The Legendary Truth

Truth in the Land of Make Believe
by Father Ignatius Xavier




A Storyblazer Review of Movies

Fantasy & Science Fiction Films as a mirror reflecting God’s Truth


Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:10


The last place you would expect to find God is in a world overrun by vampires. The year is 2012 and 90% of the world has been wiped out by a lethal virus. 1% survived with immunity to the virus but were hunted down by the 9% that had turned into vampires. The last remaining normal human being is U.S. Army virologist Lieutenant colonel Robert Neville who is accompanied by his faithful dog Sam. He spends his days hunting, exercising, playing, searching for other possible survivors via a radio broadcast, and trying to find a cure for those turned into vampires, he has dubbed Dark Seekers.


Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. Psalm 139: 7-8


He thinks he is the last man on earth until he meets survivors Anna Montez and a young boy named Ethan. They heard one of Robert’s radio broadcasts and have come from Maryland to New York to find him. She tells a bitter and skeptical Robert that it was God who led her to him. “The world is quieter now. We just have to listen. If we listen, we can hear God's plan.” Mother Teresa tells us that “We cannot find God in noise and agitation. In silence He listens to us; in silence He speaks to our souls. In silence we are granted the privilege of listening to His voice.”


"The people, who were trying to make this world worse... are not taking a day off. How can I? Light up the darkness."-Robert Neville quoting Bob Marley


The last place you would think you could learn about God is in a science fiction horror movie. But God is always found in “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, and whatever is admirable, excellent or praiseworthy.” (Phil. 4:8) A good story will always reflect God’s truth. Jesus used stories to illustrate certain key points he wanted his listeners to understand because a good story incarnates truth into a knowable form that people can grasp easier than a straight theological lecture.

Peter Kreeft says of Tolkien’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ series, that one of the reasons why we love Middle-Earth so much is because it is more real then our own world. Through the lens of Fantasy we can see the truths in our own world more clearly. The purpose of this small set of essays is to get you to see the truth of the world more clearly through the medium of fiction portrayed in science fiction and fantasy films.

This genre of film is immensely popular with a great many of the worlds movie lovers as shown by the box office receipts it generates. Because of the popular appeal of this genre, it is ripe with opportunities to find traces of God in its storylines and images. You can not escape God’s presence. If you go see the latest Hollywood blockbuster, He can be there. If we look and listen with the eyes of the Holy Spirit we can see an analogy of God’s truth in many of the popular science fiction and fantasy films we love so much. So come and take a journey with Frodo, Luke Skywalker, Harry Potter, Spiderman and others as we explore God’s truth in the magical worlds of cinema.


Fiction is the truth inside the lie. -Stephen King

As you travel along the road of words in these essays some key quotes, either from the film itself or from some other reptile source, will stand out boldly to highlight certain key thoughts or ideas in the story. The quotes will either make a certain point more clear or just give you something fun to ponder about.