Okay, so movies are a little expensive, and sometimes you just can’t afford to have all the titles you want. But here are 10 movies that are worth having in your collection for you to watch time and time again. Each of these movies has something profound to teach you about life, humanity, God or all three.
[BRAVEHEART]
Set in 14
th
century Scotland, Braveheart is a movie about William Wallace, a brave Scotsman who decides to overthrow the oppressive English, ruled by Edward the Longshanks, and lead his country to independence. The main theme of Braveheart is belief. Wallace believes so strongly in freedom that he is willing to spend the rest of his life fighting for it. Despite overwhelming hardships, such as being betrayed by Sir Robert the Bruce, the leading contender for the Scottish crown, Wallace continues to take courage and fight on, and he encourages his men to do the same. Christians could learn a lot from William Wallace’s belief and determination. If we saw living for Christ as William Wallace saw fighting for freedom, we would be unstoppable in spreading the Gospel around the world.
[THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION]
The Shawshank Redemption takes place in Oregon during the 20
th
century. Andy Dufrane, a bank vice president, is wrongfully sent to prison for murdering his wife and her lover. While in prison, Andy becomes best friends with a man named Red who is “the man who can get things.” Red and Andy share the prison experience with one another and help each other through their hardships. Andy becomes popular with the warden and prison guards when it is discovered that he can help prison officials with their taxes and other banking paperwork. The prison warden decides to take advantage of that and has Andy help him embezzle money. The theme of The Shawshank Redemption is friendship. It is only through their friendship with one another that Red and Andy make it through their sentence and life on the outside world.
[HIGH FIDELITY]
High Fidelity, a wonderful movie co-written by and starring John Cusack, is about a record store owner in search of answers. A person who watches this movie may be shocked at the beginning and may fail to see the redeeming value in watching it. Cusack’s character has just been dumped by his girlfriend, Laura, but he wants her to know that it doesn’t matter much to him. Throughout the movie, he tries to fill the void by taking advantage of other women and reliving his past relationships, but finds that it leaves him unfulfilled. He discovers at the end that life isn’t all about living a fantasy; the fantasy will only let you down. He commits to Laura and asks her to marry him. High Fidelity, although it may not appear so at first, is one of the most moral movies ever put out by Hollywood. It is a great example of how God is moving even in the hearts of non-believers.
[THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO]
The Count of Monte Cristo is one of the most blatantly Christian movies to ever come to theaters. Young Edmond Dantes is betrayed by his best friend and wrongfully sent to the Chateau D’If prison for treason. Dantes believes God will save him and bring him justice, but after several years of painful whippings and sleeping on a stone floor, Dantes gives up his belief in God and becomes filled with thoughts of vengeance. While in prison, Dantes meets a priest who educates him and tells him of a secret treasure buried on the island of Monte Cristo. Dantes escapes prison bent on revenge. In the process of plotting his revenge, Dantes realizes that he has a family that loves him, and decides to use his energy for serving God rather than revenge. The Count of Monte Cristo is an amazing movie that illustrates how to have complete faith in God. Dantes realizes God never gave up on him, even though he gave up on God.
[THE MATRIX]
Neo, a highly skilled computer hacker, has his world completely changed when he meets up with Morpheus, the leader of a special group of “freed minds.” Morpheus takes Neo out of the world as he knows it and explains to him that machines have been using humans as an energy source, and the world as he knows is simply a computer program used to blind him to the true world where he is merely a battery. The Matrix challenges people to use their minds to think about what it is that they believe and why. God gave us a mind, and we should use it to know why it is that we profess there to be a God, and why Jesus is His Son. We should use our minds to fine tune what it is we believe and search for truth just as Neo did in The Matrix, and just like Morpheus, if we search for truth, God will help us find it.
[SAVING PRIVATE RYAN]
More people died in World War II than in any other conflict in the history of the world. Saving Private Ryan takes place during World War II in France. Captain Miller and his squadron are sent to find Private James Ryan to send him home since all three of his brothers were killed in combat. The journey to bring Private Ryan home takes devastating tolls, and Captain Miller and most of his squadron lose their lives in combat. Saving Private Ryan is movie about appreciating sacrifice. As he is dying, Captain Miller encourages Private Ryan to live his life well. In the same way, Christ sacrificed Himself, and we receive His grace undeserving. Christ also challenges us to live well and to remember His great sacrifice on the cross.
[FORREST GUMP]
Forrest Gump takes place in the 1960s, and it tells the story of a man whose intelligence is significantly below normal. Forrest Gump, born and raised in the American South, overcomes his handicap and has a life booming with success. He graduates college, wins the Congressional Medal of Honor in Vietnam, meets the President twice, becomes a millionaire and finally marries the love of his life, Jenny. Forrest Gump shows that God has wonderfully made every person, and even those who are ordinary, or even less than ordinary, can achieve great things.
[BIG FISH]
Big Fish, director Tim Burton’s most recent film, is about the far-fetched stories of Edward Bloom. Edward Bloom’s son has heard his father’s stories his whole life and is sick of them and wants to know who his father really is. Edward Bloom’s life is told through his tall tales in a very colorful and imaginative way. For instance, Bloom tells a story about the day his son was born when a giant catfish jumped out of a lake and stole his wedding ring. When Bloom demanded it back, the catfish spit it back to him. Big Fish teaches us to seek out what is important in life, and not to get caught up in things that don’t matter. Americans especially have a tendency to struggle with this since we live on a tight, fast-paced schedule, and we often overlook the needs of the people around us.
[LUTHER]
Luther, a movie about Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation, is one of the most important movies for Christians to see. Martin Luther questioned some of the practices of the Holy Church and one day posted his thoughts on the castle door in Wittenburg. The ensuing result of Luther’s challenge to the Church’s practices, called the Protestant Reformation, would forever change the face of Christianity. Although Luther never intended to start a rebellion against the Church, he did stand firm in his beliefs and stood up against the corruption he saw going on in the Church. Luther was aware and ready, and he was not willing to just accept things at face value because the Church told him it was true. Luther stood up for what was right, according to Scripture, and he boldly attempted to change the practices of the Church so it would be pleasing to God.
[THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST]
Now one of the highest grossing films of all time, The Passion of the Christ simply tells the story of the last 12 hours of Jesus’ life, from the Garden of Gethsemane to the cross to the resurrection. The Passion of the Christ has truly shown the world the power of Jesus and how profound even a part of His story is. People have seen the movie and gone home and read the Gospels. The movie has brought people’s attention to the most important person it possibly could, Jesus Christ Himself.
All of these movies have such a profound impact that every one of them is worth having in your collection to watch again and again. So, if you’re interested in purchasing some movies to buff up your collection, these titles are worth adding.
