I’m hoping not to get any letters of complaint from any X-Men fanatics out there with this piece, let me first remind everyone that I’m a comic book fan as well, and the X-Men stories are epics that, for me are as important culturally as the Lord of The Rings (no, I did not just say that). So I mean no harm to the X-Men series as I type this…

But…

Wolverine is not Jesus.

There, I’ve said it, after previously making saviour links between the story of Wolverine and Jesus for discussion I’ve decided to re-consider some of my original thoughts, in particular to the Wolverine as portrayed in the X-Men movie trilogy, and more precisely the final scenes of the third and final movie “The Last Stand.”

Wolverine, for the most part is a leader who does not want to lead, he shows all the character traits of a leader, but instead of leading he pushes people away, he refuses to get alongside others, he resists all efforts to make him a team player, this is possibly one of the major roots of his issues with the X-Men, he is, but is not one of them, and this will always be the case, he might at any time disappear and never be heard from again.

In contrast Jesus becomes a leader and a team player, a carpenter who, by most rights shouldn’t have been seen or heard in discussions of faith, philosophy and politics finds himself at odds with everyone in power. Jesus calls people to follow him, to be a part of his family, he visits friends houses and grieves in community, Wolverine on the other hand does none of these. Where Jesus calls towards him Wolverine pushes away, Jesus visits friends while Wolverine goes it alone.

Secondly, one might think that both Jesus and Wolverine resurrect, death does not control them and as such are fairly similar, I would argue that their responses however are vastly different. Wolverine almost becomes numb to his healing, he runs into battle with little to no thought of his resulting death, pain and possible death. Jesus however suffers, he grieves, he is found in the point of his impending death praying that God may take this cup from him, he suffers on the cross and does indeed die, where it seems that Wolverine has a death wish, we’re aware in the stories of Christ that he did not, and instead valued his life and felt the pain that was caused.

Thirdly Wolverine believes in noone but himself, when it came down to it noone was trustworthy, not even Charles Xavier, he could and would only ever trust himself. Jesus on the other hand believes in a higher power, and not only does he believe in God, he talks with God regularly and bases his vocation, his life calling and story on that which he knows God is calling him to. Jesus also believes in his family to carry on his work, he knows that he can go back to God after he is resurrected and trust that his family will continue the vocation to that which he was called, the trust is that they will continue the work. Wolverine however keeps on coming back, noone can do a job better than he can.

The fourth, and for the purpose of this piece (and my wanting it to be shorter than most things that I write) is where this line of thought originally started, in the final battle scene of the final movie of the X-Men Trilogy where Wolverine faces off the Phoenix. Skin being torn off of his metal skeleton and constantly healing Wolverine stumbles towards the out of control Jean Grey, in the final scenes she looks at him and asks “for them? You would die for them?” at which he turns around and says “not for them, for you, for you…”

Some preachers might actually have you believing that Jesus did all he did for you and you alone, that his death, his life, his mission was entirely and utterly for you. Accepting this means to accept that Jesus is your own personal Jesus, your’s completely, no-one else’s. This kind of message might sit really well with the consumerist, self loving, independent, individualistic and vein society, sure, Jesus lived for ME, not for them, for me…

But you see, Jesus’ answer would have been different, because he did it all for everyone else, not for those whom he is closest, not for his best friend, not for those who he cherished the company of, but instead he did it all for the others, the poor, the lame, the sick, the meek, the stranger, the imprisoned, the outcast, the enemy. Yes, my Jesus, not Wolverine is the real Saviour, my Jesus turns the tables on the saviour message of Wolverine’s story, at the time when The Phoenix asked “For them?” Jesus would have turned around and, quite possibly said “Yes, for them, for them I do it all, even for those out there who don’t know or love me, for those who are killing me I do this, for them I will die.”

Now, I know that others may want me to say also that Jesus would have added “and for you I do this, for you I shall die” but I’m not so sure if this would have sat well with his message, and I know that the self-loving self-righteous world doesn’t need any more reasons to love themselves, to think that God is in it for them alone.

Instead of Wolverine we’re faced with a saviour who calls us into a relationship with each other, who calls us to be a part of his team, and who calls us to forget ourselves and take on the challenge of participating in the mission of the gospel for them, for everyone else, the poor, meek, weak, dying, blind and, as hard as it would be for all of the X-Men, Wolverine in particular, to love our enemies…

Jesus Verses Wolverine, two different types of saviours, I know which one I put my trust in…

Download the discussion guide below…

Link: IMDB Entry

Link: Hollywood Jesus Review

Download: Discussion Guide for X-Men – The Last Stand (pdf)

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Phoenix: You would die for them.
Wolverine: Not for them. For you.

First of all people need to get over their preconceptions about their precious X-men, they need to understand that this movie doesn’t care if the Phoenix was an alien entity that took control of Jean (and not a dual personality), they also need to understand that Juggernaut gained his powers mystically and not as a result of the mutant x gene as this too is going to be ignored by the creator of the movie. But I’m assuming that by the time you’ve watched the previous X-Men movies you’ve learnt to give way to a comic book reality to a film reality before, even if you didn’t like it. Even though that is the case I think that most X-Men fans will still be quite happy with the outcome of this movie, the end to the current trilogy and most people should find this film to be a pile of fun.

I know that X-Men fanatics and fans of the last 2 movies may be disappointed with this installment the reality is that the final installment of trilogies never seem to quite make the cut, they don’t have too much time to build character as that should have already been done and because they’re too busy tying up the pieces that are needed to be completed before the story can finally end. So characters like Juggernaut, Kitty and Colossus as well as the new band of evil mutants don’t get must of a showing, they only really exist to fill in the gaps of the lost mutants from this and previous installments. This shouldn’t be much of a surprise, many mutant characters get a special comic edition that describes their past, character, motives and powers and in a 90 minute movie you only get to explore the characteristics of a handful of the main characters, and it’s still Wolverine, Xavier, Magneto, Mystique and Rogue that get the most of the director’s attention, with the addition of Beast, who’s motives and character was slowly building.

Prof. Charles Xavier: [Narration] Since the dawn of existence, there have always been moments when the course of history shifted. Such a turning point is upon us now. The conflict between the better and worst angels of our very nature. Whose outcome will change our world so greatly… there will be no going back. I do not know if victory is possible. I only know that great sacrifice will be required. And because the fate of many will depend on a few, we must make the last stand.

One of the major themes of the movie is that of sacrifice, although I’ll name it as a primary theme I’ve decided to leave it out of the discussion resource below as I’m sure there are better films to use to raise a discussion around the idea of sacrifice.

That being said, who sacrifices what in this movie?

Wolverine sacrifices the love of his life Jean in the final minutes of the film as he kills her, and her dual personality in a moving scene, but one has to ask how much of a sacrifice that was, there’s a difference between sacrificing your life and sacrificing another’s. To talk about how strong Wolverine must have been to have fulfilled his final deed in the movie might miss out on a bigger and more productive discussion around whether Jean could have been saved, whether she needed to die…

Rogue decides to sacrifice her “special-ness” in the movie, she decides to sacrifice her mutant identity and ability in order to hold another person, to touch them, to feel another’s hand, to feel a hug, to give a hug without causing pain. How many teenagers do you know would give away, would sacrifice something that they see as holding them back socially, whether it be acne or a bent nose, or a funny voice, or coloured skin or… In Rogue we, as youth leaders see the frailties, hopes, dreams and insecurities of every teenager we know, we see the hurt, the need to be loved, to love, the need to be touched by another, to not feel different and, if we don’t feel some kind of pain when she stands in line for her surgery we’re not human, it’s the same pain we should be feeling when we watch the young Warren cutting the wings from his back so that his father doesn’t know that he is a mutant.

Jean sacrifices herself at the hands of Wolverine, she originally asks him to kill her as she remembers what she did to Cyclops, which is before the Phoenix takes over and kicks some but to escape the school. Later on in the movie you get the sense that Jean is leading Wolverine to her in order to save the day, to kill her, and in the final scene we see Jean’s character take over her body for a split second as Wolverine kills her. Jean is still there throughout the damage, the carnage that followed the Phoenix and in the end it’s her sacrifice that changes the end of the story.

Mistique sacrifices herself for Magneto, diving in front of him and taking a bullet that, if she hadn’t would have hit him. The bullet is filled with the cure, and as a result of taking the blow Mistique finds herself now altered into a human. Instead of being given the thanks that one should expect after performing such an act she finds herself abandoned by Magneto and his new band of followers after he says “you’re no longer one of us” and as she looks on the man who had been almost a father figure to her shows his true colours as he abandons her naked on the floor of the police truck shivering, powerless, alone.

Sacrifice takes many forms in the movie, but none of them seem to be the ultimate sacrifice of giving up one’s life for another’s, perhaps the closest we get to this is the death of Xavier, but even that doesn’t take on as much power as it could have. In this world of superhero’s and humans who has the courage to truly open themselves up for a sacrificial life? Or is a part of this story that there are not many people, good or bad who are able to give that much up, to sacrifice themselves for a cause, for another, for love?

I enjoyed the film, and I think it makes a fitting completion to the trilogy of X-Men films leaving it open for another movie or ten to be created to continue the telling of the X-Men saga’s, perhaps we’ll finally get to see the Sentinels, meet mutants from other dimensions and universes, see a Storm that actually fits the Amazon description from the comic books…

Who knows?

Download the discussion guide below…

Link: IMDB Entry

Link: Hollywood Jesus Review

Download: Discussion Guide for X-Men – The Last Stand (pdf)

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

A Chicago advertising executive, Nick Marshall (Mel Gibson) gets a whole new outlook on life when a fluke accident gives him the ability to read women’s minds. At first, this ‘gift’ provides Nick with way too much information, but he begins to realise that he can use it to good effect, especially when it comes to outwitting his new boss (Helen Hunt).

‘He has the ability to hear everything women are thinking. Finally… a man is listening!’ The film has an enticing title*, but fails to deliver (sorry, guys, for those of you keen to find out!!). It has humour a la Mel Gibson style, but is certainly not the most profound look at the relationship between men and women.

[* The film's title is attributed to a comment apparently made by Sigmund Freud before he died, 'What do women want?']

Download the pdf discussion guide for the complete resource.

Link : Hollywood Jesus review

Link : IMDb entry

Download:  Discussion guide for What Women Want (pdf)

In the game of luck, it’s not who wins or loses – it’s who collects that counts! What if someone in your town won the lottery? What if he were dead? And all you had to do to claim it was to convince everyone – to lie!(blurb from the video cover)

Someone in the small town of Tullymore in Ireland (population 52 people) has won the lottery, but no-one knows the winner. That is, until they discover old Ned Devine dead – with a smile on his face and the lottery ticket still in his hand. How can the townsfolk claim the money and convince the lottery’s agent that Ned Devine is alive and well, and ready to collect nearly seven million pounds?

Download the pdf discussion guide for the complete resource.

Link : IMDb entry

Download:  Discussion guide for Waking Ned Devine (pdf)

Time magazine termed this movie a ‘contemplative action movie, an interior thriller’. It’s set on an idyllic island (based on Ko Pha-Ngan island, off the eastern coast of Thailand), with ‘beautiful people living in an unruffled commune, the symbiosis of modern man and primal nature’.

A group of young peace-loving internationals seek to create paradise (with the help of drugs and sex), free from the problems of western society. They prize community and the pursuit of individual happiness. Leonardo Di Caprio plays the lead role of Richard, an American backpacker looking for adventure, who is given a map to ‘the beach’, a ‘treasure island’. T

he island is shared with marijuana farmers who go to great lengths to protect their crops and income. But it is Richard’s actions that have a devastating impact on the community (reminiscent of ‘Lord of the Flies’?).

Download the pdf discussion guide for the complete resource.

Link : IMDb entry

Link : Hollywood Jesus review

Download: The_Beach.pdf

The Bone Collector is a ‘whodunnit’ film about a serial killer in New York, who leaves cryptic clues at the scenes of murders. Denzel Washington plays the role of a forensic criminologist, Lincoln Rhyme, crippled in the line of duty, is confined to bed and dependent on round the clock medical supervision.

He is pressed by NYPD detectives to help find the serial killer. He enlists the help of a rookie street cop, Amelia Donaghy (Angelina Jolie), who has just decided to leave street duty and work in juvenile justice. She acts as Rhyme’s arms and legs, surveying the scene of the crime with his eye for detail. Together, they uncover the clues and unravel the mystery.

The director, Phillip Noyce, describes the film as four stories in one – ‘It’s a love story. It’s a thriller. It’s a detective story. And it’s a story of renewal and resurrection’. – This film has been described as a ‘totally unique, intelligent thriller’. Although violence and murder under gird the movie (as it’s about a serial killer), the focus is on the intrigue – the uncovering of the clues and their implications.

Link : IMDb entry

Download:  Discussion Guide for The Bone Collector (pdf)

The film explores the relationship between Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks), a prison guard on Death Row (E block) at Cold Mountain Penitentiary, and a prisoner John Coffey (Michael Clark Duncan). The film is based on a six part serialised story by Stephen King (1995).

The story deals with trust, love, compassion, and miracles that happen in the most unexpected places by the most unexpected people (contrary to the efficient ‘marketing of miracles’ by some telly evangelists and as depicted so well in the Steve Martin movie, ‘Leap of Faith’). It’s also about the harsh reality of life in the 1930′s Depression era and on Death Row – with beatings, cruelty, psychic pain, executions, murders, and vengeance.

And in the midst of this reality, the film is also about encountering the transcendent in the ordinary circumstances of life, and its impact on the lives of people. It’s a great vehicle for prompting discussions about faith!

There’s so much to discuss! This discussion sheet gives focus to some questions but each section will give rise to new questions! (It’s a long film (3 hours), so don’t go to a late session if you want to include discussion).

Download the pdf discussion guide for the complete resource.

Link : IMDb entry

Link : Hollywood Jesus review

Download:  Discussion Guide for The Green Mile

This is another comic-book-come-movie blockbuster, it’s not as dark and adult-oriented as the latest Batman Begins movie, this is for the younger people in the audience, full of fun, action, CGA and low brow humour.

A group of scientists get caught in a space storm changing their DNA at a molecular level, the results are that they gain super-human abilities, Susan Storm becomes invisible and can create force fields, Jonny Storm can catch on fire and fly, Reed Richards can stretch himself like rubber and Ben Grimm becomes a rock-solid super human.

Another person caught in the storm becomes a violent super-villan, Victor Von Doom challenges the Fantastic Four, reluctant super heroes to a battle for ultimate power.

Link: IMDB Entry

Link: Hollywood Jesus

Download:  Discussion Guide for The Fantastic Four (pdf)

The Hurricane is based on the inspiring true life story of Robin ‘Hurricane’ Carter. Carter’s story inspired Bob Dylan’s international best selling single ‘Hurricane’. He was one of the best boxers of his time, a young man whose dreams of winning the middle-weight boxing title were destroyed when he was arrested at the peak of his career for the murder of three people in a New Jersey bar.

Wrongfully accused, Carter (played in the film by Denzel Washington) was convicted and sentenced to three life terms in jail, where he decided to channel his desperation and despair into writing his life story.

That story, The Sixteenth Round, was published and eventually read by a young Canadian, Lesra Martin, who together with his social activist guardians eventually mounted a full-time campaign to get Carter released. The campaign to free Carter drew national interest in the USA and throughout the world assisted by impassioned pleas from Muhammad Ali and Bob Dylan.

Triumphant and inspiring, the tale of Carter’s time in jail and eventual release is a searing and uplifting story of an innocent man’s long fight for justice. The film is uncompromising in dealing with the burning and the controversial issues of racial injustice.

Download the pdf discussion guide for the complete resource.

Link : IMDb entry

Link : Hollywood Jesus review

Download:  Discussion guide for The Hurricane (pdf)

The Insider traces the story of Geoffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe), unexpectedly dismissed from his job as a tobacco industry executive. He was gradually persuaded by Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino) from the CBS ’60 Minutes’ team to ‘blow the whistle’ on the company despite a confidentiality agreement, to call them to account for blatantly lying that cigarettes are not addictive and do not cause unhealthy side-effects. He should know – he had been in charge of development and research.

The tobacco industry went into battle to protect their profitability and avoid liability, and were prepared to do whatever was necessary to suppress and marginalise any action against them. Wigand is caught up between two powerful giants – the media and tobacco companies. He becomes a victim of a smear campaign, a pawn in the ‘big boys’ game, assaulted psychologically and financially, with a devastating impact on his life and marriage. The overall themes of the film include big business ethics, greed, corruption, moral dilemmas, journalistic integrity, and freedom of the press. It’s an intriguing, investigative movie. (based on a Vanity Fair article, ‘The Man Who Knew Too Much’)

Download the pdf discussion guide for the complete resource.

Link : Hollywood Jesus review

Link : IMDb entry

Download:  Discussion guide for The Insider (pdf)