The Best Movies on Spiritual Themes?

[David1967]

My mother has never been able to bring herself to watch the new one just because she liked the old one so much. Well, that, and she had a huge crush on Dirk Benedict and couldn't handle Starbuck being a woman in the new one. I tried to reason with her that Richard Hatch was in the new one at least but that didn't seem to help really.

Yeah, the cast in the old one was epic. Lorne Green and all.

 

[Augustus]

Ben Hur
Passolini's the Gospel according to St Matthew
Agora

Does the Life of Brian count too?

 

[Draka]

Yeah, the cast in the old one was epic. Lorne Green and all.

Hello, Edward James Olmos? Seriously though, the new BSG had an excellent cast as well, with Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Michael Hogan and James Callis and many more. Hell, in my opinion, James Callis alone made it worth watching. He made me love Baltar. He gave so much depth to that character, the flaws, the inner mindset, the guilt, the doubt. I just mean, damn he was good.

 

[Revoltingest]

For a TV & for a radio series, I nominate Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.
But the movie doesn't qualify (not as good as the series).

 

[idav]

"The Mission," starring a young Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons, was voted the best movie ever on a spiritual theme. It is my personal favorite, though I should probably distinguish "favorite" from "best." Yet it didn't receive very glowing reviews in the USA. It's probably too slow-paced for American attention spans. It's loosely based on true incidents in the era when the Spanish and Portuguese were enslaving Amazon Indians at the same time the Jesuits were trying to convert them. That is the source of the movie's dramatic tension. The Jesuits are conflicted about the best way to deal with this problem and I found their inner conflict deeply moving, with a case to be made on both sides. The photography is at times stunning. It was only after several viewings that I discovered that the Screen Actors Guild voted the musical score the 17th best ever. That surprised me because, of course, the movie is not a musical. Yet upon further viewing, I realized that the music sets an appropriate mood marvelously. I also consider that the movie's conversion story is the most moving account in movie history.

I recently saw "Miracles from Heaven" at our small local theatre. It's basically the true story of a little girl's battle with a devastating illness, her mother's moving but futile efforts to find a doctor who can cure her, and the unexpected miracle that healed her after all seemed lost. Critics usually rate movies by 1-4 or 6 stars. Rotten Tomatoes predictably rates them as "fresh" or "rotten." We need another rating system--hankies. I'd rate "Miracles from Heaven" a 4 hankie weeper. People were sobbing and noses were honking. The consensus of those I talked to rated it the best Christian movie ever. Jennifer Garner excelled in her lead role as the mother. But I'd still choose "The Mission."

What's your favorite movie on a spiritual theme? Assume any definition of "spiritual" that you wish, but please make it clear if your conception is unconventional.

The Exorcist
The Omen movies
Stigmata
Spawn
Ghost Rider
Spiderman 2

 

[David1967]

Hello, Edward James Olmos? Seriously though, the new BSG had an excellent cast as well, with Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Michael Hogan and James Callis and many more. Hell, in my opinion, James Callis alone made it worth watching. He made me love Baltar. He gave so much depth to that character, the flaws, the inner mindset, the guilt, the doubt. I just mean, damn he was good.

Ok fine then. ...I'll watch it.

 

[Berserk]

To me, Lost in Space doesn't even come close to comparing and Star Trek TNG and Voyager are awesome in their own rights and I love them, but BSG holds a special place for me. While Star Trek could tackle a different story every episode really BSG had a continuity to it that made it so that missing just one episode could leave you lost. If you missed an episode here or there with Star Trek it didn't have as big an impact on overall story.

There's an old saying about tacky B-movie Sci-Fi films: Sometimes it's so bad it's good! I love that saying and think it applies to the "Lost in Space" TV series. The effects were so primitive (e. g. tin can robots saying things like, "Shall I destroy?") that, to me, they are hilarious. But, of course, you're right: Battlestar Gallactica was great.

 

[Draka]

Ok fine then. ...I'll watch it.

Yay! Really though, the writing was awesome and anyone that can actually take a character like Baltar and humanize him the way that's done here...just fantastic.

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

Yay! Really though, the writing was awesome and anyone that can actually take a character like Baltar and humanize him the way that's done here...just fantastic.

It took me awhile--like the whole first season--before I could sit though a full episode. I realized early on because they were overusing the floating camera effect...the constant motion was making me seasick. I don't know if I adapted, or they toned it down, but eventually I was able to watch entire episode without problem.

What did you think the of "prequel" series, the name of which escapes me now?

 

[Draka]

It took me awhile--like the whole first season--before I could sit though a full episode. I realized early on because they were overusing the floating camera effect...the constant motion was making me seasick. I don't know if I adapted, or they toned it down, but eventually I was able to watch entire episode without problem.

What did you think the of "prequel" series, the name of which escapes me now?

Caprica. Really liked it a lot and was very disappointed that it was cancelled. Could have done so much with it.

 

[sun rise]

I just discovered this thread. One movie that was not mentioned was "They Might Be Giants" which to me is an allegory of spiritual principles.

The ending words of the movie revealed that for me:

Spoiler

"The human heart can see what's hidden to the eyes, and the heart knows things that the mind does not begin to understand."

 

[HakkaMex]

I'd say three worth checking out are:

Inherit The Wind (60s classic set in the 20s where a man is put on trial for teaching evolution in his class room in the South)

Contact (90s sci-fi that debates religion v atheism and is very fair)

Winter Light (a priest has an existential crisis, it's a Bergman movie so very dialogue heavy and it's on youtube)

Diary of A County Priest (haven't seen this classic yet but it has great reviews)