Source Code

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some violence, disturbing images, and language

Appropriate for: Ages 13+

Genre: Sci-Fi Action Thriller

Length: 93 minutes

Year of Release: 2011

On what seems to be an ordinary day in Illinois, Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) suddenly wakes up in a train heading towards downtown Chicago. Colter has no idea where he is or what he is doing in the train. He becomes even more confused when the young lady sitting across from him begins to call him Sean and starts talking to him as if she knows him. But almost as soon as Colter discovers that he is, in fact, in the body of another man, the entire train explodes, and he awakens yet again, this time strapped into a harness at a top secret military base. 

After several minutes of frantic confusion, Colter is told by a woman named Goodwin – who seems to be his commander, but whom he doesn’t remember ever meeting before – that he is part of an anti-terrorist mission to track down the bomber of the train he had, seconds before, been riding in. He also discovers that his confused experience in the train had been a re-living of the memory of one of the explosion’s victims. Goodwin tells Colter that he will continually be sent back into the 8-minute memory of this victim until he discovers who the bomber is. According to Goodwin and an elderly man who seems to be her boss, he won’t be able to save the people on the train who died in the explosion, since the event had already occurred. However, he will prevent the bomber from later bombing a larger section of Chicago, saving thousands of lives in the process. Still very confused and disgruntled, Colter is sent back into the short-term memory of the dead man to find the bomber. But soon, Colter begins to sense that something isn’t quite right. Before long, he will have to face the gruesome and uncanny fact looming behind the already-bizarre mission.

If you liked Inception or The Adjustment Bureau, you will probably like Source Code. This movie is another one of those great, out of the ordinary, sci-fi action movies that keeps you on the edge of your seat and your brain spinning as you are plunged into a score of obscure events and ideas. Even as the credits roll, the viewer is left with numerous questions regarding the previous 93 minutes of the movie. Along with its exciting and original plot, this movie encourages the audience to make the most of your life. It also champions the values of living in harmony with each other and giving of your self for the sake of others. 

Unfortunately, as is the case with the movies Inception, The Adjustment Bureau, and most other sci-fi films, Source Code presents several off-tune theological ideas, having to do mostly with the condition of man after death. Also, since this film is not a Christian film, the idea of “making every second count” had more to do with “eat, drink, and be merry” than it did with fulfilling our true purpose in life, which is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. This movie also contains quite a bit of foul language and a few rather disturbing images, not to mention a lot of blood, violence, and a few explosions. 

Although the violence and profanity in this movie are rather heavy, this movie’s originality and the several good messages it presents definitely outweigh any negatives this movie may have. Just for that, I’m giving Source Code an overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars. Still, this movie is only suitable for more mature viewers and is definitely out of the question for any child below 13. As always, this movie can be the perfect discussion starter on topics such as the meaning of life and life after death, so make the most of this opportunity and “make every second count!”

The Secret Garden

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Appropriate for: All ages

Genre: Children’s Novel

Length: 234 pages

Year of Publication: 1911

The Secret Garden is a classic children’s novel by Francis Hodgson Burnett, published in 1911. The heroine of the story is 10-year-old Mary Lennox – a sickly, spoiled, selfish, rude, dissatisfied brat who lives in India with her British parents among numerous servants. She hardly ever sees her mother and father because they never wanted a little girl. When she was first born, Mary was almost immediately handed over to the care of servants, who have always done everything she ever told them to do. Therefore, Mary has grown up without discipline or adult authority and is now all of the qualities described above. Obviously, this heroine is lacking every feature a heroine should have. But when her parents and many of their servants die from an outbreak of cholera and Mary is sent to live with an uncle she has never even met, our heroine is almost bound to change. 

The house of Mary’s uncle, Archibald Craven, is far away in England, surrounded by a vast and dismal moor. At first, Mary dislikes gloomy Misselthwaite Manor and continues to be her ordinary, miserable self. But when a maid named Martha tells her about a hidden garden that has been locked up for a decade, Mary begins to think of something other than herself. The mystery of this locked-up garden piques her curiosity, so she decides to find the garden herself. Her exploits out-of-doors improve both her health and her heart as she gets more fresh air and exercise, meets and makes friends with both humans and animals, and learns to think less of herself and more of others. But the locked-up garden is not the only secret this mysterious Manor holds. The unexplained wailings Mary hears coming from somewhere deep inside the house entice her to search for the source of the dismal sound. Her discoveries about both the garden and the strange wailings lead to the unearthing of secrets about the hidden past of this mysterious manor and her even stranger uncle, causing the lives of several people to be changed forever.

The Secret Garden is a wonderful children’s story that touches on the importance of friendship, gentleness, compassion, and physical health. However, there are a couple references to a certain “magic” that the children in the story really seem to have faith in. This also goes along with the general feel that it is “Mother Nature” or some sort of a Star Wars-type “force,” not God, who renews the health and happiness of the sickly and dissatisfied Mary and other such characters. This problem it is not extreme, and the magic discussed is not dark magic, but it can still become a very good starter for a discussion of worldviews. 

Besides this slight worldview flaw and at least one insignificant reference to drinking, this book is the perfect novel for readers of all ages. The Secret Garden is filled with many great life-lessons and is a heartwarming story that is perfect for children to read as an alternative to other, less enriching books that are overflowing bookshelves these days. I hope that some day you will take the time to visit the Secret Garden for yourself.

Les Miserables

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for violence and some sexual content

Appropriate for: Ages 13+

Genre: Drama

Length: 129 minutes

Year of Release: 1998

This adaptation of Victor Hugo’s beloved 1862 French novel is a story about justice, grace, and love. The story takes place in France during the early 1800’s and begins by introducing us to the burdened Jean Valjean. Valjean is an ex-convict who has finally been released from prison after completing 19 years of imprisonment in Toulon. He is bitter and angry from the years spent in prison, but, by the grace of God shown through a kind and wise bishop, he is given a chance to start his life over. Choosing to take hold of this opportunity to be made new, Valjean changes his ways, and, as a result, becomes the mayor of a factory town in France by the end of several years. He has finally turned his back on the anger and bitterness of his past. But, when a familiar face shows up, it seems as if his past will drag him down yet again. Throughout the rest of the story, Valjean continually strives to do the right thing, yet is constantly hunted down by the one person who still knows of his dark past. 

Although I have never read Les Miserables, I have seen a very old film adaptation of the book and have also listened to the Focus on the Family Radio Theatre presentation of this classic. I am a huge fan of the Radio Theatre version, and, while I found the old film version to have basically the same plot details as the Radio Theatre presentation, which was my first exposure to Les Miserables, I did not like the old movie at all. So, I was excited to discover that there was a newer film version of this story. 

Upon watching this 1998 version, I found that it turned out to be a good adaptation – but, unfortunately, not a perfect adaptation. For instance, this movie is only a little over 2 hours, when, in all honesty, no movie can capture the complete essence of this story with out being much under 4 hours long. Because it is so short, this version cut out a lot of plot details, twists, and turns that I remember from listening to the Radio Theatre version. 

Although I have not read the book, there are also a few things about some of the characters that deviated a bit from what I remember about them from listening to the Radio Theatre. The first one I should note is the relationship between Valjean and Fantine. While, in the Radio Theatre version, all I get from their relationship is a sense of grace and pity on the part of Valjean and a feeling of the wonder of forgiveness and mercy on the part of Fantine, I feel that this movie made their relationship just a little deeper than it needed to be by giving their relationship a slightly romantic feel. Although this deviation certainly does not lead to anything inappropriate in the movie, I still find it to be unnecessary. 

The other character difference that I would like to note briefly is in the character of Cosette. In the Radio Theatre production, Cosette has a sweet and humble disposition and loves Valjean as if he is her father - never questioning his protection of her or his love for her. In this movie, Cosette is depicted with a slightly more rebellious attitude, and, instead of caring for the man who has always been like a father to her, she begins to question who he really is. She even starts doubting Valjean’s motives in sheltering her so much instead of choosing to accept the fact that he is just caring for her as a father would.

All in all, however, my family and I really enjoyed this movie and I think it is a beautiful adaptation of the beautiful story. The acting is great - made even better by the performance of Liam Neeson, who does a wonderful job portraying the conflicted Valjean. The best parts, though, is how this movie illustrates the grace of God in a very tangible way and how it contains some very important lessons on forgiveness, turning from sin, and self-sacrifice. However, this movie does contain some violence (having to do with the student uprising of June 1832), slight profanity, and some material involving prostitution. Usually, though, the worst this gets is only some rather low-cut dresses. However, there is one part that I warn you to be careful of while watching this movie. It is a 10-second segment, starting at the 30:40 mark, during which the prostitute is laying in her bed, very underdressed. So, I would advise viewers to simply “turn their eyes away from worthless things” and just look away during that part. 

Taking everything into consideration, I think Les Miserables is definitely worth the watch, as it is filled with several important life lessons and an entertaining plot. This movie’s PG-13 rating is very appropriate, so I would not recommend this to anyone under the age of 13. But this is the perfect movie for a parents and teens to watch for family movie night. Just keep in mind the few things I mentioned above and be sure to discuss them with your children and/or spouse if you are watching it as a family. Enjoy!

This Present Darkness

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Appropriate for: Ages 13+

Genre: Christian Thriller Novel

Length: 376 pages

Year of Publication: 1986

In his best-selling novel, This Present Darkness, Frank Peretti draws you into a story of a battle between good and evil, darkness and light, within a town saturated with sin. But this isn’t just any story about the good people of a town fighting crime and injustice – this story goes to a higher level. Peretti explores the idea given in Ephesians 6:12, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” 

The small town of Ashton seems like it’s covered in some sort of strange disease. When the local newspaper reporter gets arrested on false charges after witnessing what seemed to be a secret meeting, her boss gets suspicious that the police were trying to cover something up by arresting his reporter and decides to begin his own investigation. Peretti’s novel follows two men on their quest to save the town: the owner of the local Ashton newspaper, Marshall Hogan, and Hank Busche, the pastor of the little Ashton Community Church. Hogan is in search of answers as to the cause of all the strange occurrences in the town, while Busche’s business is fighting for God’s will to be done and His truth to prevail. Soon, however, they both find that they are in something deeper than either of them expected: Their town is one of many victims of a New Age plot that plans to take over the entire human race. But that’s not all. Hogan and Busche discover that their enemies aren’t just freaky college professors or unhappy churchgoers – there’s an unseen, demonic force behind all the evil, causing the diseased nature of the town. However, although Hogan and Busche don’t know it, they too have a spiritual force fighting on their side – against the demons – for the victory of God and His truth. 

This Present Darkness is one of those books that is very hard to put down. The plot is fast-moving and entertaining – and while some of the technology and such described in the book are outdated now, 25 years after publication, the book itself is certainly not outdated, but a very worthwhile read. 

There are a few things to be looking out for while reading this book. 1) The descriptions of the demons. These can turn out to be pretty grotesque if your imagination is graphic enough, which also applies to 2) the violence portrayed. A suicide and murder are mentioned, and the aftermath is described in some detail. Also, at one point in the book, one of the main characters is attacked and beaten up. 3) There are a couple parts that have to do with people who are possessed by demons, and that can be pretty freaky as well… and especially be aware of the part where one character almost commits suicide because a demon takes control of her. 4) If you are reading this book as a family or if your son or daughter is reading it, you should also be aware of the New Age ideas expressed by the “bad guys,” the eastern mysticism material, and the meditations done by some of the members of the New Age corporation. Be sure to discuss this concept with your children and explain to them what is wrong with the New Age worldview and how it disagrees with what the Bible says. 5) Lastly, there are a few references to rape and adultery that you should be aware of, and a couple of the “bad guys” seem to have relationships outside of marriage. However, nothing is described beyond a kiss or a hug, and everything is kept appropriate. 

I think it is proper to note that nearly all of the “bad things” noted in this book are used to illustrate the depravity of sinful mankind and how much they are in need of God. Such actions are put in a bad light, and the New Age beliefs of the corporation trying to take over the town are definitely downgraded, as they should be, while the line between good and evil is not at all questioned. One of the things I particularly liked about this book was the emphasis put on prayer and how powerful it is. This book was also cool because it gets the reader thinking about the spiritual realm and how real it is. Ephesians 6:12: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” 

Overall, I found this book to be very enjoyable and appropriate. It supports the Christian worldview, and it even teaches readers a very valuable lesson about prayer. However, I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone under the age of 13 – but even kids above 13 should still discuss parts of this book with their parents. Just keep in mind the few things I mentioned above and be sure to discuss them with your children and/or spouse if you are reading it as a family.