“Bonhoeffer” tells the story of the famed pacifistic Lutheran pastor who, after soul-searching, participated in a plot to assassinate Hitler. Families and fans alike want to know: Does the beloved magical musical “Wicked” make a good transition from stage to screen? It’s been 24 years since director Ridley Scott last visited the Roman Colosseum. But “Gladiator II” proves not much has changed.
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Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin. – In Theaters
“When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”
So writes Dietrich Bonhoeffer in “The Cost of Discipleship.”
The Lutheran pastor lived in a time that made him acutely aware of the cost of faith. To be a Christian is to make yourself an enemy of the world. And Bonhoeffer’s enemies, true to Christ’s promise, hated him as they hated Christ.
During World War II, battlefields were littered with rubble and bullet-filled bodies. And in Nazi Germany, faithful Christians faced a mental battlefield, too: how to respond to their nation, which so zealously abandoned its faith in order to follow a wicked man who commanded others to follow him into wickedness.
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Many before Bonhoeffer’s time have been quoted as saying, “Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God.” But there was a bigger question wrestling in Bonhoeffer’s mind: Does that resistance extend all the way to assassinating a wicked tyrant?
Throughout all of history, Christians have answered that question in different ways. And in “Bonhoeffer,” we see this pacifistic pastor eventually conclude, Yes, it does.
“Bonhoeffer” depicts many major events in the man’s life: from his studies in America which so shaped his faith, to the events in Germany which slowly pushed him to work to take Hitler down.
Other than Bonhoeffer’s view on cheap versus costly grace (and the aforementioned struggle regarding Christian pacifism), we don’t see too much of Bonhoeffer’s theological ideas. Instead, “Bonhoeffer” spends most of its time showcasing just what the pastor means when he talks about faith that motivates us into action — and one that may ultimately require us to lay down our lives.
Read the rest of the review here. Watch the trailer here.
Wicked: Part 1 – In Theaters
From the moment “Wicked” first hit the stage in 2003, audiences were enchantified by its emerald sparkle. And there were many reasons why. This show’s Stephen Schwartz-penned tunes are nothing short of magical; its “Wizard of Oz” backstory is fun and immersive; and the tale’s encouragement to show others respect, compassion, and affection is emotionally moving.
(OK, I’m admittedly a fan.)
So, the biggest question I had with this cinematic version of the musical was whether or not the film’s creators messed the whole thing up.
I wondered if they would pack it with junk that didn’t need to be there. Would they reshape the story, change its intent, or maybe turn a cold shoulder to families? Did they, you know, do all the stuff that modern Hollywood has been doing as of late?
And let’s face it, those questions are justified since this movie, representing the first half of the musical, is 2 hours and 40 minutes long while the entire runtime of the stage musical was 2:45. (“Part 2” is scheduled for release in 2025.)
Thankfully, however, I can report that the moviemakers have kept things pretty faithful, despite the extra screen time pad. Yes, there are a few light story shifts and extended scenes, but it all maintains a close fidelity to the original musical’s book.
Oh, and the newly casted Elphaba and Glinda — Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande — do a very nice job of embodying their characters. They might not quite live up to the chemistry of Broadway originals Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth — who show up for a sweet little cameo — but they’re very good.
The biggest drawback from a family viewing perspective is an implied affair between Elphaba’s mom and a stranger. A guy is characterized in an effeminate way. And, of course, we have some fantasy spellcasting and magicking, and a bit of jump-from-a-tower-top-while-soldiers-swing-swords peril.
If your family members can tap dance their way by those bits, though, they’ll leave the theater humming some incredible show tunes and mulling over the show’s very real-world lessons and encouragements … and impatiently looking up the release date for “Part 2.”
Read the rest of the review here. Watch the trailer here.
Gladiator II – In Theaters
“Are you not entertained?!”
So bellowed Maximus in the original “Gladiator” — Ridley Scott’s Oscar-winning campaign through ancient Rome. Maximus was calling out the Colosseum’s blood-hungry fans, so eager for spectacle, so happy to see intestines spilled and limbs fly.
Even then, surely Scott himself was aware of the paradox. Even as Maximus tried to shame Romans into turning away from all that blood, Scott encouraged moviegoers to see it. Yes, the movie was beautifully and at times brilliantly filmed. “Gladiator” was a grade-A action flick. But make no mistake, its appeal was, and is, not all that far removed from those spectacles in the Colosseum. No one died in “Gladiator’s” making that I’m aware. But all that fake blood drew real fans — and many watched again and again.
And now, with “Gladiator II,” we return to the Colosseum, where Scott — like the emperors of old — promises more spectacle. More action. And, of course, more blood. Even as Hanno and Marcus grieve and sigh over the death and bloodshed they unleash, those who will flock to see this movie come to see that blood spew and spatter, to see those bodies fall. Sometimes, that’s the main reason they go. Without that gruesome spectacle, “Gladiator II” would be just a historically inaccurate swords-and-sandals drama. And who’s going to pay 15 bucks for that?
Those who don’t come for the blood might stick around for Denzel Washington, who plays the ever-so-oily Macrinus here. While the rest of the characters look at Rome as an empire-gone wrong or a promise-that-never-was, Macrinus stares at it with clear-eyed cynicism. He points to the Colosseum, saying that it is, in fact, the finest temple Rome ever built. Why? Because the mammoth civic structure represents what Rome truly worships: power. Let’s not kid ourselves, Macrinus seems to say during the movie’s twists and turns. Let’s see Rome — let’s see us — for what and who we really are.
“Gladiator II” has its merits. Washington is riveting, and the other performances are strong. The action can be, indeed, spectacular. And for a history wonk like me, to watch Rome come alive like this, even on what amounts to some sort of weird alternate timeline, is a bit breathtaking.
But I have a feeling that Macrinus, if he had a chance to watch the film, would see through its lavish sets and CGI spectacle and its hopes for Oscars. He’d see that the real appeal of “Gladiator II” isn’t in its art, but something more basic. More brutal. More bloody.
Are we not entertained?
Read the rest of the review here. Watch the trailer here.
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Plugged In is a Focus on the Family publication designed to shine a light on the world of popular entertainment while giving families the essential tools they need to understand, navigate, and impact the culture in which they live. Through our reviews, articles and discussions, we hope to spark intellectual thought, spiritual growth and a desire to follow the command of Colossians 2:8: “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.”
Reviews written by Paul Asay, Bob Hoose, and Kennedy Unthank.
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