The movie industry continues to be a very vibrant one. It is one of the most popular forms of entertainment for people of all ages. In recent years, more movies have been released with the theme of faith. The quality of Christian movies have improved and due to a sizeable chunk of Christians who watch movies, several movie production companies have set up divisions to target these audiences. Truth is, there are already many movies that have the themes of faith and religion. Underlying the stories of many movies is a search for meaning, for significance, and for God. This book seeks to reveal the presence of such themes and how we can learn to watch movies intelligently and with discernment. In one of the most ambitious projects of this kind, authors Catherine Barsotti and Robert Johnston comb four decades of films ('80s, '90s, '00s, '10s) and highlight forty movies to show us that we do see God mentioned both explicitly and implicitly.

What makes this book readable is through popular movies that many people have already seen or heard. Some of the movies like "Chariots of Fire," "The Elephant Man," "American Beauty," "Life of Pi," "Dead Man Walking," "Wall-E," "12 Years a Slave," "Zero Dark Thirty" have either won oscar nominations or received critical appeal for its entertainment and artistic creativity. Reading the synopsis often brings back memories of the first time I watched it. At the same time, I marvel at how much I missed in terms of seeing the themes of faith and God in the movies. This book powerfully equips us with the lens of watching movie intelligently. It is interesting that the hit series STAR WARS are not given much coverage other than a one-line mention. I would have thought that the entire saga has deeply spiritual themes as well. I suppose the authors had two other hidden reasons. First, they want to highlight the relatively lesser known movies. Second, by the time we are halfway through the book, we would have gotten some skills in analyzing the movies ourselves!

Each chapter is titled after the movie to be analyzed. A key spiritual idea is mentioned followed by sub-themes, and where appropriate, other movie trivia such as original title, origin, year made, film duration, actors, directors, etc. Then there is a synopsis of the movie plot and theological reflection. The "dialogue texts" section allows Scripture to converse with the movie themes highlighted. Finally, there is a section on discussion questions and clip conversations, with additional resources from ReelSpirituality.com where readers can check out movie clips with timestamp ranges. Bonus material and additional resources are also listed. Some readers may find the chapters too brief but I find that a strength rather than a weakness. For the purpose of the book is not to tell us everything we need to know about analyzing the movie, but to provide a way forward and a framework for discussion. The best way to read this book is to cultivate interactive skills that we can engage with the material, the movie, and the corresponding messages that may arise. Moreover, the authors have indicated that this book is a "guide" and not an encyclopedia for film critique. There is a useful appendix at the end of the book, listing the movies by biblical text as well as theological themes. This makes this book a reference book that one can use for years to come.

Dr Catherine Barsotti is Affiliate Assistant Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary. Dr Robert Johnston is Professor of Theology and Culture at Fuller Theological Seminary.

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of Brazos Press and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

God in the Movies is a resource to help bridge pop culture with religion in an effort to have a deeper understands of the works. The goal is be able to watch these movies and se the Christian principles that are both apparent and more discreetly hidden with in the body of work.
This particular guide spans the 80's to the present. But instead of using the biggest blockbuster for better appeal, the authors choose movies that most effectively promote the Christian ideal. So the majority of the movies have overt Christian themes and many movies included shouldn't be a surprise such as Field of Dreams.
The majority of the essays included with them are great at pin pointing the exact theologies and ideals that the movie portray or can be learned. But there are several, probably written by the same contributor, who leaves things more vague, making this an uneven teaching tool. This coupled by the fact that many of these moves are not common to everyday people makes this more appropriate for a study group as opposed to general ministry.
But the information it doe include is helpful and I applaud that the book for not shying away from movies because of violence, cursing and sexual content. IF this were the case, they would have missed many great stories that deal with Christianity and how it relates to those topics.
I would love to read more from these contributors about more of the movies I like and help expand my understand of my faith by pay attention to what I just think of as entertainment.

NOT WHAT I EXPECTED

In considering working with my local church to develop a short class on the role of Christianity as depicted in film, including Christ figures as opposed to literal interpretations, I’ve sought out books to aid with the potential class. When I looked into this book I hoped it would be one to help. Unfortunately it offered nothing I could use.

Rather than look back at some of the most obvious films to do so like COOL HAND LUKE and TOMMY, the book focused more on films around which to discuss religion in a more roundabout way. Not only that as I began reading I could tell that this was not a book that a casual layperson might get something from but far too in depth than most.

The first part of the book was incredibly lengthy and before long I found myself losing interest in the topic at hand and the book in general. Perhaps a religious leader like a pastor might find something useful here to include in sermons and the like but for me it offered nothing and I soon put the book aside never to return. The search for a good book on the topic still goes on though.