Two apocalyptic films were recently released that dealt with Christianity in wholly different ways: “The Book of Eli” and “Legion.”
“The Book of Eli” puts a positive spin on Christianity. Following a nuclear war which destroyed all copies of the Bible, save for the one in Eli’s possession, he is determined to get the only copy left to a place directed by God; previous religious conflict destroyed all copies of the Torah and Koran. To be successful, Eli must keep the Bible away from a reigning tyrant who is hell bent on getting his hands on it so he can twist biblical teachings to suit his interests.
“Legion” puts a negative spin on Christianity. It features Michael the Archangel crashing down from the heavens to save the unborn child of the Virgin Mary-like character, a waitress who is anything but virginal. Indeed, actress Adrianne Palicki plays such a loose character that she said in an interview, “Who didn’t I have sex with in the movie?” No matter, the film suggests God is the father of her Jesus-like messiah child. The entire story takes place on Christmas Eve.
Both movies are violent, and both scripts seize upon the apocalypse. But that’s where the similarities end. It is telling that Sony is responsible for the film that is not exactly Christian-friendly. Sony, of course, gave us “The Da Vinci Code” and “Angels and Demons” so it knows how to tweak Christian sensibilities.
