Top 5 Christian Movies
Before I begin I’d like to highlight the fact that this post is based purely on opinion, namely my opinion. So you all are more than welcome to disagree with me and list your own favorite Christian movies in the comments below.
Ok, let’s begin.
5. The Prince of Egypt
A vivid retelling of the story of Moses, The Prince of Egypt isn’t just one of my favorite Christian movies, it’s one of my favorite all-time movies. I’m a huge fan of animation so I had to include this here. I remember the dramatic opening; Moses being placed in the famous basket and set to sail away from the oppressive Egyptians. The songs were amazing, the animation was amazing, and—surprisingly—the movie is biblically correct.
This is always something I look for when watching so-called ‘Christian’ movies. I’m sure you all remember the recent movie Exodus: Gods and Kings. I’m also sure you remember how absolutely unrelated it was to the actual story of Moses in the Holy Bible, but that’s an argument for another time.
There are things about The Prince of Egypt that don’t flow 100% with the Bible but the details that were either omitted or shifted didn’t alter the overall story. For example, in the movie Moses is raised strictly by his adoptive mother but in the Bible he is actually returned to his real mother for a period of time. Another change was the relationship between Moses and his adoptive brother. The movie portrays them as being nothing short of besties, while they’re not mortal enemies in the real story, they aren’t as chummy as the film depicts them to be.
Those are just a few examples of how the movie changed. Overall it was a great watch that I still enjoy and recommend today.
4. The Book of Eli
What can I say about this movie? There was blood, there was drama, there was even Denzel Washington wielding a machete…need I say more?
The Book of Eli is an action packed post-apocalyptic film which centers on a character who survived the end of the world. After hearing guidance from the voice of God, Denzel Washington treks the world—or what’s left of it—determined to get to a certain destination. He carries with him a special book that holds the key to everlasting life—this is misinterpreted by the main antagonist as a book that will give him the power to rule the world. Thus the battle over a sacred book begins.
By the end of the movie Denzel Washington’s ‘certain destination’ is revealed to be a printing press and the special book is of course the Holy Bible. His intention is to have the book copied and released to the rest of the surviving world but he must battle to the death to accomplish this.
This is one of my favorite Christian movies because it’s not a typical ‘Christian’ movie. There is no message of salvation, no one ‘sees the light’ there’s no segments of preaching. It’s just a movie that happens to include Christian themes. The action sequences are awesome, the snappy dialogue cleverly includes snippets of biblical scriptures, and the importance of the Holy Bible is emphasized without ‘shoving’ any beliefs down the audience’s throat. In other words, it’s a film that can be enjoyed whether you’re Christian, atheist, or somewhere in between. These kinds of Christian movies are important for the Christian film industry, I may be alone when I say this but, I don’t always want to watch a movie that’s strictly about the Bible. I’m already saved, I don’t really want to watch someone else find the Lord, or watch Noah’s Ark again, or watch someone struggle with their faith and inevitably find their path through the Word of God. That’s all good stuff but it’s redundant and not very entertaining after a while.
The Book of Eli was a step in the right direction, unfortunately not many Christian films have stepped through the door it opened.
3. The Passion of the Christ
This isn’t my personal favorite, but it’s found its way onto this list because of its immense popularity and, though I hate to say it, its brutality. This is honestly one of the most gruesome portrayals of the story of Christ but that’s why I loved and hated it.
The Passion of the Christ walks you through Jesus’ life on earth, we meet the disciples, we meet his mother, Mary, we even meet an interpretation of the devil. But the best and worst part of the movie is the crucifying of Christ. You see and hear and maybe even feel every strike of the whip as it breaks the flesh of his back. You cringe as the long nails are hammered into each of his hands and his feet. The movie is so overwhelmingly real, I felt uncomfortable watching it.
I remember sitting there in the theater thinking, oh my gosh, Jesus is so amazing. Because it was hard for me just to watch the film, how much harder was it for Jesus to actually experience that? This movie truly makes you appreciate the sacrifice Christ made for us. I think that’s what biblical films should aim to achieve.
2. The Chronicles of Narnia
Like The Book of Eli, The Chronicles of Narnia is not a ‘biblical’ film but a Christian movie made purely for entertainment. The series is based on the massively popular books by the same title. CoN is known as one of the first books to be classified as Christian fantasy. That’s one of the reasons I even considered reading them, they’re awesome books written spectacularly well and the movies do them justice.
CoN may be a turn off for some as it’s yet another children’s movie. But with the battle scenes and mature characters, I think it can reach an audience of all ages. When it was released it was famed for its visual awe, using advanced technology, the production team spent two years animating Aslan alone!
There’s magic and evil witches, talking animals, and fierce battles between good and evil. The best film of the series was The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, but there were others just as good. CoN dares you to awaken your imagination, it demands that you see the impossible and dive into a world of breathtaking beauty. I felt like I was on fire and freezing cold at the same time as I watched The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Shooting back and forth between complete amazement and the warm comfort of a childish excitement racing up my spine. Christian or not, I don’t think there’s a living soul on this earth that dislikes these movies.
1. Son of God
This movie is number one on my list for many reasons. First, it stayed very true to the biblical retelling of the story of Christ. Second, the acting was top-notch as well as the effects and dialogue. Third, the quality of the film wasn’t billion-dollar budget but it was just enough to give the audience a believable view of how Jesus would have lived.
This film had me in tears multiple times. Not just because of the quality and sheer awesomeness but because of how honest and sincere it was. I think this movie has the absolute best portrayal of Jesus Christ that I have ever seen. You can really see the genuine kindness in the eyes of the actor, it was like seeing Jesus himself and it just touches you in a way you can’t describe.
For once, Jesus was not presented as someone who was untouchable. He was very human and he was very real in this movie. In The Passion of the Christ, Jesus was very godlike and therefore set apart from the audience. In Son of God, he is very relatable and personable in a way that still sets him apart but not to a point where he is unreachable. I don’t know if I described that well enough but that’s what the film made me feel, as a Christian and as an ‘ordinary’ viewer.
Son of God is a film that mostly appeals to the Christian audience, as you can see from the lower ratings it received on various websites. That doesn’t change the impact it had on Believers. I think this movie was a true step in the right direction of Christian films, one that will never be reversed. It was honest, it was bold, it was inspiring. Those are things all Christian films should aim to be—especially biblical films.