Two Christian Blockbusters

I saw The Passion of the Christthis past Friday, and although I am critical of quite a few aspects of the film (i.e. the pervasive Catholic theology, the amount of extra-Biblical material included, etc.) I think it accomplished what I thought to be its limited aim (namely, to give the viewer a more visceral realization of Christ's suffering in the hours before his crucifixion). I'd recommend the film to any Christian with a critical mind and a strong stomach. I won't endorse the film as strongly as many Catholic and Evangelical Christians are, or for evangelism, but I'm glad I saw it.

However, I'm even happier to read that The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King got some well deserved recognition at the Academy Awards last night, winning all 11 Oscars it was nominated for including best picture and best director. I'm pleased to hear this not only because I enjoyed the film a great deal, which I did, but also because, subtly, it is no less a Christian film than Gibson's latest.