2016 is behind us, and we are now a week into 2017.
For this entry, I decided to follow the pattern of my first entry from last year, dealing with ten of my favorite movie characters from this past year, and what we can learn from them about how to follow Jesus. The same rules as last year apply: It's in no particular order, can include all kinds of characters, from heroes to supporting characters to villains, and can include both original characters and cinematic adaptations of already- existing characters. WARNING! Not all of the films whose characters I spotlight here are suitable for young or sensitive audiences, so use precaution and discernment and do your homework before seeing them or letting kids see them (You should know which ones I'm talking about when you come to them). Also, SPOILER WARNING! There are some heavy spoilers for some of the movies featured here.
1. Judy Hopps, 'Zootopia.'
(Credit for the pic goes to Ngh93 on the Heroes Wiki)
I talked about this plucky little bunny already in my review of the movie, so I will keep this relatively brief and get it out of the way first.
I just loved this Disney heroine! She's brave, determined, kind, and smart. What I admire most about Judy is her determination. As a rabbit trying to become a police officer on a force which otherwise consists of much larger and more intimidating animals, she faces a lot of opposition and a lot of characters who underestimate her. Still, she never stops or even slows down in the face of it, doing all she can to prove herself and make her naysayers eat their words. We as Christians should not let anyone stop us from pursuing the dreams that God has put on our hearts when we trust in Him. Psalm 116: 6-8 says "The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me? Yes, the Lord is for me; He will help me. I will look in triumph at those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people." Judy Hopps is such an awesome role model for kids, to be goal- oriented and not let anyone stand in their way.
Now then, my list's next character is someone who's Judy's polar opposite in a LOT of ways:
2. Kimmy (Or, as I informally nicknamed her, "Psycho Candy- Bar Girl"), 'The Purge: Election Year.'
(Credit for the photo goes to Chintzy on the Villains Wiki)
Man alive, where to start with this teenage bundle of madness? I'm normally not a fan of the 'Purge' series (A kind of action- horror film series set in a dystopian future in which, for one night a year, an event called 'The Purge' is held in which all crimes, including murder, are fully legal for 12 hours), but having been dragged to this film by two different groups of friends, I found Kimmy to be a surprisingly entertaining villain, just because of how completely off- the- walls insane she is, thanks largely to Brittany Mirabile's performance of her. She actually made for a better baddie than the film's technical main villains (Basically, stereotypical "Evil corporate/ right- wing powers- that- be" that want to keep the Purge going) for that reason. I'd say she's almost certainly my favorite movie villain from 2016, in fact (A few runners- up in that regard include Darth Vader from 'Rogue One,' Tamatoa from Disney's 'Moana,' the demon Valak from 'The Conjuring 2,' and Apocalypse from 'X- Men: Apocalypse'). When we first meet Kimmy, she is attempting to shoplift a candy bar from Joe's deli. Although she returns it when confronted by Joe and a friend of his, she doesn't take the confrontation lightly, and swears she'll get revenge when the Purge hits that night. Sure enough, when the Purge is in full swing, Kimmy and a few of her girlfriends lay siege to the deli, intent on killing Joe and burning the deli to the ground, but not before Kimmy can re- steal her candy bar. They talk a lot of trash (Including Kimmy bragging about having murdered her own parents earlier that evening), and nearly break through the store's security door with a power- saw before being killed by Joe's friend from earlier. Kimmy actually reminds me a little of the Great Goblin from 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,' in the sense that, like him, she's a minor villain who's so much fun to watch it's almost a shame she is killed off so quickly. The reason why I think Kimmy can, ironically enough, be used to teach a theological lesson is that she fully shows the kinds of people who can come from a world without God. She is so completely depraved, so consumed with fury and bloodlust, that she is willing to murder, and be killed herself, all for the sake of a candy bar that probably cost less than a dollar. The Bible is clear that our hearts and very natures are geared to guide us towards sin. In Mark 7:21, Jesus says that "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness." It is through God's grace and His influence on our consciences that He can help us build moral character, resist the temptation to commit evil, and actively pursue righteousness. Without that, without the kind of moral compass that comes from truly following Jesus, we can come up with excuses and justifications for anything. I remember taking part in a skit in church a few years ago, in which Jesus was being led to the cross (I played one of the Roman soldiers), but at the last second, he said seemingly to everyone, "You know what? I'm not going to do this! I don't care anymore!" Then, he stepped down from the cross and walked away. Through that skit, we helped teach the lesson to the church's youth about what things would be like in the world if Jesus had never died for our sins. Looking back on it now, I'm certain such a world would have a LOT more people like Kimmy in it.
3. Jillian Holtzmann, 'Ghostbusters.'
(Picture from Darthraner on the Heroes wiki; Sorry for the blurry quality)
This woman was so freaking cool! This 'Ghostbusters' reboot was so much better than most people thought it would be (Admittedly, whoever assembled the clips for its trailer should be fired, as it made the movie look a lot worse than it actually turned out to be), and Holtzmann was a big part of that. Right when we see her for the very first time in the film, with her Doc Martens- clad feet propped up on her desk, some killer goggles mounted on her forehead, and a lit blowtorch held casually in her hand, it was obvious that she'd be the real star of the movie. She's described by the film's director as a "Glorious weirdo," and the title fits her like a glove. Wild, eccentric, and unbelievably funny, Kate McKinnon's performance as her stole every scene she was in. In spite of how bizarre and eccentric Holtzmann was, it quickly became clear that she had a brilliant (In a mad- scientist kind of way) mind and gallons of loyalty and courage. She proves to be a great asset to the Ghostbusters, between helping them design amazing gadgets, and really throwing down well in their skirmishes with spirits. In particular, in the climactic battle between the Ghostbusters and a small army of hostile ghosts, Holtzmann was again the one who stole the show, using a pair of pistol- like proton guns to blast ghosts with all the finesse of a Wild West gunfighter. The faith- based lesson that Holtzmann taught me is on not selling people short for being strange or seemingly ineffective (As Holtzmann seems to be for the first third or so of the movie). As I noted when talking about Champ from 'Goosebumps' in last year's list, God loves using seemingly strange or unimpressive people to do His will on the Earth. As 1 Corinthians 1:27 says, "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong." John the Baptist was a desert wanderer who wore camel skins, ate locusts, and said things that made people uncomfortable, and yet God used him as a herald to foretell the arrival of His Son. God has done so much good in the world through using real- life "Glorious weirdos." So, I salute Jillian Holtzmann, though I'd advise her to be a bit more careful the next time she starts dancing to a DeBarge song with lit blowtorches.
4. Nightcrawler, 'X- Men: Apocalypse.'
(Photo taken from one of the threads on the Superherohype web forum)
I've included all female characters up to this point, so now it's time to add some guys to the list, and a good way to start is by bringing in one of my favorite superheroes, who this blog happens to be the namesake of! 'X- Men: Apocalypse' featured a great portrayal of a teenage Kurt Wagner, aka Nightcrawler. It contained all his best qualities that I admire him the most for: His courage (He has some pretty epic fight scenes), his humor (He makes some VERY funny comments and observations through the movie), his kindness and loyalty to his friends, and of course, his Christian faith. Indeed, his kindness and faith perfectly set him aside from the cruel and heartless "Survival of the Fittest" philosophy that the villain Apocalypse adheres to and seeks to subject the rest of the world to. As I explained in my very first edition of the Nightcrawler Experience, the episode of the old 'X- Men' animated TV series which first brought in Nightcrawler was my first time ever hearing a secular TV show talking about God and the Christian faith, and in much the same way, I could see Nightcrawler in this movie helping younger generations of moviegoers possibly get their first glimpse of the Christian faith in a secular film. It's most noted in a scene in which he and a few others are accidentally trapped aboard an enemy aircraft. While the others argue over what to do and reflect on what has just happened, Nightcrawler is deep in prayer and meditation, making it clear that he is trusting in the Lord to protect and guide him. Such is how we all should be. When we are hit by the troubles and storms of this life, our first instinct should be to find time to come before God in prayer, asking for His guidance and protection. As it says in Philippians 4:6, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God." To put it another way, when I was a little kid, I was in a musical play in church, in which one of the songs at one point goes, "First you pray, first you pray, the second you see a problem come your way." I watched this movie for the first time in theaters with my mother, and as we saw and heard Nightcrawler praying, I leaned over to her and whispered, "Now you see why I named my blog after him."
Now, from one strange- looking outcast- type character to another who's definitely not as morally- driven:
5. Killer Croc, 'Suicide Squad.'
(Credit for the photo goes to Grizzhly on the Villains Wiki)
The 'Suicide Squad' movie's plot may have been a little muddled, but they make up for it tenfold with the characters. Pretty much all the Suicide Squad are great characters in their own ways (With the exception of Slipknot, a wasted character who's basically just there to prove that Amanda Waller and Rick Flag weren't bluffing about the bombs implanted in the Squad's necks), but for this list, there's one in particular I want to focus on. Killer Croc is quite an interesting case. He's normally not a character I sympathize with, and he's one of the few Batman villains who kind of scares me. He's often portrayed as a serial killer and a cannibal, including in this movie. Yet still, as I watched the 'Suicide Squad' movie, I honestly found myself rooting for him. I was impressed with his strength and ferocity in helping to fight off the creatures that had overtaken the city, and with the general attitude he puts out (More on that in a bit). When I first watched 'Suicide Squad,' there's a scene near the climax in which he is cornered underwater by a dozen of the villain's henchmen, who quickly swarm around him. When the scene then cuts to the rest of the Squad elsewhere, I actually found myself thinking, "Man, I hope Croc's okay!" In none of the other incarnations of Killer Croc I've seen (i.e. the animated TV shows, the 'Arkham' video games, etc.) have I sympathized with him anywhere near as much as I did here. The point which I wish to make about Croc deals with the subject of self- image. As you can tell from the picture, Croc doesn't look like everyone else. Although the movie barely mentions it, a big part of the reason why he acts like a vicious animal is because so many people in his life, including his own family, viewed him that way and treated him that way. In spite of this, it becomes clear in the movie from the way that Croc carries himself that he has accepted himself and is now quite comfortable with who he is and how he looks. There's a scene about halfway through the movie in which fellow Squad member Harley Quinn (Another amazing character in the movie) calls him "Ugly." Rather than get angry or defensive over this, Croc happily responds, "Not me, Shorty; I'm beautiful." As he says this, he pulls back the jacket- hood he had been wearing over his head, further showing that he has come to truly own who he is and that he isn't ashamed of his appearance in the slightest. As someone with learning disabilities who has been picked on and made to feel like a freak because of them as a teen, it's something I can relate to a lot. This got me to thinking about how we carry ourselves, and not just in terms of how we look. Many times, Christians approach their faith in a timid, almost apologetic way amidst an overwhelmingly secular society that regularly heaps scorn upon all things Christian. Still, we should be proud of what we believe, and who we are. In Romans 1:16, the apostle Paul says "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, whether Jew or Greek." We should never be ashamed of or apologetic for our faith, or for factors we cannot control such as our appearance or abilities. If a character as normally abhorrent as Killer Croc can grasp this concept, then so can we.
6. Black Panther, 'Captain America: Civil War.'
(Credit for this photo goes to ByzantineFire on the Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki).
I was wondering how they'd bring the popular Marvel hero Black Panther to the big screen, and they absolutely hit it out of the park with him, between how he was written and Chadwick Boseman's performance as him. His fight scenes are absolutely amazing, perfectly- choreographed and looking just like the way Black Panther fights in the comics. 'Captain America: Civil War' is about a few things; At its core, it's a "Whose Side Are You On" story about the loyalties that we have to the law and to our own consciences, but it also deals with the subjects of anger, forgiveness, and revenge. Black Panther struggles with this heavily. He takes his father's position as king of the fictional African nation of Wakanda when his father is assassinated, seemingly by the Winter Soldier. He immediately sets out to try and kill the Winter Soldier, and when the Avengers split up, he quickly sides with Iron Man's "Pro- Registration" faction for that reason. When he learns that the Winter Soldier was in fact framed, he switches targets to the slime behind everything, Zemo. In the end, though, when he has Zemo cornered and is in a perfect position to tear his throat out if he so desired, he holds. He says, "Vengeance has consumed you. It's consuming them (Indicating Captain America and Iron Man, who at the time were beating the snot out of each other a few floors down). I'm done letting it consume me." He then even stops Zemo from shooting himself, ensuring that Zemo will be brought to justice for his crimes and his fate will be decided the right way. The Apostle Paul said in Romans 12:19, "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.'" Black Panther ultimately learned the difference between vengeance and justice, and made the right call, acting like a good king should in such circumstances to set a good example for his subjects, his fellow heroes, and the rest of the world.
7. Deadpool, 'Deadpool.'
(Credit for this photo goes to Joyce Kinney on the Heroes Wiki)
Don't worry, I promise this'll be the last superhero- movie character to make the list! Deadpool's another one of my favorite superheroes (Though he's technically more of an antihero than a straight- up superhero), and his movie nailed him so perfectly, I just had to include him. After the abysmal portrayal of him seen in 'X- Men Origins: Wolverine,' they make up for it by doing a truly flawless job with "The Merc With the Mouth" in this one. We see what an amazing fighter he is, we see how mind- bendingly funny he is, we see him breaking the 4th wall, and we even get some surprisingly moving moments with him. A near- perfect lift from the comics to the big screen. Even though he's a morally ambiguous character, it becomes clear that he actually does have quite a strong sense of honor, in his own way. There is a scene early on in which he has taken on a mercenary job to scare away a guy who had been stalking a girl (The scene in which he does this is hysterical, and again perfectly fitting for him), and he does it for the girl pro bono. When one of the girl's friends then asks if he could do the same to her stepdad, he responds "If I give a guy a pavement- facial, it's 'cause he's earned it." It might seem strange, but even Deadpool can help us see a little of what it means to walk with Jesus. He helps to teach a little about determination in a way similar to how Judy Hopps did, but not quite the same. In the end of the film, Deadpool is about to finish off the villain Francis, who ruined his life in so many ways. The X- Men hero Colossus tries to convince Deadpool to show Francis mercy by pointing out in an admittedly rather hammy speech that there are only maybe five opportunities that come up in one's life to prove oneself a hero, and the chance to spare an enemy is one of those times. Midway through this speech, Deadpool loses patience and abruptly blows Francis's brains out (In Deadpool's defense, Francis was a VERY bad man). Still, he takes Colossus's advice somewhat to heart, as he then says, "I'll keep a lookout for the other four times." So often in a Christian's walk, it can seem like we must be perfect, and never fail or stumble in any way. Failure can cause some to wonder if they were ever Christians at all, or even give up their faith. We should not have that mindset, though. I've certainly had my moments of stumbling in my walk with Christ, but each time I do, I keep going, and keep my eyes open for new opportunities to do what's right and serve Christ. Proverbs 24: 16 points out that "For the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity." The apostle Peter denied Jesus three times, but he didn't give up after that. After greeting the risen Jesus, he picked himself back up, and became an amazing minister the rest of his days. So, there you have Deadpool: One of my favorite superheroes, and one of my favorite movie characters of 2016.
8. K-2SO, 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Tale.'
(Credit for this pic goes to John DeQuadros on his blog Infinite Earths)
This Imperial security droid reprogrammed to serve the Rebellion made for such a fun, likable character! First off, he's voiced by Alan Tudyk, one of my favorite actors, who as usual gives a wonderful performance as him. Second, he has a great personality. He's like a tougher and less snooty version of C- 3PO, making him extremely entertaining to watch. Third, he has most of the best lines in the movie. See, K-2 has no verbal filter, so he has a tendency to be brutally honest and forthright with people. Watch this compilation of some of his most memorable lines if you don't believe me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHFE224HD4A. The point that K-2SO helps to teach is on repentance and a changed nature. He started as an Imperial security droid, meant in his own way to help keep the galaxy under the thumb of the oppressive Empire. But, he was reprogrammed, and demonstrates a quite noble nature along the way, giving all he had to get the Death Star plans to the Rebels and help save the universe. Of course, the shedding off of our older nature and becoming new creations is a core element of the Christian faith. For just one example of this, 2 Corinthians 5:17 says "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; Behold, the new has come." Much as K-2 was reprogrammed from an instrument of tyranny and evil into an ally of the forces of good, so by finding Christ, we are able to move on from our sinful past selves and become new creations in God's eyes. So, there we have K-2SO: not since 'The Iron Giant' has cinema demonstrated so well that even a being of metal and circuitry can have a soul.
(Credit to Michas.bar10 on the Angry Birds Wiki for this image)
As someone who always loved the "Angry Birds" app game, I was very excited for the movie, and it lived up to my hopes, especially in terms of how it portrayed Red. For a character whose only lines in the game were a few chirps and squawks and his famous "Ka- Caw," they give him so much personality and life in the movie. He is very funny and sympathetic, and Jason Sudeikis does a great job with his voice. He has a really short temper, obviously, but it's often shown to be at least somewhat justified, considering how poorly his fellow birds think of him and how often life in general kicks dirt in his face. Still, when the other birds beg him to help them get their stolen eggs back, Red wastes no time in setting his past grudges aside and doing what's right. Seeing him over the course of the film go from being the birds' pariah/ scapegoat to their hero is extremely satisfying, and the scene in the end when they express their gratitude to him for helping them is really quite heartwarming. I can think of at least a couple good Scriptural lessons that can be learned from Red. One of the first is on discernment, being careful who you trust. When he isn't consumed with anger, Red is a surprisingly intelligent and perceptive bird. He was the first one to suspect that the pigs who came to the birds' island, while outwardly appearing to be friendly, weren't what they claimed to be and shouldn't be trusted. Nobody believes him until it's too late, as the pigs steal their eggs and blow up most of their village. In much the same way, while we as Christians are called to be kind and welcoming to people, we also need to be discerning and careful about who we bestow our trust upon. There are people in this world who can take advantage of our kindness, and put up friendly fronts while potentially having very dangerous inner motives. As it says in 1 John 4:1, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they come from God, for many false prophets are gone out into the world." Another lesson to be taken from Red is on righteous anger. In order to help them prepare to strike back against the pigs and save their eggs, Red teaches the normally quite passive birds to learn to "Get angry." Anger is not always a bad thing. If it's a properly- handled reaction to a grave injustice, and we keep from letting the anger consume us, it can be used as an impetus to drive us to do what is right. Jesus showed anger repeatedly, driving the moneychangers out of the temple and calling out the corrupt and hypocritical Pharisees. Even then, he did not go overboard, but did what was necessary. In Ephesians 4:26- 27, is says "Be angry, and yet do not sin; Do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity." So, that's two Godly lessons, and all from a character in a movie based on a phone app about shooting birds at pigs with a slingshot. Pretty impressive, Red.
10. Newt Scamander, 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.'
(Credit for this photo goes to Byzantinefire on the Harry Potter Wiki)
Lastly, the main character from this "Harry Potter" spinoff movie was a brilliant, very likable guy. I actually consider him to be a better main protagonist than Harry Potter was. While Harry, heroic though he was, could often be arrogant, temperamental, and spiteful (Admittedly, common personality traits for many teens his age), Newt in contrast is a very patient, friendly, and good- natured guy while also being just as brave and selfless as Harry was. It's a combination of the writing by J.K. Rowling and the performance by Oscar- winner Eddie Redmayne. Newt has an amazing love of all magical creatures. Even those that might be seen as pests (i.e. the mole- like Nifflers, which make a grab for anything shiny they see, and one in the movie causes Newt lot of trouble after escaping from him and entering an upscale New York bank), or flat- out dangerous (i.e. the Thunderbirds, which can cause storms by flapping their wings), Newt still sees as beautiful. In this way, Newt Scamander is actually kind of like God. We are all sinful by nature, all have turned against God in ways that deeply hurt Him, and yet He still loves us and sees us as His beautiful children, and is eager to see us all join Him in Heaven. Another important point ties into a memorable quote Newt has in the movie; He points out that his philosophy is "Worrying means you suffer twice." That is indeed a good, Godly philosophy. Worrying not only is worthless in every way and causes us to focus more on our problems than their solutions, but also can cause additional problems for us (i.e. heightened blood pressure, making us short- fused towards those we care about, etc.). Jesus Himself pointed this out in Matthew 6:27, asking "Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" In that larger passage, He points out that there is no real need to be consumed with worry, as God provides even for the lower things in nature like birds and flowers, so He will of course provide for us if we trust in Him. So, there we have Newt Scamander, a great hero whose continued adventures I greatly look forward to seeing in the rest of the planned sequels for the 'Fantastic Beasts' series.
Honorable Mentions include Harley Quinn from 'Suicide Squad,' Nick Wilde from 'Zootopia,' Johnny the gorilla and Rosita the pig from 'Sing,' Maui from 'Moana,' Dr. Strange from 'Dr. Strange' (I left him out because I'm planing an entire entry around that movie), and Chirrut Imwe from 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Tale.'
So, that's it for this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience. I'll have a new entry up soon, but until then, God bless you all!
