Double Movie Review: King of Kings and Light of the World

If I had to choose five of my most favorite movies, or the movies that have inspired me the most and never lost their charm over the years, I would readily go for: The Prince of Egypt, The Last Unicorn, Pinocchio, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. 

I've always considered The Prince of Egypt my all-time favorite non-Disney movie. Even if it's not totally accurate, I feel it does the story of Moses the most justice; I'll go far enough to deem it superior to The Ten Commandments, although I do appreciate that movie well enough on its own. In The Prince of Egypt, the character development is incredible, Rameses is one of the main reasons why I love tragic villains so much, the music continues to give me pleasant chills (especially "Deliver Us," "All I Ever Wanted," and "The Plagues"), and the animation is nothing short of dazzling. What's even better, plenty of non-religious people sing the movie's praises, all the way to this day, so that's how you know those guys did something right. 

I used to say I would pay big money to see the story of Jesus Christ portrayed in a similar fashion. Well, I got my wish this last Christmas, courtesy of good old Santa Claus. I was lucky enough to get two such movies that happened to come out in the same year: The King of Kings and Light of the World. I had a fine time deciding which of the two we should watch first. My older sister helped me settle on The King of Kings on Christmas Day, and then we watched Light of the World on New Year's Eve. 

So we'll start with The King of Kings, which everyone would surely know about by now, given how it broke the record previously held by The Prince of Egypt and it's garnered plenty of rave reviews. 

It's basically Charles Dickens narrating the story of Jesus Christ to his young son, Walter, because there was apparently such a story the real-life Dickens told exclusively to his children and he didn't want it publicized until well after his death. So that would explain it; both my mom and I were a bit puzzled at first about the whole Charles Dickens thing. 

For the most part, I was fine with this whole "telling a story to a child" thing, although it got a bit jarring at first, switching back and forth so much between Victorian England and ancient Israel. Some of the dialogue sort of clashed, too, a little too much modern vernacular that I couldn't really hear coming out of such characters' mouths. 

Walter is also quite adorable for the most part, if somewhat of a handful (you'll find yourself sympathizing very quickly with his father) and his character development is fairly believable. But you can't help wondering now and then how much of a story like this is suitable for a child at that age, because they really don't shy away from the grim parts such as the Crucifixion. There's a particularly poignant scene in which Walter tries to bring Jesus a bowl of water, but he trips and falls and the water ends up wasted. Then there's another scene where Walter, like Peter, finds himself sinking beneath the cold, dark waves and he cries out to Jesus to save him. Nothing too intense but not much sugar to sprinkle, either. And Walter's only, what, five or six years old? That's really pushing the boundaries of what children can handle if you ask me. 

But on the whole, I most definitely enjoyed The King of Kings. Probably my one true complaint is the pacing; some parts felt a bit too rushed and the side characters didn't get as much focus as I would have liked. I, for one, would have loved to see more of the Twelve Apostles, Peter and Judas if no one else, because they both play such a substantial role in the story of Jesus and yet they just sort of disappear after the big betrayal. With that being said, while I would have liked to see Jesus Himself fleshed out a little more, they made great use of what they did show us. Oscar Isaac did a wonderful job at playing Jesus as a gentle yet commanding person, someone who fully expects to be obeyed but lets you decide whether or not you'll obey. 

On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd rate The King of Kings 8 and a half. 

Now onto Light of the World, and I'll admit I was more excited about this one because of the kind of animation we don't get anymore. I ended up enjoying it even more, too. 

This one revolves around the Apostle John, who's depicted as a surprisingly young boy, not much older than 12 or 13. Granted, you were considered "grown up" at that age back then; girls could get married as soon as they hit puberty. Even so, John undergoes fantastic character development just like Moses in The Prince of Egypt, although I must wonder why he doesn't end up a little taller with a slightly deeper voice, given that Jesus's earthly ministry lasted three years. You would think John had followed Jesus only for a few weeks or a month or two at most. 

But I quite liked John's character on the whole. He starts out as a bright, somewhat clumsy boy with a great deal to learn and a sincere desire to help. His heart is almost always in the right place and Jesus simply helps him to become more thoughtful and graceful. Iron out those rough spots, if you will. I could see a lot of Aladdin in him, so if you like the movie Aladdin, you should like this as well. There's a scene where John is fleeing a small group of Roman guards across a bunch of flat rooftops and it plays out almost exactly like Aladdin fleeing the Arabian guards.

The other Apostles also get a little more of the spotlight, but I would have liked to see them further fleshed out. For instance, when Matthew is recruited, John doesn't like him at first because he's a publican, a "traitor Jew" who holds a cushy job with the Romans and he goes far enough to threaten John's own family if they can't pay their (unfairly increased) taxes by the appointed time. Yet as soon as Jesus calls Matthew to follow Him, Matthew drops everything and follows and that's that. I think more interaction between Matthew and John would have been nice. 

Just like The King of Kings, my one solid critique of Light of the World is the pacing. For both movies, I would say it's like going on a car ride through a very beautiful landscape with a slightly inexperienced driver. The driver goes too fast in some parts and applies the brakes a bit too hard in others, but the scenery is ultimately worth it. 

On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd rate Light of the World 9 and a half.

Overall, I consider both movies worth owning and watching on several occasions, we could certainly use more Bible stories on such a grand scale, I'm quite inclined to give The Chosen a try one of these days, and it looks like The Prince of Egypt just might have a fair bit of competition as my all-time favorite non-Disney movie. 

2023 Inktober 22 - Jack and Sally

My dearest friend,
If you don't mind,
I'd like to join you by your side
Where we can gaze into the stars

And sit together
Now and forever
For it is plain
As anyone can see,
We're simply meant to be

The best Tim Burton couple out there, no questions asked. They don't make couples like this anymore.

Provided it's done correctly, I have no problem with lovers starting out as childhood friends, and then their relationship gets "upgraded." For that matter, your spouse should be your best friend as well. Dad always called Mom his best friend, and vice versa.

I used Jack and Sally's relationship as the basis for the romantic relationship between some of my own characters, like Romulus and Kyla, Reid and Lara, Oliver and Angela, and especially Kaylee and Troy. In the beginning, each considered the other "the best friend I could ever ask for." Then they take it a few steps further, and nothing really changes after all, except for the better.

When all's said and done, they're "simply meant to be."

2023 Inktober 21 - Woody and Shark

My most favorite scene from the first movie. That sarcasm could peel wallpaper.

Tom Hanks must have had a real ball playing this character. You may or may not be surprised to know there's a Toy Story 5 in the works, even as we speak. Well, I'll at least reserve judgment until I hear the full premise, but I still say they should have stopped for good after Toy Story 3. Heck, I would have been satisfied if they brought the curtain down after Toy Story 2. 

Sheesh, if it's not unnecessary remakes we have to worry about, it's one unnecessary sequel after another. Sooner or later, you're going to have to say "the end" and be done with it. 

My FanX Art

Here's the art I'm selling at FanX this year. I paid a boatload of money for decent prints (all but cleaned out my savings account and had to ask Mom for a little extra help) but in the event that my physical stock runs out or someone doesn't want physical clutter, digital images will be available for a reduced price. 

This is also my "digital catalog," hence the corner numbers.  

My Inktober 15 - Scary Movie

And we're back to "My Inktober." Yeah, not such a big fan of scary movies myself; I'd likely be hiding behind the couch with my popcorn, too! 

Why Harry Potter Isn’t My Favorite Story

I adore fantasy. It’s one of my favorite genres, if not my most favorite, to write about as well as read about—mainly because you can make just about anything happen. Really, if you can dream it, you can do it, and you never have to bother with all those silly, stuffy laws of logic.

Now, I can’t think of a single person in the world who hasn’t, at the very least, heard of Harry Potter, easily one of the most beloved fantasy stories of all-time. There’s no doubt in my mind that J.K. Rowling, for all the books she dishes out, will always be remembered best for her books about Harry Potter.

I will be the first to say that this is a solid, creative, well-thought-out story; Rowling truly knows how to keep you turning page after page until you get to the end, and that’s all any author can hope for. It sure got kids excited about reading, which is something I appreciate a great deal.

That said, I consider myself one of the precious few who (gasp!) doesn’t think Harry Potter is all that great. While I do like it, I’ve never been too crazy about it, either. It has never ranked too high on my list of favorite books and movies, and I think it’s a safe bet that my sister is a much bigger HP fan than I’ll ever be.

Why?

Well, I can give you ten reasons why, right now. They may not be reasons that you personally agree with, but hopefully they’re at least adequate.

Starting from the bottom:

10. Too many adverbs.

Now, this isn’t something that bothers me all that much. But when you browse through each book, if you had a dollar or even a nickel for every time Rowling used a word that ended in “ly,” like “heatedly,” “enthusiastically,” “hysterically,” “sanctimoniously,” or “waspishly,” you’d have a rather good-sized fortune when you got to the end, and that’d just be for one book alone.

While adverbs do have their time and place, I also notice the overuse of them and it never takes long for them to become an annoying distraction, like the buzzing of a fly in your ear, or the loud snoring of your brother in the next room when you’re trying to sleep.

Again, I’m not really raking Rowling across the coals for this. The fact that this was her first published work makes such a mistake more forgivable. All the same, I’d like to see how much her books would shrink if we took every last one of those adverbs away.

I think Order of the Phoenix would be almost half the book it is now.

9. The Cursed Child.

I, for one, was more than happy to let Harry Potter’s whole story end with Deathly Hallows. Contrary to popular belief, I not only liked the epilogue but felt it tied up those remaining loose ends nicely.

It felt like we had come full circle, and there was nothing more to say.

“All was well” was about as perfect an ending as any I’d ever read or could have penned myself.

But then somebody had the bright idea of bringing about The Cursed Child, which Rowling didn’t even write herself though she still granted her permission, so it comes off as more of an approved fan fiction.

I won’t waste your time with further details about the story and why I think it just doesn’t work, but suffice it to say that I will not consider such a story “canon,” as they say.

I will stick to the epilogue of Deathly Hallows as it is, thank you very much.

8. Unnecessary details.

While I don’t object to authors telling us a few things here and there about the stories that the books didn’t include, I feel Rowling gets a little too carried away.

She has told us things that make me wonder, “What have they even got to do with the story? What difference would it have made to the story had we known that fact earlier?”

Did we really need to know about Dumbledore’s love life or that Nagini was a woman all along? How necessary was it to know that Albus Severus Potter winds up in Slytherin after all, that Charlie Weasley never marries, or that Amos Diggory does hold a grudge against Harry for Cedric’s death?

Yeah…like I said before, details that are plain unnecessary.

Furthermore, Rowling can say what she wants about her books and what really happens, but there are still going to be some people out there who interpret certain parts of the story and the characters their own way. So, I appreciate it when authors let us figure some things out for ourselves and not feel the need to shove more information in our faces.

That’s one of the reasons I love C.S. Lewis and the Narnia books more. Lewis tells you what you truly need to know while letting you fill in the remaining blanks the way you like, and also letting you know that your own interpretation isn’t wrong.

7. The Order of the Phoenix.

By far my least favorite of the series. I almost quit the series altogether after reading it.

It’s still well-written but it’s just too long and far too bleak for my comfort. I didn’t like Harry as much as I had in the previous books (yes, I know his reasons for his behavior but he still rubbed me the wrong way and I could only feel so sorry for him), and worst of all, Rowling killed off my all-time favorite character. You probably know who that character is by now, but man, I just had to put the book down and walk away…and it was a long time before I could summon the courage to pick the book up again.

I believe that was the first time a book made me outright depressed, and Lord of the Flies and Of Mice and Men were the only other books I wanted to throw against the wall.

6. Percy Weasley.

He was never Harry’s favorite member of the Weasley family, nor was he ever mine.

Sure, he has his moments and I like the whole “Prodigal Son” vibe, but yeah, not the most endearing character in my book.

I could almost tolerate Malfoy more…almost.

5. Severus and Lily.

When it comes to Severus Snape and Lily Evans Potter, I think they did a far better job in the movie than in the book. Alan Rickman truly did the scene justice and he even made Snape a bit more heroic when he pleaded with Dumbledore, “Hide them all, I beg you.”

Whereas in the book, he only cared about Lily’s safety (which put Dumbledore well in the right to be absolutely disgusted), and even Rowling herself admitted that Snape only did what he did for Lily’s sake; he couldn’t have given a rat’s tail about anyone else. He would have been perfectly willing to let Harry kick the bucket if Harry weren’t Lily’s offspring.

I prefer characters who go more out of their way for the sake of other people instead of just one. That’s what my Beowulf does; he helps everybody who needs help to the best of his ability, and such deeds serve as their own reward. He does what he does because his moral compass is one of the few things he still has perfect control over, and while he also does horrible things, he nevertheless makes the most of what he has with the knowledge, resources, and options he has at that time.

4. Dolores Umbridge.

Just Dolores Umbridge. ‘Nuff said, ladies and gentlemen.

3. Bellatrix Lestrange.

Yep…all I’m gonna say about Lady Lestrange is that she and Umbridge were the two people you wanted to see dead more than Lord Voldemort, and that’s saying a lot.

2. Too many deaths. 

It’s become a little joke of mine: “When reading Harry Potter or Game of Thrones, don’t get attached to the characters!”

In all fairness, we are talking about a full-scale war here, and nobody is safe in war. Good people suffer along with the evil people. I don’t object to an occasional death; not all of my own characters make it out alive.

It’s also a sign of top-notch writing when you can literally feel the character’s absence and their death hits you where it hurts.

That said, I believe Rowling gets a little too axe-crazy.

I never cared much for stories in which half the cast, if not most of it, bites the dust; it’s simply too big an emotional investment for me. And more than once, Rowling gets to the point where I have to tell her, “Okay, now you’re just being mean.”

And my number one reason for not singing Harry Potter’s praises along with the rest is:

1. The insane fans.

This is the same reason I’m not so fond of Frozen, Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, or the live-action Disney remakes.

It’s also the reason why I’ve completely turned my back on Twilight and Star Wars.

While I’m well aware that not all fans are this way, there are plenty of fans who are absolute nutcases, and you’d be amazed at how toxic the fandoms can be on social media.

I’ve seen some people treat the HP books like they’re Holy Scripture, and anyone who dares disagree with them is an intolerable blasphemer. I’m amazed at the ruckus people have raised over the epilogue of Deathly Hallows alone, as well as The Cursed Child. I can only think, “Sheesh, people, take a Chill Pill!”

It also goes without saying: this is why we can’t have nice things, kids. You’re worse than a vacuum at sucking all the fun out of the reading and the watching.

Sure, I’m also aware that we don’t have to pay those crazy fans any mind. We can still enjoy the books and movies without their input.

And I do enjoy them, but at my own pace, on my own little scale.

All the same, the nasty fans leave me with a nasty taste in my mouth, and constant promotion only pushes me further away.

I like Frozen but I have no desire to see Frozen II anytime soon, if ever, and the only times I’ll watch Avatar or Korra from this point on will be through my own laptop or my personal DVDs. And I’d like to see how many more Star Wars movies they’ll crank out in the coming years, how many more classic Disney movies they’ll recycle until even the die-hard fans draw the line.

So, one last time, don’t get me wrong; Harry Potter is indeed a great story. All flaws aside, it has every element of a great story.

But for me, it’s not fabulous.

Great by all means, not fabulous by any means.

(Images property of their respective owners.)