Peter Pan (2003)

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

MPAA Rating: PG for adventure action sequences and peril

Appropriate for: Ages 10+

Genre: Children’s Fantasy

Length: 113 minutes

Year of Release: 2003

Wendy Darling (played by Rachel Hurd-Wood) and her brothers, John and Michael, are longing for an adventure. However, in early 20^th century London, their adventures are limited to their nursery, where Wendy entertains her brothers with stories of princesses, pirates, and the worst pirate of them all, Captain James Hook. But her brothers aren’t Wendy’s only enraptured listeners. One evening, Wendy’s aunt informs her and her parents that Wendy is ready to be trained in the ways of womanhood. She must spend less time playing and imagining with her brothers, move out of the nursery and into a room of her own, and begin learning to be a lady. On her last night in the nursery, Wendy awakens to the soft crying of a boy, sitting on the floor beside her bed. She sweetly asks him why he is crying. Soon, Wendy learns that the boy’s name is Peter Pan and that he is from Neverland. He also admits that he is crying because he can’t get his shadow to stick, so she sews it onto his feet for him. Later, Peter (played by Jeremy Sumpter) reveals that he comes in the evenings to listen to her tell stories. He asks her to come back to Neverland with him so that she can tell more stories to him and the Lost Boys. She asks if she can bring her brothers along, and Peter agrees. With the help of a little fairy dust and lots of happy thoughts, the Darling children and Peter fly away to Neverland, where Wendy, John, and Michael are caught up in the exciting conflict between the wonderful Peter Pan and the absolutely evil Captain Hook. After several adventures, Wendy realizes that she is forgetting more and more about her parents every hour that goes by. She now must decide if she will stay with Peter, who can only give her the friendship of a boy, or return home to her parents, who love her dearly, before they forget her as she has nearly forgotten them. Will she stay with Peter in the land where she will never grow up, or will she return to a place where becoming a woman is inevitable?

Peter Pan, although a fun family movie, certainly earns its PG rating. This movie involves some frightening elements, including very ugly and creepy pirates throughout and a scene involving evil mermaids. Although ugliness and creepiness is what you can expect from pirates, these mermaids aren’t your average sweet, fish-like ladies. In fact, these disturbing mutant-looking beings, with their fish teeth and webbed hands, reminded me more of The Pirates of the Caribbean mermaids than Disney mermaids. One of the creatures even tries to drown another character. Even I found the mermaids, and some of the pirates, to be creepy and disturbing – and I am sure young children would agree with me. Another scary part is the scene in the Black Castle. Frightening carvings line the walls of the castle, and skeletons are chained to rocks inside the castle. In addition, Hook’s pirates gag three of the children characters and leave them dangling from a rock in the Black Castle, where they are supposed to drown when the tide rises. At random times throughout the movie, the evil Captain Hook frequently kills members of his crew for irritating him. I found these killings to be unnecessary, especially for a PG film, and slightly disturbing, although they did serve to display Hook’s vile nature. Some other scary parts of the movie included the fight scenes between the Lost Boys and the pirates (particularly the duels between Peter Pan and Hook), the deaths of a couple fairies, a quick image of Hook’s handless arm without the hook, and a red-eyed, Hook-hungry crocodile. Because of the numerous scary parts of this movie, I would not recommend this film to children under the age of ten or to older, more sensitive children. 

In addition to the scary parts of the movie, Peter Pan also involved a bit of (clean) romance between some of the child characters. In one of the scenes, Princess Tiger Lily accidentally catches John and Michael in one of her traps. As they hang upside down in the air, their nightshirts flip down over their heads, uncovering their bare bodies, but the screen only shows their backsides. Later, Tiger Lily kisses John in thanks for saving her and Michael from a pirate. The major romance, however, is between Peter Pan and Wendy. At the beginning of the story, Wendy’s aunt tells the young girl and her parents that Wendy has “a woman’s chin” with a “hidden kiss” on her lips, even though Wendy is not even thirteen. Wendy’s father even urges his daughter to “grow up.” On top of these promptings from her elders, Wendy wakes up one night to see a boy, who can apparently fly, hovering over her bed. The boy immediately flies away when he realizes Wendy is awake. Later, Wendy’s teacher at school catches her drawing a picture of herself in bed with the strange boy flying above her. The boy returns the next night, introducing himself as Peter Pan. Wendy appears quite spellbound by the dashing boy and tries twice to give him a kiss, but fails. When Wendy and her brothers arrive in Neverland with Peter, the Lost Boys, who call Peter their father, ask Wendy to be their mother. Although the situation sounds awkward, it turns out to be more like children playing house than anything. However, the “crush” between Wendy and Peter continues throughout the rest of the movie. In the end, all they do is share one kiss. The romance, therefore, is kept clean, although I found it to be rather sad that the relationship between Wendy and Peter was forced to exceed a simple, healthy friendship. 

To adult viewers, the relationship between Wendy and Peter can serve as a reminder that children should be allowed to be children. After all, being a child is a big part of the process of growing up, and forced maturity is as damaging to a child as pulling the petals of a rose apart is to a flower. Wendy suffered from a lot of distraction and heartbreak because her aunt introduced her to a part of growing up that she was not ready for. Her attention toward feelings of love even slightly marred her relationship with Peter. While the Bible does encourage believers to be spiritually mature (Hebrews 5:12-14 and 1 Corinthians 13:11-12), Jesus also encouraged believers to assume the faith and innocence of a little child (Matthew 11:25, 18:3-6, and 19:14). Overall, I think Peter Pan effectively reminds audiences of the need for kids to be kids as long as necessary. The film can also spark some valuable conversations between parents and adolescents about growing up and handling crushes.

Another valuable lesson that this movie can teach viewers is that everyone needs love – even mischievous, twelve-year-old boys who never want to grow up and always want to have fun. Peter Pan probably looked to Wendy for affection because he did not have a mother and father of his own to love him. Similarly, Wendy may have looked to Peter for love because of her slightly dissatisfying relationship with her father. At the climax of the movie, I believe it was good of Wendy to show Peter that she cared about him even though she didn’t agree with all of his decisions, but the kind of love that Peter really needed was the love of a mother and father. 

Besides being appropriate material for family discussion, Peter Pan’s engaging storyline, fairy-tale feel, exciting conflict between good and evil, and absence of foul language makes it a fairly decent family movie. However, because of the violence, creepy scenes, and undercurrent of romance, I advise parents to be wary of letting younger and more sensitive children see this movie. No matter what the age of the child is, though, parents should be sure to discuss this movie as a family. Overall, I do suggest Peter Pan as a decent family flick, but I would not rank it as high as some more wholesome fantasy movies such as Nanny McPhee, Nanny McPhee Returns, or the Narnia films.

Chronicles of Avonlea

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Appropriate for: Ages 10+

Genre: Canadian Literature

Length: 192 pages

Year of Publication: 1912

Chronicles of Avonlea is a collection of short stories by Lucy Maud Montgomery set in the beloved town of Avonlea and the towns surrounding it. Avonlea is the home of Anne Shirley, and, although Anne only plays a small part in these stories, the Anne-ish tendency toward scrapes is still dominant in many of the characters. As you will discover in this book, Anne is not the only human being in Avonlea with an exciting life. Written in the ever-brilliant and engaging voice of Montgomery, these stories cover everything from marriages to elopements, from auctioned babies to dying wishes. Some of the stories are toned with a sweet sadness, while others are hilariously and ridiculously funny. Yet, despite the various tones of these twelve short stories, all of them have satisfying endings and are filled with innumerable life lessons. 

My favorite stories from Chronicles of Avonlea were “Old Lady Lloyd,” “The Winning of Lucinda,” “Quarantine at Alexander Abraham’s,” and “The Courting of Prissy Strong.” In “Old Lady Lloyd,” Miss Lloyd discovers that the daughter of her former beau is residing in her neighbor’s house for the summer. Out of a desire to help the young lady, the old woman sends secret gifts and performs random acts of kindness for her unsuspecting beneficiary. “The Winning of Lucinda” recounts the resolution of a dispute between Lucinda and her former beau, Romney. The resolution is slow in coming, however, because Lucinda has sworn never to speak to Romney again. Lucinda’s tongue is finally loosened by a fall into a creek. In “Quarantine at Alexander Abraham’s,” Angelina Peter MacPherson, a firm man-and-dog-hater, is quarantined at the smallpox-infected house of Alexander Abraham Bennet, a dog-loving misogynist, as a result of accidentally entering his house while calling on church business. The outcome is all but disastrous. “The Courting of Prissy Strong” tells the tale of timid Prissy Strong, her possessive sister, Emmeline, and Prissy’s anxious beau, Stephen Clark. Although forbidden by Emmeline from ever approaching Prissy again, Stephen Clark is anxious to find a way for him and Prissy to marry without the knowledge of the fierce Emmeline. In the end, Anne Shirley, a closet window, and a step ladder save the day. 

As a collection of short stories, each chapter of Chronicles of Avonlea has different characters, a different plot, and a slightly different setting from all of the others. Therefore, the book can be somewhat boring if you are in search of an epic novel. But, if you are aware that Chronicles of Avonlea is a collection of short stories when you begin, you will not be disappointed with what you find. This book has very little objectionable content. However, there are a couple misuses of the Lord’s name, many of the stories deal with romance, there is a reference to drinking, and some of the antagonists are openly anti-Christian. Good always prevails in these stories, though, and Montgomery keeps the romance very clean. In the stories that deal with religious topics, Montgomery communicates and supports the biblical worldview accurately and thoroughly. A minister even shares the Gospel message with another character in one of the stories. Another item to be aware of is that some of the women characters in Chronicles of Avonlea have a very low view of men in general. At the end of the stories, however, many of these women learn that they cannot go on without the men and, frequently, end marrying one. 

Montgomery’s work contains many valuable lessons about various topics – including self-sacrifice, true love, God-given talents, and resolving disputes. In addition, Chronicles of Avonlea is entertaining, humorous, and an easy read. Because the large number of stories involving romance, however, I suggest that only children ten and up should read this by themselves. Nevertheless, I would highly recommend this book to families with young or old children looking for a good read-aloud. Montgomery is sure to satisfy the desires of every “kindred spirit” with these twelve excellent short stories.

Tangled

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

MPAA Rating: PG for brief mild violence

Appropriate for: All Ages

Genre: Animated Fairytale Musical

Length: 92 min

Year of Release: 2010

(Family discussion questions for this movie can be found at http://christianperspectivereviews.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_3851.html)

Tangled is a lighthearted and adventurous Disney adaptation of the classic German fairy-tale about the long-haired blonde, Rapunzel. The story begins when the pregnant queen of a happy, thriving kingdom is healed from a deadly sickness with a magic flower. Soon, a healthy, blonde baby girl is born to the king and queen, and they celebrate her birth by releasing a floating lantern into the sky. However, the golden hair of baby Rapunzel appears to have acquired the magic qualities of the golden flower that saved her mother. Hoping to use the princess’ magic hair to keep herself young forever, an old, selfish woman named Gothel kidnaps the baby princess and locks her in a lonely tower, far from the kingdom. The king and his men search far and wide for the beloved princess, but their search is futile. Clinging to hope, however, the king and queen release hundreds of floating lanterns into the night sky every year on the Rapunzel’s birthday in hopes that she will one day return. Rapunzel (the voice of Mandy Moore), forbidden by her “mother” Gothel from leaving the tower, sees the lanterns through the windows of the tower every year, and every year her desire to see them up close increases, even though she does not know their meaning. On her eighteenth birthday, Rapunzel gathers up the courage to ask Gothel if she can go to see the floating lanterns. Gothel refuses, explaining that Rapunzel is not ready to face the challenges and evil people in the world outside of the tower. But when an unsuspecting thief, running from the palace soldiers, tumbles through the window of the tower, Rapunzel has her chance to live her dream and prove to Gothel that she is strong enough to handle the world. 

The first and most prominent objection to the movie is that the whole movie rotates around a girl’s disobedience to the authority in her life. Along with this element of disobedience comes a discussion of rebellion between Rapunzel and the thief, Flynn Ryder. Right after disregarding Gothel’s orders by leaving the tower, Rapunzel experiences a see-saw of emotions concerning her choice. One moment, she is overflowing with joy because she is finally free, and the next moment, she is despondent and tells herself she is a “despicable human being” for disobeying her “mother.” Noticing the battle Rapunzel is carrying on with herself, Flynn, who Rapunzel bribed into chaperoning her to see the floating lanterns, decides to give her some advice about growing up. He basically tells her that it is healthy for every teenager to rebel against his or her parents at some point. Although this is exactly opposite from the Christian view of rebellion, viewers must note two things before totally bagging this movie. First, Gothel is not really Rapunzel’s Mother. The rules she gives to Rapunzel are not given out of love for Rapunzel, but out of a selfish desire to keep anyone from taking her source of youth and beauty. Second, Flynn gives this advice to Rapunzel in an attempt to make her feel guilty so that she will return to her tower and let him out of their bargain. However, this objection is still very present and very prominent in the movie, especially since Flynn never takes back what he said about rebellion. As a result, I would not watch this movie without discussing the biblical view of a child’s relationship with his or her parents with the younger members of the audience.

With the major objection aside, there are only a few more things to be aware of regarding this movie. The movie involves some violence, including sword fights, fist fights, people being hit on the head with frying pans, and one stabbing. However, this is an animated movie, and there is virtually no blood and certainly no gore involved in the fights. There are also a few suspenseful parts of the movie that may be scary for young children, but the individual scenes of suspense are no worse than what you would find in The Lion King, for example. Additionally, Gothel and some of the ruffians and thugs are rather scary at times, and an underlying thread of magic is deftly woven into the fabric of the movie. However, the magic is only to be expected in a fairytale, we soon discover that the ruffians and thugs are not people to fear, and the evil Gothel is ultimately given what she deserves. 

While keeping in mind the previous objections, there are still many beautiful and valuable elements to this movie. The soundtrack and music are lovely, the animation is impressive, the ending is satisfying, and, overall, the movie is as fun and lighthearted as you could hope for. More significant, however, are the lessons that the movie offers to its viewers. The movie has some wonderful elements that enforce self-sacrifice and friendship and other elements that could potentially spark valuable discussions regarding growing up and obeying parents. Tangled also reminds Christian viewers that God’s plans for us are often even bigger and even better than our greatest dreams. Finally, to you audiences who enjoy government and politics, the main plot of Tangled can be analyzed as a poignant political allegory that has some interesting things to say about governments with too much power.

Overall, I found this movie to be very appropriate for a PG audience, unlike many PG movies, and would readily recommend it to viewers of all ages (allowing for the discretion of parents, of course). Not only is this movie fun and lighthearted, but it is also a great discussion starter for some very important topics. Tangled is a family movie worth seeing.

(For more of my thoughts on this movie see my blog posts Tangled, and A Government Like Mother Gothel.)

Rilla of Ingleside

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Appropriate for: Ages 13+

Genre: Canadian Novel

Length: 277 pages

Year of Publication: 1921

The year is 1914 and Anne Shirley is Anne of Green Gables no longer. Anne is now married to her childhood chum, Gilbert Blythe, and now lives in Glen St. Mary, sixty miles away from her childhood home in Avonlea. In fact, Anne has been a Blythe for over two decades, and Gilbert and Anne now have six children. These children are children no longer, but are all virtually adults – that is, except for fourteen-year-old Bertha Marilla, the youngest Blythe, who is the unlikely heroine of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s final installment of the Anne of Green Gables series. Bertha Marilla, called Rilla by her friends – and enemies – is but a child, despite her desire to dress like a lady and go to parties. Rilla, unlike the rest of the Blythe children, does not wish to go to college and possesses no aspirations concerning a career. She would rather live her life as a “lily of the field.” Thus far, she is off to a good start, for, while adored by her family and friends, Rilla is slightly vain, a little dramatic, somewhat selfish, a bit lazy, and unmistakably beautiful. However, when foreign conflicts drag Canada into World War One, Rilla’s life takes an unexpected turn. She is forced to discard her own vain, selfish drama as she watches her brothers and childhood playmates go off to join the uncertain fate of the Allied army in Europe. Longing to aid the cause of her country even though she is unable to join her brothers and friends in the war, Rilla fights her own battles at home at Ingleside and takes up tasks that she once despised. She organizes the Junior Red Cross in Glen St. Mary, “adopts” an orphaned baby, learns to bake, and even takes up knitting and sewing for the cause of those most affected by the war. Through her escapades, trials, and heartbreak during the painful years of the war, Rilla matures into a true woman. And, as she discovers, being a true woman is much more than attending parties and wearing long dresses. 

Rilla of Ingleside, the eighth and final book of the Anne of Green Gables series, does not have many prominent faults, but there are a few to mention. Probably the biggest fault of Rilla of Ingleside is the very problem that haunts all of Montgomery’s Anne novels: A lack of plot and intrigue. If you’re used to fast-paced thriller novels, this might be a tough read for you. Each chapter has its own sub-plot and only a few, but very prominent, plots or themes are threaded throughout the entire book. As a result, the read can become monotonous at some points, but I love it because it is so Montgomeryish – it is adds to L. M. Montgomery’s signature voice that includes so many styles of writing, including wit, humor, solemnity, and romance. 

In addition to the slow-moving plot, Rilla of Ingleside contains several statements that reflect non-Biblical worldviews. I have a difficult time discerning exactly what these worldviews are and whether Montgomery includes these statements to create diversity in her characters or if some of the statements are true reflections of her worldview. However, the pantheistic statements, for example, that elevate nature to the status of a god, are often just a part of Montgomery’s regular use of figures of speech such as personification and pathetic fallacy. Other examples can also be explained away, but they can still make the Christian reader a little uncomfortable. The novel also includes a couple cases where a character uses the Lord’s name in vain. However, foul language is not used with extreme flippancy as it is in some contemporary movies and is openly discouraged in the book by some of the characters. The final fault of the novel is the discussion of events in the war. Although Montgomery does not include any overly graphic descriptions of the horrors of WWI, the dreadful acts done during the war are frequently mentioned and may be disturbing to younger children. As a result, I believe this novel is most appropriate for teens and adults. These faults, however, are not sufficient to keep any teenager or adult from reading this beautiful, hilarious, heartbreaking work. 

Although Montgomery’s novel is not perfect, the positive aspects of her work certainly outweigh the objections. First, unlike her mother – the angelic, imaginative Anne of Green Gables – Rilla of Ingleside is a very human girl with very human faults. In fact, many of her quirks often remind me of my own oddities. As a result, Rilla is very easy to relate to, and her maturation throughout the book is a great encouragement to all of her very human audiences. Second, as someone who does not know much about the early 20^th century, I have found Rilla of Ingleside to be somewhat educational. Not only does Montgomery mention major events of WWI, but she also reveals to 21^st century readers what it was like to be a family working and waiting at home as brothers, sons, and friends fought in the “War to end all wars.” Overall, Montgomery’s book is brilliant. In addition to her consistently witty, humorous, and romantic style of writing, Montgomery implements a touch of sadness and hardship not fully explored in her other Anne books. In this way, she gives an entirely new depth to her Anne of Green Gables series and her beloved characters. I highly suggest that you add Rilla of Ingleside to your reading list!

Soul Surfer

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

MPAA Rating: PG for an intense accident sequence and some thematic material.

Appropriate for: Girls ages 10+

Genre: Biography Sports Drama

Length: 100 minutes

Year of Release: 2011

Soul Surfer is the true and touching story of a teenaged blonde, Bethany Hamilton, who lives in Hawaii with her Christian parents and two older brothers. As a toddler, Bethany was taught to surf by her parents, and, as children, she and her best friend Alana spent more time wet than they did dry. Now a teenager, Bethany’s true passion is surfing, and not only does she love it, but she is really good at it too. She believes she was born to surf. But when Bethany becomes the victim of a shark attack and loses her left arm in the process, she begins to wonder how this could be a part of God’s plan for her. Over the next few months, Bethany discovers the value of perseverance and the importance of trusting that God works out everything “for the good of those who love him,” even though her trials may not make sense at the time.

Now, before I get into all of the things that I loved about this movie, I can’t, in all honesty, avoid the one big problem this movie has: bikinis. While it might be expected in a movie about a teenage girl living in Hawaii, I must say that this movie has way too many shots involving underdressed girls, both young and old. Because of this reason, and this reason only, I do NOT recommend this movie for boys. However, this is a healthy movie for girls – a perfect mother-daughter flick and a great movie for a girls’ slumber party – but it is the wrong movie for men and boys to watch. 

Other than this issue, I found very little to criticize about this movie and bucket loads to praise. This is one of those rare and valuable movies that dare to even mention a Christian faith in God, and it is refreshing to see a “Christian” movie acted, directed, and produced so professionally. While some of the acting in a couple of the minor roles could have been improved, AnnaSophia Robb (as Bethany Hamilton) and the supporting lead actors give an excellent performance and portray their characters with great effectiveness. 

There are some very powerful messages in this movie that really touch my heart as a viewer, especially since this movie is based on a true story. Some of the lessons I was able to glean from this movie included the importance of perseverance, trusting in God’s ultimate plan, and having joy in the midst of sorrow. The part of this movie that touches me the most is the amount of trust in God and the overwhelming joy that this young girl has even though she lost so much. 

It is also cool to see how Bethany comes to realize that God put her in the position she was in so that she could reach out to people that she would never have been able to reach before. By the end of the movie, Bethany realizes that the loss of her arm has given her the opportunity to share God’s love and greatness with more people than she possibly could have reached if she had never lost her arm. “I've had the chance to embrace more people with one arm than I ever could with two.”

Besides the bikini problem, the shark attack scene can be a little scary and there is a lot of blood involved, but nothing extremely gory is shown. Because of this, though, I would not recommend this movie for kids ten and under. There is also a part in the movie where Bethany goes to a night surfing party with her friend Alana without her mom or dad’s permission. Although her mother ends up finding out and talks to her daughter about it, I don’t recall Bethany ever getting any sort of punishment for her actions. Overall, however, Bethany’s relationship with her parents is very healthy, which is quite refreshing after so many movies where being friends with your parents is seen as weird or childish. 

To wrap this up, I would like to stress that this is a wonderful and inspiring movie for girls, but definitely out of the question for boys who truly desire to follow Christ with their heart, soul, mind, and strength. To all those mothers out there, I highly suggest renting or buying this movie and watching it with your girls. There are some very powerful messages in there that can not be portrayed so well in any other way.

At the Back of the North Wind

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Appropriate for: All ages

Genre: Children’s Novel

Length: 342 pages

Year of Publication: 1871

George MacDonald’s Victorian children’s novel, At the Back of the North Wind, is set in Victorian London and is about a sweet young boy named Diamond, the son of a poor coachman and a loving, sensitive mother – both of whom care for him very much. Although Diamond and his family are very good and honest people, their lives are filled with hardship and disappointment, sickness and hunger. 

At the beginning of the story, Diamond has his first encounter with the North Wind, a mysterious yet kind “spirit” in the form of a beautiful lady with long, flowing, black hair. Throughout the book, North Wind brings Diamond along with her on several adventures, during which she generally performs good deeds and helps people. But she also performs some terrible tasks – one of which culminates in the sinking of a ship. Although such deeds seem appalling at first sight, giving the reader a sense of uncertainty regarding the integrity of the character called “North Wind,” the reader soon discovers that even the awful things that North Wind does, such as the sinking of the ship, always lead to something good in the end. 

During the entirety of the book, Diamond does many things to help others – even those who are not very kind to him. His kind actions and words are a good example to those around him and make him a favorite among nearly everyone he meets. But, sadly, the young boy struggles quite a bit with poor health. At one point when he is very sick, Diamond is again visited by the North Wind, who takes him on a journey to a beautiful land “at her back,” where he seems to stay for years and years, when in fact he is there for only a week. This land is a country without pain or death – a place filled with pleasant songs and lit, not by the sun, but by a "still, rayless light." After seven days in this country, Diamond returns to his home – but, throughout the rest of the story, he longs to return to the country at the back of the North Wind. It turns out, though, that the place he visited was only a shadow of the real country at the North Wind’s back. At the very end of the book, Diamond dies and the narrator communicates to the readers that Diamond is finally at the real country at the back of the North Wind. A place void of the kind of suffering and hardships he experienced during his life on earth.

This children’s book contains many valuable lessons about serving others, unconditional love, and not being afraid. It also touches on several deep theological issues, such as how God uses even bad things to fulfill His good will. However, because this book was written in the 19^th century, it is somewhat lacking in plot and structure. This is the type of book that was meant for parents to read to their children a chapter at a time as they put them to sleep, so it is completely lacking in cliffhangers, and there isn’t very much conflict in the story at all. I guess it could be described as a bunch of stories, mostly about Diamond, within a story. A lot of these stories are pretty good, but one rather long fairy-tale called Little Daylight that is told by one of the characters is definitely my favorite part of the book. 

There are a couple of things to be aware of about this book. I think it is prudent to mention that there is a part in this book where Diamond’s drunken neighbor is said to have beaten his wife. Another part of the story follows Diamond as he goes into a rough part of town where he runs into some people who try to steal his jacket. The only other thing to be aware of about this book is that some of the material regarding North Wind can, at times, be a little scary for young children. But, it is good for readers to be aware of the fact that, although North Wind does some seemingly bad things, they ultimately turn out for the best. Also, it is helpful to be reminded that the death of Diamond at the end of the book is not sad, but happy, because Diamond is able to reach his true home at the back of the North Wind. 

Although slow moving and a little strange at parts, this book is very good, wholesome, and appropriate for all ages – kids and adults alike. So, I give this 19^th century children’s novel 4 out of 5 stars. Even if you are an adult, I hope you take the time to read and analyze this book for yourself some day. It is complete with many very cute stories – but also chock-full of interesting theological topics.

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!”