Films With Underlying Faith-Based Themes (Photos)
‘Ben Hur’
‘Chariots of Fire’
‘The Lord of the Rings’
The Lord of the Rings trilogy follows hobbit Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) as he embarks on a journey with his friend Sam (Sean Astin) and hobbit-turned-Gollum (Andy Serkis) to destroy the One Ring. The series parallels multiple Biblical themes, including temptation, the fight over good and evil and the fall of mankind to the seduction of power. J.R.R. Tolkien was known for his devout Catholic faith and was friends with fellow fantasy religious writer C.S. Lewis.
‘Soul Surfer’
Based off the true story of professional surfer Bethany Hamilton, Soul Surfer takes audiences on the faith journey that Hamilton and her family and friends embarked on following life after her near-death accident. While surfing, Hamilton was attacked by a shark that resulted in her losing her left arm, but her faith and trust pushed her to continue surfing. Soul Surfer stars AnnaSophia Robb, Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt and Carrie Underwood.
‘Star Wars’
The Star Wars series emphasizes one major theme throughout all of its films: the fight between good and evil. The sci-fi films mirror multiple Biblical themes, including the fall of man to evil; the ongoing fight between the dark side and good; hope; the power of the Force, or something greater than man; and good overcoming evil in the end. George Lucas created the film series, which starred Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Ewan McGregor and Liam Neeson.
‘The Chronicles of Narnia’
Children's fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia follows four siblings — two boys, two girls — enter through a wardrobe into an imaginary land and firsthand witness the struggle of power between good and evil. Written by C.S. Lewis, the books feature a lion, Aslan, as the protagonist saving character and the White Witch as the antagonist evil character. Like Jesus, Aslan was betrayed and murdered, but rose again to save the people of Narnia from evil.
‘The Good Lie’
Starring Reese Witherspoon, The Good Lie follows an employment agency counselor (Witherspoon) aid four Sudanese refugees with establishing a new life in America. The film grapples faith, trust, belief in God and resilience, and sees a brother sacrifice life in America for a second chance of a long-lost family member.
‘The Hiding Place’
Corrie ten Boom and her father and sister were thrown into concentration camps by Nazis for helping and hiding Jews during World War II. The Dutch Christian's story was turned into a historical depiction film — The Hiding Place — and shows audiences how and why her family helped the Jews, surviving life in the camps, not tiring of doing good and how her faith in God strengthened her.
‘The Lion King’
The beloved children's Disney film includes multiple Biblical themes in the story, including a prodigal son who returns home; a father dying for his son; the fight over good and evil; questioning purpose; and sacrifice. In a Lion King scene between Simba and his deceased father Mufasa, his father's ghost in the heavens says to the young lion, "Remember who you are. You are my son and the one true king. Remember who you are."
‘The Mission’
The 1986 drama The Mission, starring Robert De Niro, was nominated for seven Oscars and took home the gold statue for best cinematography. De Niro plays Rodrigo Mendoza, a former slave trader who seeks redemption and joins Jesuit Priest Father Gabriel (Jeremy Irons) at a South America mission. They seek to convert the natives to Christianity. The Mission addresses faith, redemption and forgiveness, amongst other Biblical themes.
‘Unbroken’
The Angelina Jolie-directed drama Unbroken tells the story of former Olympian and World War II veteran and survivor Louis Zamperini. The Prisoner of War endured extenuating circumstances and trials that he prayed he could survive, but it wasn't until after he was saved and returned home that he became a Christian at a Billy Graham evangelical crusade and later launched a career as a Christian inspirational speaker. The film addresses faith, resilience and trust in a higher power.
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