Hi everyone, and welcome back to the Nightcrawler Experience!
My sincerest apologies for the fact that I only did one of the entries in my planned 'A Very 80's Christmas' series last December, I had severe technical difficulties that hindered me from doing the other planned entries in that series. So, I think I'll do those next December.
We're now a few months into 2022, and so it's finally time for my annual look at what I consider the top 10 best movie characters of the last year! This one's taken quite a while for me to finish.
I'll explain a little about each character, the movie they were in, why I like them as a pop culture fan, and what Scriptural message they can teach us (Usually either a "Be like them" example, a "DON'T be like them" cautionary tale, or an allegory of someone from Scripture).
2021 gave us a lot more options on films than 2020 had, so compiling ten for this list has proven to be easier than it was last year.
All the same rules as last year apply:
1. The characters are not listed in any order of preference.
2. It can be any kind of character, be it hero, antihero, villain, or supporting character.
3. The characters can be from any movie that came out last year, be it in theaters or streaming online.
4. It can be from any genre of film, of any rating.
5. It can include original characters created for the film, or adaptations of characters from pre- existing properties that are getting the movie treatment.
6. It can include characters appearing for the first time in a movie, or those who we've seen before but who we learn more about in this movie.
Disclaimer 1: There will be some spoilers for the movies in question to better show why I like these characters and what they can teach us.
Disclaimer 2: Not every movie featured in this list is suitable for sensitive audiences (It should be pretty obvious which ones are and which ones aren't). Use discretion in deciding whether or not to see each of them or let children see them.
Disclaimer 3: I obviously do not own the rights to any of these movies or characters.
Now, let's get this long- overdue show on the road!
1. Sisu, 'Raya and the Last Dragon.'
(Credit for this image goes to the user Frie- ice at the Disney Wiki at https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Sisu/Gallery?so=search&file=Sisu_the_Last_Dragon.png)
I already talked a little about this wonderful character in my review of 'Raya and the Last Dragon' last summer, but I liked her so much she HAD to be included in this list!
It's a movie in which, long story short, the heroine Raya is trying to undo the damage done by a race of evil creatures called the Druun. She seeks out the help of the dragon Sisu, who defeated the Druun centuries earlier. This cheerful, optimistic dragon is the key to defeating them again and saving everyone they had turned to stone, and so she, Raya, and a few others embark on a quest to basically help her become powerful enough to do this again. My full review of the movie last summer has a much more detailed synopsis of it.
Sisu is so immensely likable in this movie, as soon as I first saw the movie, I knew she had to go on this list. She's funny (Especially a scene in which she learns that things can be bought through credit), wise, and has an adorable sense of wonder relating to the world around her. She makes for a wonderful guiding force for Raya and the other heroes in their little group. The actress/ recording artist Awkwafina (I still don't like that name, I'll admit) does a marvelous job with her voice.
The Biblical lesson that can be taught from Sisu involves the most likable facet of her personality: She always clings to hope and trust, truly embodying the film's message on the importance of trusting others.
This particular short scene sums this up:
(Credit for this video goes to the user Sisu the Dragon; Yes, that IS the Youtube handle they used!)
I'll never forget Sisu's key line in that scene: "It may feel impossible, but sometimes you just have to take the first step, even before you're ready."
I can think of very few lines to more thoroughly summarize the concept of faith than that. Hebrews 11:1 says that "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
It's the faith Peter showed (At least at first) when he got out of the boat and walked on the water to reach Jesus. It's the faith that Christ calls on all of us to have, simply trusting enough to take a step forward, even if you don't think you're ready yet. It's trusting that God has your back and will help you through, even when you yourself don't know how to proceed and don't think you're ready. God can always direct our steps if we simply trust Him.
A great lesson for a great character. Sisu is one not to be forgotten.
For the next entry, we go from someone cheerfully optimistic and out to help others, to someone viciously cynical and only looking out for himself:
2. Kano, 'Mortal Kombat.'
(Credit for this image goes to the user OnyxWarrior at the Villians Wiki at https://villains.fandom.com/wiki/Kano_(2021)?file=Kano2021.png)
I've always been a fan of the 'Mortal Kombat' video game series, and while the supporting villain Kano isn't one of the characters in that franchise that I usually play as (Liu Kang and Jax are my favorites), he REALLY stole the show in the recent 'Mortal Kombat' movie!
In that grisly yet action- packed movie, Earthrealm (Basically, our world) and the forsaken dimension known as "Outworld" every so often have to hold a Mortal Kombat tournament using their best warriors to determine the fate of both worlds. Outworld's evil ruler, Shang Tsung, wants to win the upcoming tournament (Which would be the tenth consecutive loss for Earthrealm, enabling Outworld to invade and conquer it) by default before it even starts by sending his horrific assassins to kill the chosen Earthrealm champions prematurely. This causes Earthrealm's remaining warriors to band together, arrive at the hidden temple of the thunder god Raiden (Kind of the leader/ mentor to the Earthrealm warriors), and there safely train and prepare for the tournament, including discovering their magic "Arcana" powers they can use to fight.
Kano, while constantly offending everyone around him with his crass nature, nevertheless continues to show himself to be a pretty good fighter, and when the heroic warriors Liu Kang and Kung Lao goad him into losing his temper, he gains/ discovers his own Arcana power, being able to shoot lasers from his right eye (That entire scene is hysterical to watch).
However, it becomes clear that Kano's heart is definitely NOT in the right place, as an acquaintance of his named Kabal, who is working for Shang Tsung's side, convinces him to betray the Earthrealm warriors and he thus fully joins the bad guys.
In spite of all this, I honestly found I couldn't get enough of Kano in this movie! He had one incredibly funny moment after another (A couple highlights include him sparring with Liu Kang, and the whole aforementioned scene when he discovers his Arcana power), and pretty much all of the film's most memorable lines are his. It's clear Josh Lawson was REALLY having fun playing this jerk! Even after knowing from my past experience with the 'Mortal Kombat' games and their storylines that Kano is evil and treacherous AND seeing how rude and insulting he is to the heroic characters in this, watching him in the movie I couldn't help growing to like him and then feeling sad when he turns traitor.
The Scriptural lesson that can be taken from Kano is a cautionary one on not falling away from the faith or from righteousness. I am reminded of 2 Peter 2:20- 21, which says "If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them." I'd say that verse can pretty easily apply to Kano in this movie. He started the movie as a brutal arms dealer and all- around scumbag (Albeit, as I said, one who's quite entertaining to watch), is offered the chance at redemption and picks up a cool superpower in the process, but ultimately rejects this shot at becoming a hero and instead becomes even worse than he was at the beginning; Rather than a mere crime lord, Kano becomes a traitor to the entire human race, willing to potentially let billions of people be slaughtered or enslaved simply for the sake of money and power. As amusing to watch as Kano was at first, from then on out, he became just another enemy that needed to be taken down by any means necessary.
There are of course people who hear about the Gospel and begin to try and learn it, but are corrupted and turned away for one reason or another. There are undoubtedly plenty of people who have intellectual knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ, but never had any actual faith in Him. If those kinds of people stay that way and stray from the path, returning to their old ways without becoming saved, they do indeed become worse off than they were at the start, and it will then become MUCH more difficult for them to develop saving faith later on. Kano in this film gained knowledge of the Mortal Kombat tournament, the stakes in it, and the necessity of standing for Earthrealm to save it, but he didn't let that message have any kind of impact on him, and was thus easily swayed away from it by Kabal. May we be careful not to make the same mistake in our pursuit of Christ, or let others do so.
That about sums up Kano: A quite memorable character, and my favorite movie villain from last year (Even though he was only a supporting baddie, I'd say he was definitely more interesting to watch than the technical main antagonist Shang Tsung was), who makes for an equally memorable cautionary tale on the importance of sticking with the path to faith and not falling away.
Other memorable 2021 villains include Baroness von Hellman from 'Cruella,' Norman Osborn/ Green Goblin from 'Spider- Man: No Way Home,' Aguirre from 'Jungle Cruise.' and the duo of Carnage and Shriek (They're much more effective together than separate) from 'Venom 2: Let There be Carnage.'
Next up, someone else who isn't exactly on the side of the angels, but unlike Kano, she DOES manage to do at least some good in the world:
3. Estella/ Cruella De Vil, 'Cruella.'
(Credit for this image goes to the user "Lola987" on the disney wiki at https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Cruella/Gallery?file=Cruella_-_Photography.jpg)
Last year's live- action 'Cruella' was, I thought, an excellent film providing the backstory of one of the most memorable Disney villains. Its music and set designs are gorgeous and perfectly depict the environment of 1970s London (When it was in the middle of its "Punk rock revolution") in which it takes place, the costumes won an extremely well- deserved Oscar, and the performances are all brilliant, especially Emma Stone as the title character and focus of this entry on the list.
She started as "Estella," a girl who is quickly orphaned, taken in by fellow street urchins Horace and Jasper (Who here are elevated from the one- dimensional dumb goons they were in previous incarnations into pretty well- developed supporting characters, and it's honestly quite heart- warming to see the surrogate family that the three of them become to each other), and becomes a thief and con artist alongside them while pursuing her dream of becoming a fashion designer.
This eventually leads to her working under the ruthless yet world- famous fashionista Baroness von Hellman (Emma Thompson). However, Estella soon learns that, while the Baroness may be a fashion genius, she's also a sociopathic monster who had been behind some despicable acts to get to the top, including acts that directly harmed Estella. From then on out, Estella develops the new, much more radical secret alter- ego of Cruella De Vil, and sets out to bring about the Baroness's downfall, in the process paving the way for the villainess she herself is destined to become.
I found this to be an excellent way to flesh out Cruella's backstory. We see her ambition growing, we see her sanity starting to slowly deteriorate, and yet she is still likable and still someone we want to see overthrow the Baroness and pull ahead. As mentioned earlier, Emma Stone gives a magnificent performance as her.
I also like that, unlike so many dime- a- dozen "feminist" characters nowadays, Estella/ Cruella isn't depicted as hating men or viewing them as worthless; On the contrary, we see the great relationship she has with Horace and Jasper, and how she is happy to work together with them and a couple other male allies she gains over the course of the film, relying on each other as a team. I found that to be quite refreshing.
A particularly relevant quote Estella/ Cruella has, which sums up her personal philosophy and the theological lesson she can teach us, occurs early in the film when she was a child: "It wasn't (My mother) I was challenging; It was the world."
Estella/ Cruella has always had a desire to shake things up through practically everything she does, from clashes at her strict boarding school as a child, to "Sprucing up" the dull window display of a department store while drunk, to eventually challenging the accepted fashion norms (Especially those of the Baroness, who had been regarded as the undisputed queen of fashion at the time) with her innovative designs.
In this sense, in her own way, Estella/ Cruella is actually something of a Christ- figure. Jesus was someone who similarly didn't think like most other people, routinely challenged the status quo, and His clashes with the Pharisees were similar to Cruella's clashes with the Baroness in that respect. Read about Jesus driving the moneychangers out of the Temple and then standing up to the Pharisees who confronted Him over it in Matthew 21:12- 16 if you don't believe me. Jesus stood up to power- drunk tyrants and frauds who thought their power and influence as the local spiritual leaders meant they could treat others however they wanted. Cruella similarly stood up to a power- drunk tyrant who thought her power and influence over the fashion world meant she could do whatever she wanted.
We all need to have that kind of courage in our own lives. This world is NOT as God intended it to be when He made it, and while it may be easier to just go along with society's norms and accept things the way they are even as the status quo drifts further and further from Scripture, we are called by God to challenge this and take a righteous stand for His eternal truth, regardless of what others may think.
There we have Cruella de Vil: A fascinating take on the backstory of an unforgettable villain who helps show how we as Christians need at times to challenge the toxic norms the world might throw at us.
The next entry on the list is someone a lot like Cruella, so much so that I could picture the two of them becoming good friends if they ever met: A young female antihero with something of a connection to furry animals, albeit ones that are not exactly as cuddly as Dalmatians:
4. Ratcatcher 2, 'The Suicide Squad.'
While I mostly enjoyed 2016's 'Suicide Squad' movie (Based on the comic book series of the same name, dealing with a group of supervillains, mostly B- and C- listers, who are forced by the government to go on black- ops missions with little chance of survival), I must concede that last year's sequel to it, 'The Suicide Squad,' was DEFINITELY a better movie. The plot was a lot better and also easier to understand, the action sequences and fight scenes were heavily ramped up (Thereby heavily ramping up the intensity and stakes), and once you got past the characters that were obviously cannon- fodder not meant to last long, the remaining members of the Squad were all a LOT of fun to watch, such as fan- favorite Harley Quinn, the surprisingly tragic and tormented Polka- Dot Man, the funny and downright adorable King Shark, and of course the focus of this entry on the list, Ratcatcher 2.
She took over her title/ codename from her deceased father, as well as his fascinating inventions that enable her to control rats. She, along with the other criminals who make up this incarnation of the Suicide Squad, is assigned to sneak into a small South American nation and destroy a top- secret lab there.
Ratcatcher 2 is I believe the only member of the Suicide Squad created for the movie (While the original Ratcatcher has appeared in the comics and other media, this is the first time portraying that he had a daughter/ successor), and yet she quickly became my favorite character in it. She seems a LOT less dangerous and violent than the other members of the Squad, and indeed her surprisingly kind and empathetic nature sets her apart from those hardened criminals, yet her tech and control over rats prove to be incredibly useful to them over the course of the movie (i.e. She at one point helps the team to get close to the lab undetected by having her rats discreetly chew through the wires on the nearby security cameras).
Her actress Daniela Malchior brings a lot of quiet heart and vulnerability to this character, particularly during a scene in which she flashes back to the hard life she and her father had, and during the film's climax (More on that in a bit). Her personal pet rat Sebastian is a real cutie, too. If you watch the movie, Ratcatcher 2's a character you'll definitely find yourself rooting for and eager to see make it out alive.
Probably Ratcatcher 2's most endearing trait, which ties into the theological lesson that can be learned from her, is how she can find something worth loving in everyone and everything, with her use of rats being a prime example of this. Even King Shark, who looks monstrous and who tries to EAT HER early in the movie, she quickly and easily befriends afterwards. She can even help others learn that lesson too, as she causes her antisocial, irascible teammate Bloodsport, who has a deep phobia of rats and who nastily insulted her earlier in the film, to eventually become kind of a father- figure to her, and to himself see the good in rats.
Ratcatcher 2 shines most in the film's honestly glorious climax, which is where her lesson REALLY hits home: The giant monster Starro (The secret that the lab was protecting) has gotten loose and is rampaging through a city. The other members of the Squad fight valiantly against it and do some real damage to it, but it still keeps coming. Then, Ratcatcher 2 joins the battle. When Starro uses one of its mind- controlled slaves to say "This city is mine," she responds, "This city is not yours. This city is not ours. This city is THEIRS!" She then uses her special device to summon millions and millions of rats to swarm all over Starro and finish it off, to the accompaniment of a quite gorgeous musical score. While this is going on, we see a flashback in which we learn her philosophy, which she in turn learned from her father, on why she uses rats of all things: "Rats are the lowliest and most despised creatures, my love. If they have a purpose, so do we all."
I'd say the Biblical implications of this are clear. We as Christians need to reach out to all people, including those who aren't the best, richest, or most charming. Jesus helped corrupt tax collectors, political extremists, prostitutes, the poor, and others who were rejected by society to find salvation. The early church spread as quickly as it did in spite of its persecution in its early years because it reached out to many who were similarly not held in high regard by their society, including women and children (Life in that area in that time could be rough for children, especially little girls), and showed them the kind of amazing, Godly love that no one else would. Galatians 3:28 sums it up well by saying that "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." God loves all of us equally and has a purpose for each of us. We could bring so many more people to the flock and make such a positive difference in the world by similarly reaching out to society's "Undesirables" and showing them Christian love and acceptance.
There we have Ratcatcher 2, a wonderful character with a wonderful philosophy. This world would be such a better, friendlier, holier place if more people could indeed see the beauty and worth of each other, and stop treating each other like rats.
Now, we go from a character who can find the worth and value in others, to one who finds the worth and value within himself:
5. Lincoln Loud, 'The Loud House Movie.'
(Credit for this image goes to the user Eoinghost at the Loud House wiki at https://theloudhouse.fandom.com/wiki/The_Loud_House_Movie/Gallery?file=TLHM_I%2527m_the_Duke_of_Magic.png)
I've always enjoyed the Nickelodeon animated series 'The Loud House,' about 11- year- old Lincoln Loud and the various "Slice of life"- type misadventures he has with his parents and his ten highly different sisters. Longtime readers of this blog may recall I did an entry about the show's first Christmas special a few years ago. Well, last summer, the show got its own feature- length movie that premiered on Netflix, and I loved it!
Basically, at the start of it, Lincoln is feeling depressed because he is constantly overshadowed by his sisters and all of their assorted accomplishments, while the only real accomplishment he has is being deemed the fifth- best stage magician in his city.
Things quickly change, however, when the Louds discover that they have Scottish ancestry, and head to their ancestral town of Loch Loud to basically learn more about their roots. While there, they find out that they are in fact descended from a family of nobility that were dearly beloved by all before mysteriously disappearing, hence why the town is named after them. Lincoln is elated to learn that among these ancestors was a boy who at his (Lincoln's) age looked almost exactly like him, and was in fact a duke who ruled the town well and did a lot of great things.
Lincoln figures this could be the answer as to what would make him special and stand out, and so he sets out to win over the residents of the town so they will crown him the new duke (Hence the crown he's wearing in the picture). From there on out, all kinds of interesting developments occur, and Lincoln learns what leadership and true greatness look like.
Lincoln makes for as great of a main hero in 'The Loud House Movie' as he does on the show. It's easy to relate to him feeling left out and ignored amid his sisters' accomplishments and wanting to find what makes HIM special. His song "Ordinary Me," in which he sings about this plight early in the movie, will really tug at your heart strings. He also often demonstrates courage, resourcefulness and kindness to others, especially as things progress.
A great quality about Lincoln in both the show and the movie is that, while he's not perfect (i.e. He can occasionally be selfish and manipulative), he's usually quick to realize when he has done wrong and strive to make it up to anyone who may have been hurt in the process.
The struggle Lincoln faces over what makes him special also ties into the Biblical lesson that can be learned from him.
In his desire to be the Duke, he initially thinks the job just involves giving orders and being loved and admired by everyone. However, the loyal groundskeeper Angus helps him see that the most important part of that job is looking out for the needs of other people and helping to make life better for all of them.
Lincoln eventually takes this message to heart, and becomes a much wiser kid for it. He does indeed find his own greatness by stopping a power- hungry villainess, and saving his family and the entire town of Loch Loud from falling victim to her wrath.
This commitment to serving others and putting their needs ahead of your own has always been a key element of the Christian walk, and a sign of what demonstrates true greatness in God's eyes. Matthew 23:11 sums it up well: "The greatest among you will be your servant." Lincoln Loud discovers this truth firsthand. We must all remember this, that the greatest of us in God's eyes are the ones who do His will in the world, serving Him and pointing others to Him.
A nice lesson from the main character of one of the best Nickelodeon properties to come along in several years. Keep up the good work, Lincoln!
Our next character is someone who similarly discovered a strange sort of calling:
6. Trevor Slattery, 'Shang- Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.'
(Credit for this image goes to the user MJLogan95 on the Marvel Cinematic Universe wiki at https://marvelcinematicuniverse.fandom.com/wiki/Trevor_Slattery?file=Trevor_Slattery_%25282024%2529.png)
Trevor is an interesting sort of character, who represents a somewhat controversial part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He first appeared in an earlier MCU film, 2013's 'Iron Man 3,' in which he initially appeared to be "The Mandarin," the Osama bin Laden- esque mastermind behind an international terrorist group known as the Ten Rings and organizer of a series of mysterious bombings. However, it eventually becomes clear this was all a hoax, as he was in fact just a clueless, drug- addicted British actor named Trevor Slattery who had been hired to play the Mandarin in order to basically distract the heroes from who the REAL villain behind everything was.
Many fans were NOT happy about this twist, largely because of what a prominent Iron Man foe the Mandarin was in the comics. While I thought it was a bit of a let- down as well, I was slightly more forgiving of it due to how unbelievably funny Slattery proved to be when the truth got out, largely due to Sir Ben Kingsley's performance as him.
Anyway, fast- forward to 'Shang- Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.' The title character's father, Wenwu, is the ACTUAL leader of the Ten Rings, and we learn that both Shang and his father have martial arts mastery and mystical superpowers as a result. Eventually, Shang and his friend Katy meet Trevor Slattery, who we learn was kidnapped from prison by the Ten Rings and was initially going to be executed by them for impersonating their leader and giving their group a bad name, only for them to grow fond of him for his acting skills and his funny, bumbling personality and decide to spare his life and make him kind of their court jester.
Trevor proves to be surprisingly useful to Shang and his friends in their quest, as he has "Morris," an odd little creature that came from the mystical city of Ta Lo, and Trevor can translate what it is saying, and thus act as a guide for them to safely find their way to the city to hopefully stop Wenwu from releasing a force of great evil that could overtake the world.
Going into 'Shang- Chi,' I was hoping they would at least mention Trevor and what happened to him, but they went above and beyond! Once he shows up around the film's halfway mark, Trevor becomes a full- fledged supporting character who supplies a TON of humor (Just as he had in his past appearances), and even a scene or two of genuine poignance. Ben Kingsley again gives a wildly entertaining performance as him.
One faith- based lesson that Trevor Slattery helps to teach is relating to the subject of calling. His story of when he first discovered he was meant to be an actor is hilarious yet helps to drive home that point:
Idiotic though Trevor is, that line "If they could teach those monkeys to act that brilliantly, just imagine what I could bring to the world" says a lot. A child's simple misunderstanding relating to the movie 'Planet of the Apes' led to Trevor deciding to become an actor, which in turn led to him eventually doing some seriously impressive (First for evil, then for good) things. Many great people throughout Scripture found their callings from God in unorthodox ways. Moses heard it from a burning bush. The prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 19:11- 13, while listening for God's voice, heard it not from a tornado that passed by or from a big earthquake that happened near him OR from a roaring fire that raged near him, but from a still, small voice. May we all listen intently for the voice of God and His will for our lives, alert for even the most unexpected sources that He might use to point us towards our calling.
Another faith- based lesson to be taken from Trevor in this movie is on how God can help one to flourish in even the most dire of circumstances. When Trevor first meets Shang and the other heroes, he refers to the time he spent in prison for what happened in 'Iron Man 3' as "The best thing for me," as it enabled him to get off drugs and re- devote himself to his passion for acting. This excellen trait of seeing the good in all things calls to mind Joseph in the book of Genesis. He was sold into slavery by his own brothers, framed for sexually assaulting his master's wife, and thrown in prison, yet that sad series of events ultimately led to him helping to save Egypt from a famine. Upon being reunited with his brothers, Joseph said in Genesis 50:20 in regards to what they did to him, "You intended it to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." We all face hard times in our lives, but need to keep in mind that God can similarly use them to do a great deal of good in the world, if we let Him and remain obedient to Him.
He went from one villain's pawn, to a different villain's clown, to a valuable ally for the side of good, all with the same goofy charm he always had, and conveyed not one but two valuable Scriptural lessons in the process. Take a bow, Trevor Slattery!
The next addition to this list is someone who undergoes a heroic transformation of his own.
7. Chris Godecky, 'Black Friday'
The horror- comedy 'Black Friday' made for a cheesy yet funny romp, in which the employees of a "Big Box"- style toy store come to work on Thanksgiving night and nervously prepare for the greed- fueled chaos of Black Friday, only to find themselves having to literally fight for their lives as a strange alien meteor turns the hordes of Black Friday shoppers into kill- crazy zombies.
While the store's sleazy manager Jonathan (Played by one of my favorite actors, Bruce Campbell) provided loads of laughs, and the main character Ken was a good primary hero, I found myself most invested in the shy, nerdy, timid employee Chris Godecky (Played by Ryan Lee, who appeared in this blog's very first "Top 10 Movie Characters" list six years ago for his performance as Champ in the movie 'Goosebumps').
Chris, while a nice enough young man, is someone that nobody takes seriously at all: His family is shown to look down on him (In his first scene, when he has to leave to go to work while the rest of his family is having Thanksgiving dinner, his own parents give him looks that are practically dripping with condescension and disgust). Things at work aren't any better, as his work superiors and most of his coworkers see him as a loser, and in a tense moment, even Ken, who normally seems to regard him as a friend, says about him "I've never seen a bigger waste of potential in my life." Chris is scared of a lot of things, and washes his hands constantly out of fear of germs. A scene shortly before things really hit the fan had Chris being berated by the floor manager because he took too long to ring up a customer due to the fact that his cash register had jam on one of its buttons and he didn't want to touch it.
Yet, when the going gets to be its toughest, even as he is clearly terrified of what's happening, Chris proves to be a lot braver than he initially appeared to be. He fights off one of the first zombies while armed with nothing but a bag of sawdust. While his tougher- seeming coworker Archie gets taken out pitifully fast, Chris endures all the way to the end. He helps save his coworker Marnie when one of the zombies grabs her, and when he and a couple other survivors are stuck on the store's roof, he comes up with an idea to rappel down using Christmas lights. He gains moral courage as well, standing up for himself after taking one insult too many and making it clear he won't let anyone push him around anymore.
Chris especially shines in the climax: The mutated shoppers kind of fuse together into a gigantic monster, and Chris destroys it by tricking it into swallowing a forklift, which skewers the beast's face and thus kills it.
I'd compare Chris to one of my favorite figures in the Old Testament: Gideon, whose story is seen in Judges, chapters 6- 8. He lived in Israel at a time when they were oppressed by the Midianites, and like Chris in the movie, he seemed at first to be a loser and a coward, yet an angel of the Lord revealed to Gideon that he had been appointed by God to overthrow the Midianites and free his people. Gideon does not believe this at first, as Judges 6:15 says "'Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.'"(Chris, too, seemed to be "The least" in his family, from what we saw of them). Nevertheless, through trusting in the Lord, Gideon eventually found his courage, led an army to defeat the Midianite forces and free Israel, and became a great leader to his people for the rest of his days.
We too can be braver than we think if we trust in the Lord and commit to serving Him. Whether facing a despotic army like Gideon did, fighting zombiefied Black Friday shoppers like Chris did, or simply facing everyday challenges and fears, God can give us the courage to conquer ANYTHING. If it weren't for the fact that the store ends up getting destroyed in the end of the movie, Chris would get my vote for Employee of the Month.
Now, we're going to go for a character who's pretty much the polar opposite to Chris: While he's a young man with a scrawny and weak- looking exterior but a surprisingly brave spirit deep down, our next entry is a young woman with a strong and powerful exterior but a surprisingly fragile spirit:
8. Luisa Madrigal, 'Encanto'
Last year proved to be a good one for Disney Animation, as they had not one but TWO movies that were both winners!
The charming musical 'Encanto' centers around the Madrigals, a Colombian family living in a magical house. Among other things, each member of the family, when they reach a certain age, receive a magical "Gift" of an ability as part of the house's magic. One member has incredible hearing, another can control the weather through whatever mood she happens to be in, another can prepare meals that miraculously heal injuries, and so on. However, as the movie starts, we can see the house's magic is fading, and as a result the family members' abilities are fading as well, so it's up to the seemingly non- gifted main character Mirabel to try and find a way to fix all this and bring her family back together.
While Mirabel is a great character, for this list I'm going to have to go with her older sister Luisa. As you can probably tell just by looking at the picture of her I supplied, Luisa's special gift is superhuman strength. She's seen lifting everything from donkeys to bridges to churches and more as easily as you or I might lift a shoe, and selflessly puts it all to use helping her family and the other members of her community with their various needs. However, as noble as this is, we see it has also become a serious burden for Luisa; She is so determined to always help everyone and meet their needs that she has almost no time at all for herself to relax and enjoy life, and is also terrified of the prospect of letting others down. So, as you can probably guess, when the house's magic continues to fade and Luisa's strength starts fading with it, she doesn't take it well.
Luisa is an amazing character for a lot of reasons. First up, I like her physical design. You can tell just by looking at her that she's strong as an ox, yet it looks balanced and natural and she looks honestly rather pretty. Another subtle but VERY clever element of her appearance is that the pattern along the lower fringe of her dress resembles dumbbells, props to whoever came up with the idea for that. Next, I straight- up ADORE Jessica Darrow's performance as her voice. All too often lately, when animated shows and movies have "Strong/ tough woman" characters, they for some reason have these unnaturally high- pitched voices that don't match the character's physical design at all, and make me feel like I'm watching one of those stupid old "Victim of identity theft" commercials from the early 2000s. With Darrow's performance as Luisa's voice, in contrast, it's a deep, powerful- sounding voice that fits Luisa's massive physical appearance like a glove. Her voice can also, however, display her worry and vulnerability well.
(Credit for this video goes to the DisneyMusicVEVO at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-NH1uUfr0U)
I can think of a rather complicated twofold Scriptural lesson that can be taken from Luisa. The first part of it is on serving others with our gifts, similar to the earlier example of Lincoln Loud. Luisa has a remarkable attitude regarding her gift of strength; while it would be easy for her to get power- drunk on such a gift and become a bully with it, Luisa instead uses it to help her community however she can. This is perfectly in keeping with 1 Peter 4:10, which states that "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms." We all have things we're particularly good at, God gave us those gifts for a reason: To serve others and help draw more people to Him in their own ways.
However, the second message ties in with the first, and points out that we shouldn't try and do everything ourselves without any time for personal growth or relaxation. Luisa, as I said, went too far in that regard, as her immense desire to please others kept her from enjoying her own life and gave her a rather unhealthy mindset that her ONLY value as a person comes from helping her community with her strength. As one of the lyrics to her song points out, "Under the surface, I'm pretty sure I'm worthless, if I can't be of service." This is similar to a dilemma Moses suffered in Exodus 18 after leading his fellow Hebrews from Egypt; As the leader of his people and someone known to be wise and closely in touch with God, Moses was constantly called upon to resolve every single dispute among them. It took a heavy toll on him personally, and became a real burden for his life. Eventually, his father- in- law Jethro noticed this, and called Moses out on it, saying in Exodus 18:17-19, "What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you and you cannot handle it alone." Jethro then offers the suggestion that Moses appoint other, lesser judges for his people that could help take a lot of the load off of his shoulders, so then he himself would only be needed for the absolute biggest problems. This proves to be an excellent idea that sets the framework for how Israel would be governed for centuries to come. Similarly for us today, while as I said, we are called to serve others with our gifts, we shouldn't overcommit ourselves, and need to make sure we take enough time for relaxation and self- care. After all, God Himself needed a day of rest after creating the Earth and all its living things in the very beginning, and if even God needs to rest at times, we certainly do, as well!
A great twofold lesson from another amazing character. Nice work, Luisa, now PLEASE take a break! You've earned it!
Next, we look at another good- hearted teenage girl, yet this one's specialty lies in brains rather than brawn:
9. Phoebe Spengler, 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife'
After the 2016 'Ghostbusters' reboot proved to not be as successful as hoped (A shame, as I personally thought it was pretty good, if not as great as the first two films in the franchise), it looked like the franchise might be, to forgive the pun, dead. Fortunately, last year's delightful 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife' was a big hit that breathed new life into this well- loved series, and the new character Phoebe Spengler was definitely one of its high points!
We see that founding Ghostbusters member Egon Spengler (Played by the late Harold Ramis in the first two 'Ghostbusters' films, and by Bob Gunton with a CGI overlay in this film) has died, and his middle- aged daughter and her two teenaged children have come to a farmhouse he owned out in the country to basically get his estate in order and try to make any money they can from it to support themselves. This proves to be easier said than done, however, but the family still eventually manage to make friends and fit in among the other residents of the town, the grandkids discover Egon's ghostbusting equipment and modify it a bit while learning of their family's legacy, and they are all called upon to help stop an old threat from resurfacing and destroying all of humanity.
Egon's granddaughter Phoebe (Perfectly played by McKenna Grace) knows full well that she is out of place among normal people of her generation due to her brilliant IQ and socially- awkward personality, and she comes to embrace that fact. Yet, she still is brave enough and open- minded enough that makes efforts to reach out to people and make friends (Her science- based icebreaker jokes rule), and it pays off. Phoebe also demonstrates great courage and leadership skills as she, her brother, and a couple friends become kind of the next generation of the Ghostbusters.
Phoebe takes a LOT from her grandfather, having an incredibly similar personality as him, his spirit clearly lives on in her. Speaking of "His spirit," we soon discover that Egon's ghost is lingering around the house in very subtle, invisible sorts of ways, and he is trying to help his family in any way they can (i.e. When Phoebe is looking for a particular tool she needs to use, a lamp on a table suddenly turns all by itself and shines in the direction of the tool in question), and Phoebe quickly develops a connection with him.
I have to give major props to McKenna Grace for her performance as Phoebe. It's clear that she closely studied Harold Ramis's performance as Egon in the original films and picked up some of his mannerisms from them, yet rather than being just a simple clone/ imitator of Egon, she makes Phoebe into her own original, well- developed character. She really deserves to win some kind of award for her performance.
The movie's climax is magnificent, and contains not just the theological lesson to be drawn from Phoebe, but also probably the single most poignant moment of any 2021 film I've seen. In it, as Phoebe and her friends (Including the OG Ghostbusters, who show up to lend a hand) are trying to stop the evil resurrected deity Gozer, we at long last see the ghost of Egon Spengler appear in full form, guiding Phoebe as she fires her proton pack at the evil entity. Phoebe trusts him and lets him guide her hands, as she and the others all together help to take out Gozer, hopefully for good.
This reliance Phoebe has on the guiding hand of her grandfather's benevolent spirit can be seen as similar to how we all have the Holy Spirit inside of us all, who can lead and direct us through all of life's challenges. Romans 8:9 tells us that "...you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you." All true Christians have the Holy Spirit within them to help lead and guide them, and enable them to grow in their faith. It can enable us to better stand against Satan might throw at us, like Phoebe in the movie standing against Gozer, and more effectively serve and honor the Lord Jesus.
A brilliant young heroine who saves the world AND shows the great things that can be done when we allow the Holy Spirit to direct our steps. For such good work, who ya gonna call? Phoebe Spengler!
Just one more character left, someone who stands for what's right as effectively as Phoebe does, albeit in a different way:
10. Guy, 'Free Guy.'
The movie 'Free Guy' had a brilliant concept and pulled it off perfectly!
Basically, a man known simply as "Guy" (Ryan Reynolds), living a content but predictable life, realizes that he is a non- playable character (Or, NPC, for short) in 'Free City,' a 'GTA 5'- esque ultraviolent online video game. He soon becomes something of an Internet sensation by shaking things up in the game, standing up to the game's criminals and generally disrupting the chaotic flow of things.
Things get even crazier when we learn that 'Free City' was created when an unscrupulous executive stole the code from a game that would have been called 'Life Itself' and would have been more of a peaceful, easygoing paradise. From there, with help from the nice couple who created 'Life Itself,' Guy sets out to bring this truth to light and change the game for the better.
Guy was such an amazingly likable character! He's sweet, naive, yet learns to be brave and keeps his optimistic spirit even when things threaten to fall apart all around him. Ryan Reynolds, who always impresses me in his performances, brings out another great, memorable one with his typical humor, but also tons of heart.
Guy, sort of like my earlier example of Cruella, becomes someone who helps break the norms, but in his case it is through his devotion to peace and kindness. His rise to Internet fame causes the real- life gamers to start to question why they are always killing NPCs in games just for the fun of it and to indeed see NPCs in a new way, and he ultimately leads the NPCs in the game to desire a change for the better. As he puts it, "Things in the city don't have to be this way; Things can be different... What if our world doesn't have to be so scary?"
Between that gentle, indeed Godly nature, and the prophetic way in which he transforms both the world of his game and the world outside of it, Guy is truly a character who is impossible NOT to love!
Until then, stay safe and healthy, and may God bless you all!
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