Wednesday Web Link – Cinemagogue Tackles ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’
We might be preaching to the choir a little bit on this Wednesday Web Link, considering myself and Fizz are highly influenced and were inspired by the work of James Harleman and his website, Cinemagogue. James was a formative influence as we looked to take our love of movies and apply them to out Christian faith, and to that we owe much gratitude, shameless plugs, and slightly concerning adoration and fanboy-ism.
We were excited to see, and pretty much expecting, James to tackle one of my favorite movies of 2014, Guardians of the Galaxy. The movie was a bit of an updated version of Firefly/Serenity and it was so much fun and had some of the same laughs that Whedon’s Firefly had. It also had a lot to say theologically and offered up some ripe-for-the-picking themes and pathos centered around community, family, revenge, and redemption.
First, James gave us an insightful look at the movie from a guest reviewer who was very familiar with the characters and events of the movie. Guardians of the Galaxy Review: Part 1. It’s a very rooted review and branches off on a lot of profound tangents.
In a hard to follow second review, James himself took on the themes and narrative of the movie with his own great review:
“Life and death, frustration and loss..for a fun family film, Guardians of the Galaxy starts off with a a heavy tone that’s quite the contrast to the otherwise rollicking soundtrack. Are the young Peter Quill’s headphones and upbeat classic rock a metaphor for modern entertainment, as it medicates us and mutes some of the harsh realities of life? Does the boy’s hesitation, fear of a vulnerable moment with mom, make him miss a critical moment of intimate connection and development? A light from the sky whisks him away into a larger world, and a familiar hero’s journey begins.”
Guardian of the Galaxy Review: Part 2
Needless to say, it is great to get something on such a great movie, and we’re excited to share James’ work with you. You can check out his site, Cinemagogue.com, and also hear him from time to time on the Reel World Theology podcast!
