AFA Staff

AFA Journal staff reviews movies, books and other resources

July 2007 – Torchlighters series shines light on heroes of faith
The Torchlighters: Heroes of the Faith series is a collection of animated stories presenting the lives and sacrifices of Christian heroes including Jim Elliot, William Tyndale and John Bunyan. This series was developed through the partnership of the Christian History Institute, International Films and The Voice of the Martyrs.

Each episode comes with a booklet containing questions and resources, to prompt discussion. Unfortunately, the animation in this series is poor and the voices are unimpressive. Parents should also note that there is more violence than expected for an animated film. In the Jim Elliot story, for instance, the death of Elliot and his friends is very graphic and could be scary for young children.

Overall, with supervision, children will glean from these films important knowledge of key figures that have advanced the cause of Christ.
Review by Hamilton Richardson

Night at the Museum
From Fox Home Entertainment comes the DVD release of Night at the Museum, the $245 million box office hit starring Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Dick Van Dyke and Mickey Rooney.

Stiller plays Larry, a divorced dad who keeps disappointing his son. Larry, whose resume consists of failed inventions, finally lands a real job as the night watchman at the Museum of Natural History. He realizes his new job is more than he can handle when all the exhibits come to life each night. His relationship with his son hangs in the balance as Larry gets a history lesson in what it means to be a great man.

Night at the Museum is full of laughs but is rated PG for mild action, language and brief crude humor. The action includes shooting and fighting, although nothing gory. Sadly, there are two uses of the Lord’s name in vain, several mild profanities, multiple references to violence (e.g., “I’ll split his head like a watermelon.”) a sexual innuendo and some bathroom humor. A small bit of immodesty, drinking and magic is also included as well as a negative portrayal of family dynamics.

The film contains a message about evolution and refers to a monkey as Larry’s “primate brother … without him, there is no us.” Larry later admits to having evolved.

While the film had the potential to be a fun family flick, Night at the Museum is not wholesome entertainment.
Review by Rebecca Grace

Friends and Heroes
Friends and Heroes is the story of Macky and Portia, two children living in Egypt in the first century A.D. On a daily basis, they deal with Roman brutality and are always confronted with situations that force them either to give in or respond as their Old Testament ancestors would.

A major theme throughout the series is the frequent retelling of stories that revolve around heroes of the faith like Daniel, Sampson, Peter and many others.

“Long Journey,” the first episode in Series 1, is about the rescue of two refugee girls from the Roman deputy Tobias. Series 1 contains 13 episodes with Series 2 and 3 in current production.

Friends and Heroes has a unique animation style that combines cartoon-style 2D animation with 3D animation. Both the 2D and 3D styles are well done and the detail given to both is incredible, making Friends and Heroes one of the best animated Bible-based series yet.
Review by Hamilton Richardson

The film presents the battle of wills between Pope Julius II and sculptor Michelangelo Buonarroti, who does not see himself as a painter and yet cannot refuse the orders of a pope.

Of course, the movie is more than 40 years old, so production values – especially the sound – are not up to par for modern viewers. And parents should be cautioned that there are a couple of minor themes involving sexuality that, while muted in accordance with the prevailing conservatism of the mid-1960s, might be of concern for younger children. Plus, there are battle scenes as well as the drinking of wine depicted in the film.

However, this is a powerful film that is profound in its exploration of issues such as pride, determination, artistic passion and the nature of God and the Christian faith.

The Agony and the Ecstasy is not rated.
Review by Ed Vitagliano