03-15-2023, 08:16 PM
(This post was last modified: 03-15-2023, 08:33 PM by Glossophile.)
Interesting DaVinci-Code-esque B-Movie that Pulls Fewer Punches on Religion
Interesting DaVinci-Code-esque B-Movie that Pulls Fewer Punches on Religion
I was n the mood for some independent sci-fi cinema last night, and it led me to this German-made gem on YouTube. It's a bit hokey in places, and the English dubbing is often somewhat bland, but a couple of things really stood out to me.
(1) It's technically a time travel movie, but the only actual time travel we see depicted is a couple of very tentative experiments. Virtually the entire movie is centered around the consequences of an implied time trip that we never actually witness.
(2) More importantly for this forum, religious intrigue plays a prominent role, to the point of presenting a brand of fanaticism, in this case Catholic, not often seen in mainstream cinema. It is perhaps fitting that this was a German production, as it's hard to see a project like this one selling well in America.
(3) The main villain gives a speech at timestamp 2:02:55 that, at least in my view, really contextualizes his actions and presents the toxicity of Divine Command Theory, or at least the Abrahamic brand of it, in a remarkably stark way.
Anyway, if you like the idea of a three-hour archaeological action/adventure romp with a sci-fi twist and a gun-toting religious conspiracy, which is at least a bit bolder in its handling of Christianity than mainstream fare, this might be a fun watch. I think the vibe is best described as "discount Dan Brown" or "a provocative love-child of the Indiana Jones and National Treasure franchises."
If you want more info but aren't sure if it's worth the three hours, here's a basic plot synopsis. If you'd prefer to go in completely blind, don't read any further.
A young archaeologist finds some majorly anachronistic artifacts buried with a 2,000-year-old skeleton. Further examination suggests, at least to him, that a time traveler went back to see Jesus in the flesh and recorded video evidence that the Vatican is murderously keen to get their hands on. This digital McGuffin apparently calls his existence, or at least his resurrection, into serious question.
FULL-FLEDGED SPOILER WARNING!
I'm not sure if I'm interpreting the ending right, but the video that everyone was chasing seems to imply that, while Jesus existed, he didn't resurrect. After he died on the cross, he stayed dead. I thought I saw his hand move, but that might've been the woman examining the body gently pushing it. His eyes never opened or anything. Also, if you watched it, I'm curious about how long it took you to at least suspect the identity of the time traveler(s) revealed at the end. I think I had an inkling about halfway through, though that was likely just because the YouTube synopsis described the ending as the archaeologist realizing that his adventure had only begun.
(1) It's technically a time travel movie, but the only actual time travel we see depicted is a couple of very tentative experiments. Virtually the entire movie is centered around the consequences of an implied time trip that we never actually witness.
(2) More importantly for this forum, religious intrigue plays a prominent role, to the point of presenting a brand of fanaticism, in this case Catholic, not often seen in mainstream cinema. It is perhaps fitting that this was a German production, as it's hard to see a project like this one selling well in America.
(3) The main villain gives a speech at timestamp 2:02:55 that, at least in my view, really contextualizes his actions and presents the toxicity of Divine Command Theory, or at least the Abrahamic brand of it, in a remarkably stark way.
Anyway, if you like the idea of a three-hour archaeological action/adventure romp with a sci-fi twist and a gun-toting religious conspiracy, which is at least a bit bolder in its handling of Christianity than mainstream fare, this might be a fun watch. I think the vibe is best described as "discount Dan Brown" or "a provocative love-child of the Indiana Jones and National Treasure franchises."
If you want more info but aren't sure if it's worth the three hours, here's a basic plot synopsis. If you'd prefer to go in completely blind, don't read any further.
A young archaeologist finds some majorly anachronistic artifacts buried with a 2,000-year-old skeleton. Further examination suggests, at least to him, that a time traveler went back to see Jesus in the flesh and recorded video evidence that the Vatican is murderously keen to get their hands on. This digital McGuffin apparently calls his existence, or at least his resurrection, into serious question.
FULL-FLEDGED SPOILER WARNING!
I'm not sure if I'm interpreting the ending right, but the video that everyone was chasing seems to imply that, while Jesus existed, he didn't resurrect. After he died on the cross, he stayed dead. I thought I saw his hand move, but that might've been the woman examining the body gently pushing it. His eyes never opened or anything. Also, if you watched it, I'm curious about how long it took you to at least suspect the identity of the time traveler(s) revealed at the end. I think I had an inkling about halfway through, though that was likely just because the YouTube synopsis described the ending as the archaeologist realizing that his adventure had only begun.
The only sacred truth in science is that there are no sacred truths. - Carl Sagan
Ἡ μόνη ἱερᾱ̀ ἀληθείᾱ ἐν τῇ φυσικῇ φιλοσοφίᾳ ἐστὶν ἡ ἱερῶν ἀληθειῶν σπάνις. - Κᾱ́ρολος Σήγανος
Ἡ μόνη ἱερᾱ̀ ἀληθείᾱ ἐν τῇ φυσικῇ φιλοσοφίᾳ ἐστὶν ἡ ἱερῶν ἀληθειῶν σπάνις. - Κᾱ́ρολος Σήγανος
