Hello everyone, and welcome back to another installment of the Nightcrawler Experience!
Well, my closing words in my last installment thankfully proved true: The Movie Night event held at St. John's United Methodist Church over the summer which I collaborated with them on was popular enough that they wanted it to continue, so once a month for at least the next few months, they will again be airing a film at the church on a Friday night, and I will again be writing devotionals to be passed out at them and follow- up entries here on the Nightcrawler Experience!
For this first installment of the new series, we were initially going to be showing the classic 80's film 'Adventures in Babysitting,' but upon watching the film for the first time in years, I realized that, while it is a good, fun film, it has a lot of objectionable comment that make it inappropriate for showing in a church setting (Especially language, such as a scene in which not one but two "F"- bombs are dropped). So, instead, we'll be looking at a much more recent and MUCH more family- friendly film, 'The Lego Batman Movie.'
In it, Batman is on the one hand riding high due to defeating and capturing all of his enemies in one attack, but on the other hand it becomes clear that he is a really lonely guy, and although he's too proud to admit it, he deeply fears being part of a family again. He is also angry upon learning that new police commissioner Barbara Gordon plans to restructure the Gotham police force to lessen how much they need him.
Amidst this, he has to contend with both a plan by the Joker, who is extremely angry and bitter upon learning that Batman does not regard him as his greatest enemy, to recruit some of the greatest villains from all pop culture (And they are a very diverse, very entertaining bunch, from Lord Voldemort to the Wicked Witch of the West to "Doctor Who"'s Daleks and many more) to try and destroy Gotham City, and the stress of having to care for an orphaned boy named Dick Grayson who he accidentally adopted. He eventually swallows his pride, realizes he needs to make some changes in his life, saves the world again, and finds the new family he's secretly always wanted.
I must say, I ADORE this movie! I consider it a great epitome of a "For the whole family" movie; There's simple jokes and entertainment for kids, more complex jokes and themes for adults (Not to mention LOADS of funny and at times quite subtle nods to all of the different incarnations of Batman, from the comics to the various movies to the TV shows, aimed at the hardcore Bat- Fans), and plenty of material that can appeal to both groups. I was laughing and geeking out all through it, and consider it probably the best Batman- related film I've seen since 2008's 'The Dark Knight.'
In the devotional I wrote that will be passed out at the movie screening, I pointed out that probably the main Scriptural message that can be taken from 'The Lego Batman Movie' is on the nature of family, and the different forms that family can take. I use the verses Ephesians 1:5 and Ephesians 2:19 to help show how we all become a part of God's family when we accept Jesus as our Savior. Though, that's not the only Godly lesson that can be taken from it.
SPOILER WARNING!
A couple other great lessons I've found in 'The Lego Batman Movie' are on inclusion, and finding help in ways you didn't expect.
I cannot tell you how much I was moved by the scene in the film's climax in which Batman turns on separate, "Bat- Signal"- esque beacons for his former enemies (i.e. Two- Face, the Penguin, Scarecrow, Catwoman, etc.), to summon them to help him battle the Joker and his army of ultra- villains in order to save Gotham City. Sure enough, by working together, this group of crooks and misfits whom the Joker had dismissed as incompetent "Human farts" earlier in the movie are able to tilt the battle in Batman's favor enough that he ends up prevailing.
One area of Batman lore that it has always succeeded at is how well- developed and often quite sympathetic most of Batman's major villains are. In many cases, they became evil due to circumstances largely outside of their control. For instance, some of his villains became that way due to bitterness over being shunned and rejected as outcasts by society purely due to their outer physical appearance, such as the Penguin and Killer Croc. Some of Batman's other villains were once good men who were led astray in response to others' cruel actions against them, such as Two- Face (Once Gotham City's district attorney and a force for good and justice, before being disfigured both physically and psychologically in a mafia attack) and Mr. Freeze (His backstory is flat- out heartbreaking; I have a future entry of the Nightcrawler Experience in mind in which I look at it in more depth). So, I found the act of Batman reaching out to them, and not just humbling himself enough to ask for their help, but actually making them honorary members of the "Bat- Family" and giving them the opportunity to be heroes for once and gain a sense of the acceptance they've always wanted was so heartwarming.
Finding unlikely help and inclusion for outcasts are messages that resonate deeply in Scripture. One Bible story I've remembered well from when I was a kid (Partly because I participated in a play in church about it in those days) was the story of King Jehoshaphat found in 2 Chronicles 20: The good, God- fearing King Jehoshaphat was faced with the threat of his kingdom of Judah being attacked by three different armies together. Through prayer and fasting, Jehoshaphat and his people were given insight by God into a very strange and unlikely but ultimately very effective form of help; He was told that, when sending his kingdom's army out to fight the invaders, to put a choir of singers at the very head of his army, singing praises to God. This drove the invading armies to turn against each other and ultimately destroy each other, leading to a landslide victory for Judah's army.
Of course, themes of inclusion for the outcasts, including those who've sinned and fallen short, are all throughout the Bible. Rahab in the book of Joshua was a prostitute who lived with a corrupt and evil society, yet she ended up being welcomed among the Israelites and becoming an ancestor of Jesus. Speaking of whom, Jesus Himself welcomed corrupt tax collectors like Matthew and Zacchaeus, political extremists like Simon the zealot, and many others seen as "Undesirables." A big part of the reason why the early church grew so quickly in spite of its persecution was because its people reached out to and showed kindness and inclusion to a lot of people treated as outcasts by society in those days, such as women and children. The early church showed them the love and acceptance that society denied them, demonstrating a taste of God's amazing love for them. That led them to find Christ and help the church grow even more! We as current Christians are similarly called to reach out to the outcasts, those who've struggled with sin and regrets, and all others in need of Jesus in their lives.
There you have my thoughts on 'The Lego Batman Movie': a great family movie, a real treat for all Bat-fans, and a great parable on family, unlikely help, and inclusion of all.
Keep your eyes peeled, because I have another entry of the Nightcrawler Experience nearly done, and it should be posted in the next week or so. Until then, God bless you all!
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