We took the Youth Group to the movies on Sunday. Originally, we were hoping to see Bridge to Terabithia, since the Young Adult Class has just finished reading and discussing it. But... it was no longer playing at the theater, so we had to find another movie to watch that was appropriate for Jr. & Sr. High School students.
The result: we watched The Last Mimzy. Now, I should warn you that if you have not yet seen the movie, and you don't want any hints as to what happens... you may want to skip the following paragraphs. (Consider this to be your "Spoiler Warning".)
Two seemingly ordinary children (a brother and sister) find an odd-shaped box floating in the ocean while on vacation. After bringing it ashore, it opens and they find a strange glowing rectangle of glass (or something) that seems to "hum" in an other-worldly sort of way. They decide to keep their discovery a secret and take the box and its contents inside. Eventually, the girl discovers other objects inside the box (that seem to reveal themselves only to her), and the adventure truly begins.
"Mimzy", as it turns out, is the name of an adorable stuffed bunny that the girl finds in the box. The girl and rabbit communicate with one another, and the children find themselves learning about another world (or, perhaps their own). They also seem to suddenly discover fantastic abilities and scientific knowledge. The government catches wind of the strange goings-on, and the plot, as they say, thickens...
Now, I'm not going to completely ruin the movie for those of you who have not yet seen it, but I will say this: Mimzy is no ordinary stuffed toy, Emma (the girl) is no ordinary girl, and you may never look at a picture of Lewis Carrol's real-life young friend Alice in the same way ever again. I really don't want to spoil the ending, since I do think that this movie is worth seeing. Still, I do want to mention a few of the thoughts that I had as I pondered the movie after seeing it.
I found that this movie has some very interesting Christological implications that are worth exploring. I found myself wondering how particular characters could be compared to Christ -- especially in terms of the salvific work of Christ. How did God reach into our time from out of God's timelessness (eternity) -- and how is that similar to how Mimzy comes to the children? What was so special about Christ (or the girl, Emma) that was so different from everyone else? How does Christ (or the girl, Emma) bring about a "new creation"?
As the movie ended, a verse from Isaiah immediately came to mind: "...and a little child shall lead them" (Isaiah 11:6). As this season of Lent draws to a close, let us all remember that the man who was nailed to the tree was once a baby in a manger. A little child named Jesus came to lead us into hope... so let us enter into this Easter season with hope and joy in our hearts.
