Note : SPOILER alert
Hey Owen ( and other sci-fi fans ),
Apparently the director of TDTESS is a Christian :
There has been a notable rise in the number of Christian films being produced as more believers seem to be catching on to the impact that movies have on the culture of society.
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Less obvious, however, are films not formally labeled as Christian ones, but that present a Christian worldview. The latest – though perhaps not the most obvious initially – is “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” which stars mainstream celebrities Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly.
Though it is a Hollywood film and a remake of a 1951 sci-fi classic, Scott Derrickson’s “The Day the Earth Stood Still” is laced with biblical themes and allusions, including references to the story of Noah, a child knelt before the cross, and a Christ figure, who is presented in the movie as an alien visitor named Klaatu.
“For me, the Christ story of Klaatu is so embedded in the narrative, it’s inescapable,” Derrickson told Christian press earlier this month. “And I tried to put things in there that I thought would be elegant enough for a modern audience to appreciate and enjoy.”
“I thought the Christ analogy was pretty strong,” he added.....
link
How hard has it been for you to be a Christian in Hollywood?
Well, I think it’s difficult to be a Christian anywhere, at least to be a committed Christian – I think that demands a lot from a person no matter their field of work, and certainly working in Hollywood is no exception. I’m asked this question quite frequently and I suppose that the real implication of the question is, “Is it difficult to maintain my values or my Christian perspective or integrity working in Hollywood?”
I’m not sure that Hollywood is an industry that’s any more difficult than a lot of other industries that are out there. I think that the secular work environment in general is a place that’s challenging for Christians to thrive in without getting caught up in materialism, or in competitiveness, or in things that are really not important.
I haven’t experienced any particular kind of bigotry or bias against me because of my faith, and I tend to be fairly open about what I believe; I don’t go around shouting the name of Jesus at inappropriate times, but I don’t go out of my way to hide who I am and what I believe either.
I think that Hollywood is a very liberal community, and the great thing about that is that it tends to be relatively open to letting people think and believe what they want to think and believe. That’s been my experience at least. But what is so difficult, frankly, about being in Hollywood and succeeding in Hollywood is how competitive it is and how demanding the work itself is and how difficult it is to get a project of quality pushed through the system, and what has helped me with that is that I really think that Christians ought to be held to a high standard of excellence in our field of work.......
interview with Scott Derrickson
Review: ‘Day the Earth Stood Still’ More Christian Than Green
By Kenneth Chan
Christian Post Correspondent
Fri, Dec. 12, 2008
Hitting theatres this weekend is the remake of a classic 1951 film cherished by sci-fi critics and fanatics. Being a remake, Scott Derrickson’s “The Day the Earth Stood Still” will be viewed critically by avid fans of the original. Having seen both, I personally feel the remake is definitely worth seeing – by both fans of the original and those who never heard of it.
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Now, “The Day the Earth Stood Still” is not a Christian movie, per se. But so obvious are the biblical allusions that it will likely be embraced by believers – should they see it, that is.
The movie makes for a great modern day retelling of the Noah’s ark story. And seeing the destructive nature of mankind in the movie really helps believers and non-believers understand more clearly why God – or any deity or powerful entity – would end the lives of so many as He did in the days of Noah......
Review
