Hi everyone, and welcome back to this LONG overdue entry of the Nightcrawler Experience!
I've been putting this off for so long, but I need to get it out now: Time for my annual look at my top 10 favorite movie characters of last year, why I liked them, and what we can learn from them about what it means to be a Christian!
The same rules as always 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, direct to video, 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.
7. They are all characters which I like a lot as a fan, and that I believe can teach valuable lessons on living as a Christian, whether as a "Be like them" example, a "DON'T be like them" cautionary tale, or an allegory for a Biblical figure or principle. I will explain my reasons for both with each one.
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.
I think we should start on a wholesome note:
1. Blossom, 'IF.'
'IF' was a fascinating, heartwarming live- action/ animated comedy- drama about a girl named Bea who discovers that she has the ability to see people's imaginary friends (Called "IFs" for short, hence the movie's title), and sets out to help them either be reunited with their old creators, or find new humans to be friends with.
While all the "IF" characters in it were great, with creative designs and unique personalities, my favorite was definitely Blossom (Voice of Phoebe Waller- Bridge). This anthropomorphic butterfly ballerina who looks like she could have been a background character in a Betty Boop cartoon is one of the first "IFs" that Bea meets and befriends. We eventually learn that Blossom was in fact the childhood imaginary friend of Bea's grandmother Margaret (Fiona Shaw, best known for playing Aunt Petunia in the 'Harry Potter' films), and when Bea realizes this, she helps subtly arrange for a little reunion between them.
There are so many reasons why Blossom is a wonderful character. First, I really like her design. She's clearly based off of the style of 1930s cartoon characters, which perfectly fits when we find out that she was the creation of a now- elderly person who likely watched those sorts of cartoons a lot as a child, and looks simply adorable. Second, her voice is very good, too. Phoebe Waller- Bridge (An actress I'm normally not a huge fan of) gives Blossom a lovely little British accent that fits her well. Third, her kindness and loyalty to Bea as well as to her fellow IFs makes her even more endearing. Lastly, Blossom's part of the story is simply quite compelling and poignant. If the scene when Margaret finally remembers her old friend again and Blossom is strengthened enough from this that she regains the full use of her wings doesn't have you near tears, you need to have someone check you for a pulse.
That beautiful scene ties into the theological lesson that Blossom can help to teach us. See, she had tried many times to get Margaret to remember her and see her again, to no avail. So, it took Bea playing one of her grandmother's favorite old ballet records when Margaret thought she was alone to get her to start dancing again, which eventually restored her memories of her old friend Blossom.
Blossom's pursuit of Margaret in this way can be seen as very similar to how God pursues and tries to reach out to all of us. Psalm 139 points out that God is there by our sides, seeing us and all that we say or do, with His hand always ready to help guide us, even when we can feel lost. It also ties in with Revelation 3:20, which says "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with me." It shows how, as Blossom does towards Margaret in the film, God shows initiative in desiring a relationship with us, inviting us all to open our hearts and receive Him.
That's all I have to say about Blossom; a delightful character who helps demonstrate that God always seeks us out and desires us to have a relationship with Him.
The next entry on this list is another CGI character, in this case from a fully animated movie:
2. Embarrassment, 'Inside Out 2.'
( Credit for this image goes to the user Basta7897XD on the Disney wiki at https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Embarrassment/Gallery?file=Embarrassment_Poster_Pose.png)
Pixar's 'Inside Out 2' is set a year after the wonderful previous movie, which featured the sentient emotions in a 12- year- old girl named Riley's mind as they try to navigate her through life. In this sequel to it, a now- pubescent Riley's emotions have to adjust to the arrival of a few new emotions: Anxiety (She's not exactly a villain in this movie, more like a misguided unintentional antagonist), Envy, Ennui, and my personal favorite of the bunch, Embarrassment.
I love the general character design of Embarrassment, and how fitting it is for this emotion; He's big and hulking compared to the other emotions (Thus attracting a great deal of attention wherever he goes, whether he wants to or not), is clad in a hoodie which he often wears with the drawstring pulled very tight so that little of his face can be seen, has a gigantic nose to reflect having something to be self- conscious about, has very sweaty palms, and of course has an incredibly shy, timid personality which causes him to only talk once in the entire movie. I could not come up with a more perfect design for the personification of embarrassment than that even if I tried.
He also seems to largely have a good understanding of what's right. Anxiety takes the reins in Riley's mind fast, and she forces out the original five emotions in order to rebuild Riley's mind in her own way, but it becomes clear pretty soon that Embarrassment is NOT in favor of this plan, though he's of course too shy and scared of her to directly call her out on the matter. Nevertheless, he finds more subtle and covert ways to do what's right; He secretly helps good old Sadness (Whom he develops a quite adorable friendship with) in a multitude of ways in her quest to get her friends back in and set things right for Riley.
As for the Biblical lesson that can be taken from this character, I think Embarrassment can in a way be seen as quite similar to Rahab, whose story is seen in Joshua 2-6. She, like Embarrassment, was no stranger to shame due to the fact that she was a prostitute. Also, she like Embarrassment found herself secretly coming to the aid of outsiders in need and doing what was right even though it meant betraying her own people in order to do so, similar to how Embarrassment helped Sadness in a lot of ways even though it meant betraying Anxiety, because he had come to realize it was the right, righteous thing to do at the end of the day.
An odd comparison to make, but it works well at showing how to overcome shame, and gain righteousness and redemption. Well done, Embarrassment!
Now that we've looked at two animated characters from family- friendly movies, it's time to take a turn into slightly darker and more mature territory with our next character:
3. Prof. Albin Eberhart Von Franz, 'Nosferatu.'
(Credit for this image goes to the user "Greater good" at the Robert Eggers wiki at https://robert-eggers.fandom.com/wiki/Albin_Eberhart_von_Franz?file=Albin_Eberhart_Von_Franz.jpg)
Last year's remake of 'Nosferatu' was a dark, grim, creepy, incredibly well- made film that will make your skin crawl. The characters were all portrayed very well, but my fave was almost certainly the stoic vampire hunter Prof. Albin Eberhart Von Franz, played here by Willem Dafoe.
We learn that he was once a respected Swiss scientist who was largely discredited for his unthodox beliefs pertaining to the supernatural. When a former student of his seeks out his advice on some bizarre phenomena he observes, Von Franz realizes that it is the work of a vampire and agrees to help.
As an obvious nod to Abraham Van Helsing from 'Dracula,' Prof. Von Franz is a great mentor- type hero, trying his best to help his newfound allies to destroy the evil vampire Count Orlock before it can hurt anyone else. Willem Dafoe gives a typically brilliant performance as him, with the audience at times left unsure of his trustworthiness or even his sanity, but he nevertheless remains a strong force for good. He evokes strength and righteousness even in the midst of his eccentricities, and steals every scene he appears in. If you were to face off against an ancient vampire, you'd want someone like Von Franz on your side.
Another cool thing about him is that his first name was meant as a nod to Albin Grau, a real person who was the producer of the original 1922 silent film 'Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror.'
The theological point that Prof. Von Franz helps to teach is on not letting "modern" views cloud us from recognizing real evil when we see it. At one point, in addressing his former student showing skepticism towards his remarks about the supernatural due to it seeming to fly in the face of science, Von Franz responds "I have seen things in this world that would make Isaac Newton crawl back into his mother's womb! We are not so enlightened as we are blinded by the gaseous light of science. I have wrestled with the Devil as Jacob wrestled the Angel in Penuel, and I tell you that if we are to tame darkness, we must first face that it exists!"
There is a LOT of truth in that statement. So much of our seemingly "Enlightened" and "Progressive" modern world denies God and denies the existence of real evil through its reckless over- reliance on moral relativism. Is it any wonder, then, that so much suffering and cruelty can be so prevalent in the world today?
There were people with similar mindsets in the Bible, too: Romans 1:28 says about people, "Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done." Over the next couple verses, it then elaborates on how this rebellion against God drove people to commit all manner of evil. Jesus Himself points out in Mark 7:21-23 that this evil can come from within people, dark thoughts that become evil actions.
It may not be a very politically correct view, but it IS the truth, both in Prof. Albin Eberhart Von Franz's time and in the real modern world.
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Next up, we go from a character who hunts the undead, to one who IS undead:
4. The Creature, 'Lisa Frankenstein.'
(Credit for this image goes to the user "JamesBames37" on the Dead Meat wiki at https://the-dead-meat.fandom.com/wiki/The_Creature_(Lisa_Frankenstein)?file=Lisa_frankenstein_the_creature.jpeg)
'Lisa Frankenstein' was a hysterical horror rom- com in which a lonely girl named Lisa unwittingly causes a long- dead pianist (Cole Sprouse) whose grave she frequently visited to rise from the dead. After recovering from her initial terror and giving him a badly- needed shower, Lisa quickly grows fond of the Creature (As the credits refer to him), and he of her, and they set out to find a way to be together, with all kinds of mayhem ensuing along the way.
The Creature is a wonderful character, definitely the best part of the movie in my opinion. Heck, I liked him so much that I cosplayed as him at last year's Spooky Empire (Twice- annual horror film convention) with my then- girlfriend/now- fiancee cosplaying as Lisa!
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Cole Sprouse gives a masterstroke of a performance, dominating every scene he is in even as the Creature, similarly to the aforementioned Embarrassment, doesn't have a single word of dialogue up until the very end of the movie. He conveys so much through facial expressions and body language, you can tell pretty much exactly what he is feeling in every scene. I'm genuinely surprised that Sprouse didn't get nominated for any awards for his performance.
The love that the Creature has for Lisa is really quite touching in its own way (Even though it does drive him to murder some people; They all deserved it, particularly Lisa's beastly stepmother). Even when she ignores him or briefly pushes him away as she does at one point in the third act, it doesn't stifle his love for her in the slightest.
God's love for us is much the same way in that sense. Romans 5:8 shows that even when we were sinners, Christ still died for us. Romans 8:38-39 shows how nothing, not even death itself, can separate us from God's love for us. We can turn from Him or deny Him through our lifestyle, but His love for us remains unchanging.
That's a good look at the Creature, and at the love of God.
Now, we go from one undead movie monster to another who's considerably more widely recognized.
5. Beetlejuice, 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' (Uh oh, I said his name 3 times!)
(Credit for this image goes to the user "Valyrian Wildfire" on the Beetlejuice wiki at
https://beetlejuice.fandom.com/wiki/Beetlejuice_Beetlejuice_(movie)?file=BeetlejuiceBeetlejuiceMovie2024PressKitStill01.jpg)
It's showtime!
'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' may have felt a bit disjointed at times (It's a movie that they clearly had been trying to make for many years, and came up with many scripts for, and the end result feels like it contains elements of all of them), but it was still a very funny and enjoyable movie with a LOT of creativity behind it, and just like in the 1988 original, its best feature is definitely its titular ghoul, played once again by Michael Keaton.
He steps into his old role flawlessly, with it still fitting him like a grave- decayed glove. The Ghost with the Most is as funny as ever, has now stepped up a little in the Netherworld as BJ now runs his own full bio- exorcist business, and has learned a little from everything he went through in the last film; While the Sandworms were Beetlejuice's undoing in the first film, when he runs into one in this film he is prepared for it, dodging and steering it matador- style in a hilarious display. We also see more of Beetlejuice's backstory in this movie, including that he has a horrific ex- wife who is now determined to destroy him.
In the earlier film, Beetlejuice was pretty villainous all the way through, but in this one, he feels a little more neutral; He's still not the most trustworthy fellow around and definitely has his own agenda, but he is also more willing to help others and stick his rotted neck out for them. He enables his unrequited love Lydia to enter the Netherworld so she can save her daughter Astrid from meeting a horrible fate, ensures that a truly monstrous person answers for his crimes, and exposes Lydia's fiancee as the profiteering fraud that he is. For all his viciousness, Beetlejuice is shown to clearly have at least a little good in him this time around.
Still, the heroes know better than to put too much trust in him, as Beetlejuice's main concern remains finding a way to get Lydia to marry him. So, even as the heroes are glad to have his help, they're wise enough to be on their guard around him and have a contingency plan in place at the end to keep him from achieving that goal.
The Bible frequently warns us to be clever and discerning, not putting too much trust in those we know to be unreliable. Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:4 to "Watch out that no one deceives you." 1 John 4:1 says "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world."
We all need to remember that not everyone in this world is Godly or worthy of our trust, even if they seem helpful. It's a matter of care and discernment, not letting certain people who you know have undesirable agendas get their hooks into you too deeply.
So, there we have the great return of a well- loved character who helps teach good lessons on being careful around those who are untrustworthy. About the only thing left to say for this entry is "Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice"!
Now, for one more entry in the darker section of this list, before moving into lighter territory:
6. Shadow, 'Sonic the Hedgehog 3.'
(Credit for this image goes to the user "Dyllyb" on the Villains Wiki at https://villains.fandom.com/wiki/Shadow_the_Hedgehog_(Sonic_Cinematic_Universe)?file=S3+movie+art+Shadow+01.png)
The 'Sonic the Hedgehog' films, based of course on the iconic video game series of the same name, remain solid family entertainment, but the latest entry in the series, 'Sonic the Hedgehog 3,' takes things in a slightly darker direction, mainly through a new character who would end up becoming my favorite movie villain of 2024: Shadow the hedgehog (Voice of Keanu Reeves). Early on in the film, Sonic's honorary human "Parents," Tom and Maddie, rhetorically ask him what he would be like if he didn't have a family in his life (In addition to Tom and Maddie, his friends Tails the fox and Knuckles the echidna act all together as a kind of surrogate family to him). In Shadow, we get an answer to that question, and it's not pretty.
Long story short, Shadow arrived on Earth decades ago and was treated as a lab rat by scientists for a long time. Eventually, they tried to kill him, and the only human who ever showed any kindness towards him ended up losing her life instead and he was imprisoned for 50 years. He became filled with rage at this, determined once he escaped to get revenge not just against the government agency that experimented on him and got his friend killed, but against all of humanity in general.
For a CGI character in a family- friendly movie, Shadow is seriously intense and one heck of a villain. He's clever, he's driven, he's powerful, and he's ruthless. The scenes of him attacking various characters are well- staged and incredibly scary.
In particular, when Shadow first faces off against Sonic and his friends early on in the movie, seeing the way he mercilessly clobbers Knuckles (The "Tough one" in Sonic's circle of friends, and frankly my favorite character in the entire 'Sonic the Hedgehog' franchise ever since I was a kid) is deeply disturbing. Every blow he lands in that moment will have you cringing in sympathy- pain.
Yet, Shadow also definitely has his sympathetic moments. You can understand the pain he carries with him, and will find yourself wanting to see him realize that he can deal with it in less destructive ways.
Keanu Reeves is frankly amazing as the voice of Shadow. He brings loads of emotion to the character, quite possibly more than I've seen him do for any other role.
In Shadow, we see what a corrosive, soul- corrupting effect unbridled anger and a drive for revenge can have on someone. He claims to be trying to avenge the death of his young friend in what he does, but from what we had seen of his friend, she seems like the sort of person who wouldn't have wanted Shadow to become so bitter and hate- filled; She'd have wanted him to be happy, at peace with himself and the world, and to forgive those who wronged him. Out of his anger, he also very nearly kills an innocent person, part of Sonic's "Family" who had never wronged Shadow in any way. This is turn causes Sonic to very nearly become as consumed with rage as Shadow was, but he thankfully pulls himself back from the brink eventually.
The Bible makes it clear that we should not let anger or a desire for revenge consume us in this way.
Proverbs 29:11 says "Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end." Psalm 37:8 says to "Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil." Lastly, Ephesians 4:31 says "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice." All of these verses help see that we as believers need to keep our tempers under control as best we can, set aside bitterness and a desire for revenge, and instead love and forgive those who have wronged us.
That's about all there is to say about Shadow; My favorite movie villain of 2024, who teaches a grim lesson on the importance of controlling your anger before it controls you.
A few other memorable 2024 baddies include Abigail from 'Abigail,' both Delores and Jeremy from 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,' Gryla from 'Red One,' Walter Peck from 'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' (Sure, Garraka is technically the main villain of that movie, but Peck is just so infuriating and easy- to- hate, even more so than he was in the original film, that I gave him the edge), and Count Orlock from 'Nosferatu.'
Alright, now let's lighten up this list a little and head back into slightly more pleasant territory: In contrast to Shadow, this is a character whose faith in humanity ends up being restored, and during the merriest time of the year to boot:
7. Callum "Cal" Drift, 'Red One.'
(Credit for this image goes to the user NBProductions17 on the Heroes Wiki at https://hero.fandom.com/wiki/Callum_Drift?file=AXqWBdOn9zvBAoJ9RLrMiOwUQf9.jpg)
'Red One' was a fun Christmas fantasy- adventure film that kept me engaged all throughout it, with North Pole head of security Callum Drift being one of its best parts!
Callum starts out the movie preparing to retire from his current position due to how disillusioned he has become with Christmas and humanity in general; It's driven partly by the fact that we learn this Christmas is the first time in all of history that Santa's Naughty List has more people on it than the Nice List does; Not exactly an encouraging revelation, but one that seems more and more true every day in real life.
However, Cal's retirement has to be delayed when Santa Claus is kidnapped by the evil Gryla, and he is forced to join forces with black- hat hacker and lifelong Santa skeptic Jack O'Malley (Chris Evans) to rescue Kris Kringle and save not just Christmas, but ultimately most of the world as a whole.
Callum remains I'd say one of my favorite Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson roles I've seen to date. He's tough, he's funny, and he has some heart, too. You can understand how jaded he is with humanity, but recognize that he needs to discover that there is still hope for things to change.
When Callum's not fighting hostile snowmen or grappling with Krampus (Who's also portrayed in a pretty memorable way in this movie, here he's more of an antihero than the evil figure he's usually shown to be), he's having his perspective on things changed by everything he sees over the course of this adventure.
In discovering Gryla's merciless endgame plan that she has in mind for Santa and all of the human race, Callum realizes that he himself was wrong to have such a jaded, misanthropic view of things. Through seeing his new friend Jack redeem himself and reconcile with his estranged son, in turn, Callum eventually realizes that humanity isn't as beyond hope as he had previously thought, has some real good in it, and can be saved from itself and redeemed.
This is a view that God Himself has of us, as shown through His sending Jesus down to die for our sins and help us find redemption for our souls. It also fits with Titus 2:14, which says "(Jesus) gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good works." Sounds like the sorts of people who would fit well on the Nice List, doesn't it? Lastly, it goes well with 1 Corinthians1:30: "Because of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who was made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption." Even after knowing full well how rotten and fallen humanity had become, God still loved us enough to sacrifice His Son to die horribly on the Cross to give us the chance at redemption.
That's it for my look at Callum Drift, a fun character from a nice Christmas action movie that helps demonstrate God's view of humanity and its potential to return to Him. He Rocks (Sorry, I couldn't resist the pun)!
Now, for another Christmas- related character:
8. Grace, 'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.'
(She's the only adult in this poster; Credit for this image goes to STHerbs97 on the Christmas specials wiki at https://christmas-specials.fandom.com/wiki/The_Best_Christmas_Pageant_Ever_(2024)?file=Poster-BestPageant2024.jpg)
I've already talked about 'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever' last December, so I'll keep this entry relatively short.
Grace was easily one of the best parts of that marvelous movie. She steps up to the BIG challenge of directing her church's famous annual Christmas pageant on its 75th anniversary, which then becomes even more daunting as the rambunctious Herdman kids end up taking the main roles in the pageant and a bunch of meddling and self- righteous "Church- ladies" criticize practically every decision that she makes. Nevertheless, she keeps her faith and compassion strong, and it ends up indeed becoming regarded as the best Christmas pageant that the town had ever seen.
Judy Greer's performance makes Grace even more compelling of a character. She conveys the perfect balance of stress, patience and love for both her family and her church. I'm sure a LOT of overworked moms out there could greatly relate to her.
As I pointed out in my look at this movie, Grace's kindness and outreach to the Herdmans is a great example of Godly love and mercy in action, and a perfect demonstration of Colossians 3:11- “Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.” In addition, it is a great example of Jesus's exhortation to care for "The least of these," as seen in Matthew 25:31-40.
So, that sums up Grace, a wonderful character from a movie that I hope will one day achieve "Christmas Classic" status, and the lesson she teaches on showing Godly love even to those who might seem undesirable.
Now, we go from one character in a Christian movie I'd talked about in the past in this blog, to another, this one a fictionalized version of a real person:
9. Rebecca Smallbone/ Rebecca St. James, 'Unsung Hero.'
(Picture taken from the 'Unsung Hero' website)
Come on, everyone who knows me well knows she had to make my list!
The movie shows the challenges that a teenaged Rebecca Smallbone (Wonderfully played by Kirrilee Berger) and her family went through in their move from Australia to America, their deep financial struggles, and her attempts to get recognized for her gift of singing.
Rebecca faces a lot, and it's sad early on to see her struggling to overcome her nerves, and her facing one rejection after another from the musical establishment. When a particularly callous record- label suit at one point tells her right to her face "Nobody cares what a sixteen- year- old girl has to say about God," you'll find yourself wanting to step into the movie and tell him off.
Her dealing with these rejections and learning from them ties into the Scriptural lesson that Rebecca helps to convey in the movie. See, in one scene when she is feeling particularly discouraged, her mom Helen gives her a little pep talk and tells her that she shouldn't be so concerned with making and singing the music that record agents want to hear, and should instead make and sing the music that God puts on her heart, caring more about serving Him with her gift than about pleasing people.
It is through taking this approach that Rebecca further hones her talent, suitably impresses Christian record label owner Eddie DeGarmo, and starts on the way to becoming the Christian music powerhouse that God intended her to be.
This calls to mind a couple verses from the Bible. One of the first is Galatians 1:10 says "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ." There is also 1 Thessalonians 2:4 says, "But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the Gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts." In everything we do, whatever we are called to be in our lives (Be it a singer, plumber, teacher, or wherever our gifts lie), our foremost concern needs to be bringing glory to God, not caring so much about what other people think of us; God's view of us is infinitely more important than theirs, so He needs to be our top priority.
That sums up my look at this great depiction of my favorite singer in her teenage years, and the valuable lesson she can help teach on living and acting in a way to please God rather than the haters of this world.
To finish this list, I'll be looking at someone who, like Rebecca, discovers a great personal calling, though his is more supernatural in nature:
10. Nadeem Razmaadi, 'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.'
(Credit for this image goes to the user Mrmichaelt at the Ghostbusters wiki at https://ghostbusters.fandom.com/wiki/Nadeem_Razmaadi?file=NadeemRazmaadiSc16.jpg)
I'm very glad that the 'Ghostbusters' franchise is being actively used again, with the latest entry, 'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' being a good continuation of it. A new character who really stuck out for me in it was Nadeem Razmaadi, played by Kumail Nanjiani.
When you first meet this guy, you probably won't like him very much; He shows up at OG Ghostbuster Ray's occult bookstore looking to score some quick cash by selling some mystical items that had belonged to his late grandmother. It quickly becomes clear that Nadeem is a directionless slacker who drifts through life, barely makes a living as a third- party reseller of sneakers, and only cares about immediately getting by, hence seeing his family heirlooms (Which were hidden in a secret room he discovered while looking for Pop Tarts) as just something to sell.
However, we soon see that Nadeem can and eventually will rise above that deplorable state and achieve his true potential. We find that he is descended from a long line of "Fire Masters," mythical spirit catchers whose lineage traces back to ancient times and who have supernatural control over flame which they mainly use to help keep the evil demon Garraka and other supernatural nasties under control. Nadeem turns out to have inherited this power, and when Garraka returns and attempts to wipe out all life and usher in a new Ice Age, this one- time aimless loser manages (After a lot of failures, admittedly; Pyrokinesis proves to be very difficult to master) to discover his destiny and bravely help the Ghostbusters to save the world.
Of course, a 'Ghostbusters' film HAS to have lots of humor, and Nadeem provided a good amount of that; I don't think even a single line of his failed to get me laughing. Yet, you can then find yourself thrilled along with him when he first really puts his new power to good use helping to save a Ghostbuster from being killed by a possessed proton pack, and of course when he finally confronts and helps defeat Garraka.
Nadeem learning of this destiny and stepping up to do something important with his life in this way calls to mind Ephesians 2:10, which says "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." God may not give us fire- based powers to fight evil, but He has created us to help bring glory to Him and build His Kingdom on Earth using the gifts He did give us. Rising to God's calling for our lives can at times be scary, but it's what He made us for, and He will empower us to do great things with it if we lean on and trust Him. After all, as it says in Isaiah 41:10, "“Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
That sums up Nadeem Razmaadi, a very entertaining character who shows us that we can rise up with the gifts God has given us and do great things through following Him. Let's hear it for the Fire Master!
A few "Honorable mention" characters for me include Poppy Prescott from 'Despicable Me 4,' Zhen from 'Kung Fu Panda 4' (She very nearly made this list), Kraven from 'Kraven the Hunter,' Imogene Herdman from 'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,' and Wolverine from 'Deadpool and Wolverine.'
That's all for this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience. Keep your eyes open, as I have a couple new entries in mind for Spooky Season.
Until then, stay safe and healthy, and may God bless you all!
