What Are Some Weird, Unintended Spiritual Implications Behind Hollywood Movie Plots?

Submitted by Rowan-Trees t3_ychtvp in movies

A lot of movies use supernatural/spiritual elements for their worldbuilding. What are some instances that would actually cause some serious theological issues that nobody really stops to think about?

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For example:

  • Indiana Jones repeatedly uncovers irrefutable, empirical evidence for the existence of God, ancient deities and extra-terrestrials, yet nobody seems to bat an eye. Seems like those are way more significant to the historical record than any museum artifacts. "Got the Ark of the Covenant for you. Oh, and the Judeo-Christian God is real. He melts Nazis."
  • The Pope in the MCU is left in a pretty awkward position. There are literal pagan gods and aliens battling in the sky for the fate of humanity, yet God is AFK? If Jesus is real, where was he during Endgame? How would the Pope [or any Christian, really] explain that?
  • In Nightmare on Elm Street 3, they kill Freddie Krueger with a crucifix and holy water, which implies that God apparently exists in the Elms Street/Jason Universe (???), and that Christianity and the Bible are real. Why else would a crucifix have supernatural powers that cast out evil?
  • How does Han Solo not believe in the Force in A New Hope? He calls the Jedi a "hokey religion." But he lived through the Clone Wars and Order 66. Jedi were still a living memory. He even met some. His skepticism in the face of historical facts kind of veers towards QAnon "Truther" at that point. Does he think the Jedi Council was fake news?
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Comments

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MisterFuller22 t1_itm8f0k wrote

It would have been interesting to see Jesus himself chilling in Omnipotence City in Thor: Love and Thunder alongside all the other deities.

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WhyWorryAboutThat t1_itmzd7n wrote

It bothers me in Suicide Squad that no one has any questions when Rick says Katana's sword steals souls. And it really bothers me that it doesn't make it any better to fight with than a regular sword.

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NoHandBananaNo t1_itmfiz5 wrote

When I was a kid the christian youth group in my town was always screening Freddy Krueger movies, they were convinced it supported christianity.

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patman3030 t1_itmu8by wrote

Well as far as han solo is concerned, there were only a few thousand jedi for all the 10,000 systems and millions of people on each of them. There's nowhere near enough jedi around for everyone to have seen them using magic force powers. The empire probably removed most of the recorded evidence of them doing good for people, meaning all he'd have to go on is stories people tell by word of mouth. And I've heard tons of stories of people being cured of disease by a religious minister's touch, and I'd sooner believe the sky was green than believe any of that without scientific evidence to back it up.

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RPM021 t1_itn73ym wrote

It's also fiction, and Lucas just didn't have it planned out as neatly as he would've liked for the first film. The whole 3PO/Vader stuff, Luke/Leia kissing, etc, etc.

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patman3030 t1_itn8fwb wrote

That's why when I enjoy star wars, I get my enjoyment from either extreme logistical pedantry like above or from "haha the crossbow dog put the shiny robot's head on backwards". There's too many holes to take it seriously anymore.

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RPM021 t1_itn91ml wrote

Yep. Especially in expansive multi-film "cinematic universes"

Nothing is going to be planned out 100% of the way through, so just enjoy the ride. And that's not to dismiss the logical approach as to why Solo didn't believe in Jedi at the time...I think putting an in-world response is fun since it forces creative thinking...but I'm also not one to stress over it. Star Wars, as a whole, stands so tall that you can let a few little things like that slip through for the greater good.

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kasetti t1_itmcp1g wrote

In our world, North Korean leaders claim to have done a ton of obviously impossible things. Maybe Solo saw Jedi and the force as something similar, just pure propaganda made up by the government.

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Infamous_Yogurt2858 t1_itnxc51 wrote

Indiana Jones is especially intriguing considering it seems to confirm both the Judeo-Christian god and Hindu deities as being equally real.

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lucia-pacciola t1_itn0v7g wrote

> How does Han Solo not believe in the Force in A New Hope? He calls the Jedi a "hokey religion." But he lived through the Clone Wars and Order 66. Jedi were still a living memory. He met some. They had their own governing body... His skepticism in the face of historical facts kind of veers towards QAnon "Truther" at that point. Does he think the Jedi Council was fake news?

Lucas really fucked up by not making the Jedi an already dead and forgotten order, by the time of the Clone Wars. It should have been a few wandering knights, doing A-Team shit on the down-low.

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FunWelcome t1_itnbbl3 wrote

In the later die-hard movies. No one really knew who John Mcclane is or seem to care. That implies that people just forgot these terrorist attacks.

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Sloblowpiccaso t1_itohhc7 wrote

I’ve always wanted to see an alt fake history doc where john mcclain failed, killed by the fbi on the roof. Looking how it would the various attacks he foiled in the series were successful.

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HPmoni t1_itp1k32 wrote

WTF do terrorists keep stalking John Mcclane?

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WhereTheTargWomenAt t1_itmzdmu wrote

Judeo Christian good exists in marvel universe but hasn’t been introduced in mcu

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Infamous_Yogurt2858 t1_itnxo12 wrote

Han doesn't dispute the fact that the Jedi exist, he just doesn't particularly believe in...whatever their belief system is. Plenty of people say similar things about real-world religions all the time.

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HPmoni t1_itp1v23 wrote

Reminds me of how SHIELDS existence made no sense in the MCU. The US military works for SHIELD?

Lex Luthor is right to fear Superman. He could be a god. Superman says he doesn't want to be a god.

Stra Trek has humans abandoning religion. But alien religions are okay?

Every time travel movie fucks with free will.

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TotesObviThrwawy t1_itmeqbw wrote

>Indiana Jones repeatedly uncovers irrefutable, empirical evidence for the existence of God

Sort of? It's not like he got to actually experiment with any of these things. His eyes were closed during the ark. And after crystal skull if I was him he'd probably think Jesus was an interdimensional being.

>In Nightmare on Elm Street 3, they kill Freddie Krueger with a crucifix and holy water, which implies that God apparently exists

A common trope in properties featuring the undead is that the creature believes what they believed when they died. So, in theory, if FK was a Muslim, he wouldn't give 2 shits.

>Han Solo

The Jedi to civilian ratio is silly. Further, they're busy being diplomats. No reason for any average citizen to see one lift some rocks. Especially since that would be more dark side ish showing off. But mostly, because they built a franchise off a one off movie and were making shit up as they go.

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Rowan-Trees OP t1_itmitg9 wrote

For Indiana: At the very least, he proves the existence of some kind of supernatural forces, if not the Judeo-Christian God specifically. He witnesses a shaman tear a man's heart out. He meets an immortal crusader with magical murdering cups, and Soviet psychics. Anyone who remains a "healthy skeptic" after any one of these is just in denial.

Elm Street: So Freddie Krueger goes to church? haha

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TotesObviThrwawy t1_itmkdc6 wrote

>For Indiana:

You keep skipping crystal skull lol.

My point is more that, he's seen evidence of some kind, of something. It doesn't have to mean that it is God inherently, or that Christianity in particular gets it all right. Maybe it's another alien, who knows!

>Elm Street: So Freddie Krueger goes to church? haha

Not necessarily. Depends on the franchise. Sometimes it's popculture bleed over, like, shit, i just drank some blood. Well i guess if vamps exist, guess I better watch out for garlic! Kind of a power of belief thing.

In Freddie's case, the kids believing that it would work, could definitely impact him.

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StarChild413 t1_itwluz4 wrote

> A common trope in properties featuring the undead is that the creature believes what they believed when they died. So, in theory, if FK was a Muslim, he wouldn't give 2 shits.

And sometimes I've seen the opposite, that regardless of any gods' reality whatever the person fighting the undead believes is what can defend them personally e.g. this old X-Men comic where the X-Men face off against Dracula and Dracula is stopped from biting Jewish X-Man Shadowcat by her star of david necklace despite being undeterred by her holding up a cross earlier

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