, anyone who's not in their "tribe" is seen as an enemy. These "tribes" can be based on many things. However the common ones are physical appearance, gender, religion, and income bracket. However that's just the major ones. There are many other "tribes," for example, ever seen console wars on message boards? Those people are divided into "tribes" based solely on what video game system they own. So PS3 owners see 360 owners as the "enemy," and likewise 360 owners see PS3 owners as the "enemy." Both are largely tolerant of the Wii however, but Wii owners are largely intolerant of both PS3 and 360 owners.

For others though, it can be a broad generalization. For example, a user on here once said "I've known people who have had a bad experience with the police, so I distrust all police officers." The same can be applied to other things. So for example, you have someone who meets a couple of Jewish people who happen to be jerks, and they make the leap to "Wow Jewish people are real jerks." Boom, anti-semitism.

The Jews are God's original people after all aren't they?

Yes, although their status in current Christiandom is debated. Some believe that faithful Jews who follow the Law laid out in the Torah will be rewarded for their faithfulness, and allowed into Heaven despite not accepting Christ. Others believe that Jews are the same as non-believers and will be subject to Hell. Both sides make interesting points, and this isn't a thread to talk about that really. But I did feel I should answer your questions.

But as to the thread topic itself, I'm not big on most Christian movies so outside of obvious ones others have listed, I can't really make any suggestions. I would like to point out, however, that in the latest Nostalgia Critic "Old vs. New" segment, Prince of Egypt won out as the superior film over The Ten Commandments. Not to bash Ten Commandments, however, as it's still a pretty amazing movie, just Prince of Egypt is superior. And I also now remember that I still haven't seen either one.

[Scarecrow]

Well the only one I can think of is a 30 minute short film called "Most" (which means Bridge in some language... forget what language it was in). It's a foreign film and the whole movie is subtitled.

It either won an academy award for best short film or was nominated and didn't win. And that's because the movie isn't explicitly Christian or anything like that but the message obviously is and the people who put it together were Christians.

Here's a preview... it's pretty spoiler heavy but then, the film is only 30 minutes... but as far as actual Christian films go, this has got to be among the best IMO. Very heartbreaking too...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZN8HQ8vKNE

[rocklobster]

Here's some of my favorites.
1. Basically, any Walden movie will work. They all have Christian themes, even the ones that aren't about Narnia. I highly recommend Legend of the Water Horse and Because of Winn-Dixie.
2. The Ultimate Gift--A man is about to inherit his dad's fortune, but he has to prove himself worthy of it first.
3. Letters To God--A boy dying from cancer writes letters to God.
4. Lord of the Rings trilogy--Tolkien was a Catholic, so it counts, even if the movies miss some of the finer points of the story.
5. It's a Wonderful Life--And this is the perfect time of year for it. An excellent classic

[battletech]

The two "Left Behind" movies are decent movies.
They could have been better. I wish someone with a lot of money would make a whole series of movies.

[bigsleepj]

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by William Wyler - 1959

This three and a half hour epic tells the tale of Judah Ben Hur, a young Hebrew noble in the time of Christ who seeks revenge for the destruction of his family at the hands a Roman. Despite the revenge plot Judah Ben Hur struggles to find his place in the world, as revenge may not be the answer, and he is haunted by an act of kindness of a carpenter from the small village of Nazareth...

The Passion of Joan of Arc by Carl Theodor Dryer (1928)

If you are in an adventurous mood then you can try this silent movie, which is hard to get but worth the title. Basically the story of Joan of Arc's trial distilled into one gruelling day as she is questioned by the Burgandian court about her vision regarding God. This movie would be like nothing you've ever seen.

Diary of a Country Priest - Robert Bresson (1953)

A young, sickly Catholic priest travels to a young village in France in order to take over the local congregation only to be rejected by the community for unspecified reasons. As his health deteriorates he tries to accomplish his calling. Tough watching, but it will haunt you.

The African Queen by John Huston (1953)

Not blatantly Christian, but has some Christian themes. An old Missionary and spinster and a river-boat captain in Africa team up during World War One to destroy a German battleship. On the way they battle nature, the Germans and each other as their different views clash.

[Davidizer13]

Les Miserables (1998) - It might not be faithful to the book (it's kinda hard getting everything in a >1000-page book), and it's not technically Christian, but what a story.

At its heart, it's a battle between two men: Jean Valjean, a successful businessman and former convict who was shown incredible mercy by a priest, and Inspector Javert, a policeman who is convinced that criminals cannot change their ways, and believes that all crimes should be punished as harshly as possible (and who also served as a guard to Valjean's prison). The story picks up speed as Javert realizes what Valjean had been and plots to ruin him, and as Valjean takes in a fugitive prostitute. From there, it explores themes of forgiveness, changes of heart, and more. It's definitely worth the watch.

[TopazRaven]

Whoa, I have a lot of people to reply to. Curse me for my slowness at replying!

Nate - Thank you kindly for answering my questions. You are right however, this wasn't really even the right place to ask such a question and I probably shouldn't have even brought it up.

To everyone else - Thank you for all the suggestions. All of these titles sound lovely, I'll definitly have to look for them! Meanwhile, I actually do own both Narnia movies (plus all the books) and I think the last movie in The Lord of the Rings series. Why I don't have the first two I don't know. My mother has It's A Wonderful Life. I always found that movie boring and aviod it whenever my mom watches it on Christmas, but maybe I'll give it another shot now.

[Atria35]

My mother has It's A Wonderful Life. I always found that movie boring and aviod it whenever my mom watches it on Christmas, but maybe I'll give it another shot now.

To be honest, I didn't start liking it until I as about 20- so about 2 years ago. It's a movie that seems to need some life experience before apreciating what George goes through for his family.

[Hiryu]

The passion is indeed violent and heartbreaking, but it is the truth. Don't force yourself to watch it. (Incase you didn't know, the whole movie is spoken in hebrew/greek. Not english.)

Evan Almighty is an interesting movie, and it does have some christian concepts.

[Sheenar]

The passion is indeed violent and heartbreaking, but it is the truth. Don't force yourself to watch it. (Incase you didn't know, the whole movie is spoken in hebrew/greek. Not english.)

Evan Almighty is an interesting movie, and it does have some christian concepts.

Actually, most of it is in Aramaic, but still, not English. But there are subtitles.

I'd also like to second Les Miserables.

[A88mph]

Even Almighty, Yes.

Bruce Amighty, No.

I would say the Cronicals of Narnia would be good to look at if you watch it from a christian perpective.

I also recoment, (if you'll let me deviate from the movie list) "Bread and Circuses" from the Original Star Trek series, and watch that from a New Testement perspective.

and finnaly, Read "Out of the Silent Planet" as well.

[Sparx00]

I highly recommend Facing The Giants. It's a totally awesome movie.

It's the story of a man named Grant Taylor. He is a high school football coach that doesn't exactly have the best record. After several poor seasons, his team, the Shiloh Eagles are considering replacing him as head coach. (The fathers of the football players trying to get him fired doesn't help at all either.) So not only is he in danger of loosing his job, but his car is breaking down, and he discovers that he is the reason that his wife Brooke cannot become pregnant.

So Taylor prays to God for help, creates a new coaching philosophy, and decides to praise God after each game no matter what the result. At the same time he guides and urges every one of his players to give the maximum effort, and motivates them to believe they can win under God´s guidance.

I tell you what, I don't usually cry when it comes to movies. Not even the really sad ones. But the ending of this movie... It's so good I couldn't help but shed a tear. Watch it. You will not be disappointed.

[Nate]

I don't think I'd like Facing the Giants at all from the description, because it's that kind of movie that I feel leads to the biggest misconceptions of Christianity from non-Christians.

If the team wins the championship in the end, the non-Christian will say "Then clearly if I try my best and pray to God I'll always get what I want!" then get angry when it doesn't happen.

If the team doesn't make it then the non-Christian will say "Then clearly praying to God doesn't do anything since they still lost, so that proves God doesn't exist or is powerless or just a jerk!"

It really is a poor decision to make a movie of that type, in my opinion. Not to belittle your enjoyment of the movie, of course. Just that I don't think I could stand watching it. Plus I've always found sports movies boring anyway. I dunno why. I like actual sports, just not movies about sports.

[Shao Feng-Li]

The only one that comes to mind would be Amazing Grace.

[musicaloddball]

I would add the movie Bella. I second the motion about Chronicles of Narnia and LOTR.

In all honesty I'm avioding The Passion of the Christ. I'll cry my eyes out. From what I've heard that movie is very graphically violent and I can't handle intense violence. Especially not towards Jesus! Though I'm kind of at war with myself on it. Is it really good enough that I should give it a try because I read some Christians despise the movie.

Anyway, I'm still deciding wither I can handle it or not. I saw clips from the movie on YouTube and felt sick to my stomach, so I'm not sure. I know the point is to show us how much pain Jesus went through for us humans so I do think it is an important film if it really gets that across.

Omgosh, someone like me! I avoided the Passion for so long, and when I finally got the nerve to watch it, my sister told me to stop because she said I looked like I was going to hurl. I respect the movie as an honest depiction of the central event of Christianity, but to be brutally honest, I did not get anything out of the first third of the movie that I watched because I was too busy panicking about the amount of blood splashing everywhere. If God really cared about me watching the Passion, He would have made me ok with gore. And I really don't care for Jim Caviezel's acting, sorry Jim fans.

Why is it some people are anti-Semitic? The Jews are God's original people after all aren't they? I'm afraid I don't know much about the bible yet. I'm reading through now. Still in the OT. xD

Well, the movie depicts the Jews as a crazy, unthinking mob screaming for Jesus, an innocent man, to die, but if you read the Bible, that's exactly what they were. It's not anti-Semitism. But then Christians for the most part got all high-nosed about it because "the Jews killed Jesus." Which historically, they did. But the question is, would Christians have done any different in the same political/social situation? Probably not, but Christians wouldn't admit that for several centuries and so created this atmosphere of anti-Semitism.

[Sparx00]

I don't think I'd like Facing the Giants at all from the description, because it's that kind of movie that I feel leads to the biggest misconceptions of Christianity from non-Christians.

If the team wins the championship in the end, the non-Christian will say "Then clearly if I try my best and pray to God I'll always get what I want!" then get angry when it doesn't happen.

If the team doesn't make it then the non-Christian will say "Then clearly praying to God doesn't do anything since they still lost, so that proves God doesn't exist or is powerless or just a jerk!"

It really is a poor decision to make a movie of that type, in my opinion. Not to belittle your enjoyment of the movie, of course. Just that I don't think I could stand watching it. Plus I've always found sports movies boring anyway. I dunno why. I like actual sports, just not movies about sports.

Nate you haven't even watched the movie and you're already judging it. What I gave there was a very rough explanation of the movie. If you REALLY want to know what the movie is about, go watch it! But you don't have to if you're really that offended just by the idea of the movie.