Film Friday Theme: The Resurrection
Bible refs: 1 John 1
Similar clips: Kill Bill – Grave Bustin’
Location of clip: 1 hr 25 mins and 40 secs to 1 hr 31 mins and 37 secs
Film Description:
ET is an extra terrestrial. He crash lands in his space ship and goes exploring this new planet. He befriends a young boy, Elliot, and shows him love and supernatural power. They have many adventures together, including the now-famous cycle ride through the night sky. When the local authorities discover what is going on they attempt to arrest ET and it all ends in disaster. Till ET returns again.
Clip description:
E T is dead. The medical staff try to revive him but it is no good. The adventure is over. Everyone leaves Elliot on his own to spend a few last minutes with his friend. He opens the body carrier, says goodbye and apologises to ET for what the people have done to him. Then he closes up the box and walks away. Just as he does so he notices that some dead flowers nearby are starting to come back to life. He turns back to the body. There’s a light glowing in ET’s chest. He throws the lid open and unzips the body bag. ET is alive! He is talking about phoning home. Elliot tries to keep him quiet but ET goes on and on and on, until eventually Elliot buries him under a sheet and wails loudly to cover the sound of ET’s voice. He then runs and tells his brother and they celebrate together.
Thoughts:
So many parallels in this movie with Jesus coming to earth. This clip of course points us to the resurrection – an unbelievably happy ending to a very dark tale. Jesus has been murdered. No one has come out of it looking good. The Roman’s look barbaric, the Jews look paranoid and the disciples look cowardly. Then Sunday comes along.
The tomb is empty and Jesus is alive and all chaos breaks loose.
Easter Sunday is one of the strangest times for me. I’m supposed to spontaneously celebrate the resurrection of Jesus – even though there’s no surprise, no relief, no shock, no joy. I’ve known all year that Jesus came back from the dead, yet somehow I’m expected to discover it afresh on Easter Sunday morning. For the apostles it was an astonishing, disturbing experience. Things were very unclear. Was this some form of barbaric grave robbing? Had the Romans disposed of the body in some unsavoury manner to prevent them making a martyr of Jesus? Was Mary hallucinating? The rumours and whispers must have trailed around like a forest fire that day.
I remember the astonishment and exhilaration I felt watching the British 4 x 100m relay team as they shot home ahead of the Americans to clinch the prize in the 2004 Olympic final. To this day I still get tense watching it and expect the world famous, globe beating Americans to come romping past them and steal the gold at the last minute. I can’t quite believe it’s true. Even to this day. How much more must the apostles have been flabbergasted at the merest suggestion that their story might have a happy end. It was impossible. These things just didn’t happen.
Did they?
Questions:
1. How do you feel on Easter Sunday morning? If it’s a dim and dismal
day for you, you may well have a lot in common with those first
disciples.
2. For some people the resurrection is one part of the Christian faith they can’t quite believe. How about you?
3. Elliot has to try and cover up ET’s return, for fear that it will cause more
trouble. Do you live with the pressure to conceal what’s important to
you?
you?
4. Are their new ways we could celebrate the resurrection? Things that would help us appreciate again the joy and wonder of it.
5. Did the clip make you think about anything else?
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