Chalk and cheese

Rating: 5/10 (30 November 2008)

I have been reading postings on several websites about this movie, and it seems that everything from the roots of Egyptian civilization through Buddhist cycles of suffering and rebirth to ancient Christianity are somehow to be associated with it via a myriad of symbols and subtle hints (doves flying overhead, statues of angels, etc).
OK. So what? I don't deny the movie is skillfully crafted, but let's try and see it in perspective. James Cole (JC) may have been intended to "represent" Jesus Christ, and his mission and subsequent death to "represent" the coming and the crucifixion of Christ. However, anyone less Christlike is difficult to imagine. While Jesus was an intelligent and gentle man with deep insights into the politics of his time and a full awareness of the significance of his presence on Earth, James Cole is a man of moderate or even limited intelligence who is full of repressed violence, is frequently confused as to his own mental state and has limited understanding of the significance of what he is trying to achieve (and in fact a limited desire to carry his mission through). In my view, it's vitally important for humans to grasp the significance of these differences.