Superpowers and Resurrection
Here are the top five most anticipated moves of 2019
In order by release date:
1. Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers becomes one of the universe's most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races.) Footnote: this movie’s budget was $150 million and has grossed over a billion in box office sales
2. Avengers: Endgame (After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War, the universe is in ruins. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers assemble once more in order to undo Thanos' actions and restore order to the universe. Footnote: there were twenty-one movies in the series leading up this final movies.
3. Dark Phoenix (Jean Grey begins to develop incredible powers that corrupt and turn her into a Dark Phoenix. Now the X-Men will have to decide if the life of a team member is worth more than all the people living in the world. Footnote: prior to this movies there were twelve movies in the series.
4. Frozen II (Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, and Olaf are going far in the forest to learn the truth about an ancient mystery of their kingdom).
5. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (The final chapter of the saga from a galaxy far, far away.)Footnote: The time span between the first movie and this the final movie of the final trilogy is 42 years.
There are two themes that run through all of these films: Superpowers and Resurrection. Without detailing all the “spoilers,” the important take away is that these two themes are important and valuable to our culture. Why?
We love to find ways to push beyond the physical limitations of our world. For years, comic books have given us a fictional view about what could be possible. Now with computer graphics, the comic books are able to leap off the page and into the movie theaters. We find these movies stimulating as well as satisfying. We are able to live vicariously though the heroic acts of superpower, because we too want to make a positive impact on our world – even when we feel limited in our abilities.
In the same way, the physical world can feel limiting, so does death. These movies demonstrate our culture’s love for resurrection and the important role we, as Christians, play in the conversation. We were the first to profess a loving God who has established as place for us after this earth in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. In the way fantasy movies offer resurrection hope to fictional characters, Jesus offers us a new covenant and a promise of eternal life.
With this promise securely in place, we are able to step out and use our special superpowers given to us by God – the power to love. Like the wonder woman ring on a finger, we are all changing the world for the better when we love, especially those in need. Thanks be to God.