Warning: I Am Legend, starring Will Smith, is not for the faint hearted. Just whatever you do, stay away from the dark. I’m not kidding.

During one particular stressful movie scene, I contemplated calling 9-1-1. The diagnosis is still out, but I’m ninty-nine percent sure I suffered a mild heart attack and a slipped disc from jumping in my seat. At any rate, the claw marks in my arm rest will forever be a monument to the terror I felt as a hyperventilating Will Smith whispering for his lost dog so as not to be heard, searched the screaming, dark corners of the darkest places with the tiniest flash light. Somewhere along the way, a camera man had to have gotten bitten while filming. And that reminds me, I still need to schedule a dental appointment for these molars I grinded to the nubs. 

But, by the grace of God, my wife and I held on till the movie’s end and discovered the Jesus story in the most unlikely of places. In case you wondered what this film is about - based on the previews, which are blatantly mute on its subject matter - it can be summed up in one Bible verse: “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. (John 1:5)”  

Going in, I half expected the basic jist to be nothing more than a last man on earth sort of flick, where humanity had once again been eliminated by a virus, a bomb or an ill-received climate change. I expected Will Smith roaming a vacant city, desperately seeking at least one other human to talk to. And it was…at first.

The first half hour, the plot felt nice and comfortable. A false relaxation seeped into our unsuspecting bones as strains of Bob Marley plucked lightly in the background like a breezy Jamaican sunset. We were suggested to not worry - “about a thing.” Like gullable little children, we happily accepted the reggae king’s advice. We were fools.

Not to give away too much but, just when I thought it safe to breathe, the plot’s predictability ran out and the movie transformed into what I first considered a demonic roller coaster. Lots of things jumped out from lots of places. And to intensify the effect, at one point during the movie a man in a long coat found it necessary to dash past our seats, nearly causing me to drop my popcorn, if I had some. The long-coated man probably just wanted out of there. Heck, we all wanted out of there. The movie theater was an insane ball of fright, with Will Smith as our half-crazy leader (he argues with mannequins, for crying out loud). 

Everytime I checked on Jess, her hands covered her face and she whimpered to leave. 

“But we got to know how it ends,” I’d say, in a false comforting tone.

Only toward the end did we discover to our delight, despite all the raw soberness of the scenes we’d just lived through (the experience itself probably knocked a few years off my life), that the movie illuminated obvious Christian undertones. There was a definite message and purpose here, something other than just scaring us to our knees.   

Turned out, it told the story of God and the sickness of sin in humanity; how humans are diseased-ridden mutations of what we originally were meant to be before Adam and Eve ate the fruit. How destructive, selfish, hate-filled and violent sin has made us. And still, though humanity has rejected God, spit in His face, even killed God, God, in all His infinite generosity and mercy, still continues to offer the only cure - Jesus - to us for as long as we live.     

Leaving the theater, I felt an undefined sense of myself. As I went along, I realized I felt distraught. But it was no longer because of the film’s content. I had seen myself on that screen. I had seen myself as I once was from the perspective of a Holy, Loving God - my Best Friend who reached out to me, loved me anyway despite my attacks against Him, saying, “I can heal you if you just stop and listen. If you just trust me, I can make you better. I know it does not make sense now, but it will once you see.” And it took way too long, but I finally accepted His advice. Now, when God sees me, He sees His Son. 

Overwhelmed by God’s love for me, an empty sorrowfulness passed through me for all the years I didn’t love Him. Yes - I am thankful to know God now, but it dawned on me more real than before that God experiences serious heart ache to save each and every one of us. He places Himself in our abusive paths for a chance that we might know Him. And those who reject God all the way to the grave, well, I imagine God is forever sick over it.      

Categories: Christianity, Movies
1 Comment »

It was a Friday night. Jess and I weren’t in the mood for much. Jess was tired from handling kids all day at work, and I just got back from playing a pitiful eighteen holes of golf with my two bosses, so needless to say, I felt defeated both mentally and physically. The burning heat of the sun during the day told its story on my face, which later settled nicely into a mild second degree burn. So, in our lowly states, we agreed to get dinner close to home, at Champps down the street. We both ordered the same thing - fajita salads - and after Jess politely spit out a hunk of bad meat into her napkin, I asked for the check and we left.Seeing it was only 6:30pm, the next big question was what do we do next? It felt like a movie rental night. Since they refuse to build a Blockbuster anywhere near our house, we did our part and rebeled against the movie rental corporate giant by going to Kroger. Did you know that Kroger rents new releases for a buck? Yeah, a buck! It’s the best kept secret in town. And you don’t have to bother with lines or clerks or anything. At our Kroger, there is a touch screen tucked away in the corner, nearly buried in the heap of Buckeyes paraphenalia, where your dollar movie waits patiently to be chosen. Near the bottom, it spits your DVD out like a gumball machine, and you’re good to go.

We had our fingers crossed for We are Marshall. But wouldn’t you know it - sold out. So we found the next best thing, Rocky Balboa (Rocky VI). Although it was tough, almost upsetting, to imagine the Italian Stallion taking another round of lumps in the ring at the ripe old age of sixty, I’d heard good things, and besides, up til now, I’d already invested considerably into watching and rewatching the other five (well, maybe not the fifth).

And wouldn’t you know it…it was actually good. I felt that old familiar rush of adrenaline in my veins again while Rocky trained one more time to the sound of trumpets. Back in the ring, Rocky was tougher than ever. He had transformed the old calcium deposited knuckles in his fists back into “hurtin’ bombs”, and his opponent got a quick lesson in heart.

I won’t spoil the movie. But afterwards, I had never been more convinced that Rocky Balboa is the greatest boxer of all time. There may be only one tougher - John Rambo. And I’m holding out for the day when Hollywood gets the two together in the ring. Do I hear a Rocky VII?

Categories: Movies
No Comments »