Post by Lesa on Apr 13, 2005 22:23:27 GMT -6
Revelations already is drawing protests from religious scholars who object to its interpretation of the Bible, though many have yet to see the series. "It's a very distinct line of interpretation and a very popular one, but it's much more problematic," says Craig Hill, an author and expert at debunking myths about the Book of Revelation in the popular Left Behind series of novels. "The whole notion that the apocalypse is to be prevented would be a very foreign idea (even) to followers of Left Behind. You really do have to twist the Bible to end up with this result."
Barbara Nicolosi, who heads Act One, a non-profit group that trains religious writers and executives for careers in Hollywood, says the pilot script appears "well-crafted," but "it's very insulting to people of faith to see our scriptures and doctrines mixed up with weird, occultic imagery and scenarios. I think that the red-state, religious, Passion of the Christ-loving audience whom NBC is trying to attract with this kind of programming will actually be repelled."
Source: USA Today
Barbara Nicolosi, who heads Act One, a non-profit group that trains religious writers and executives for careers in Hollywood, says the pilot script appears "well-crafted," but "it's very insulting to people of faith to see our scriptures and doctrines mixed up with weird, occultic imagery and scenarios. I think that the red-state, religious, Passion of the Christ-loving audience whom NBC is trying to attract with this kind of programming will actually be repelled."
Source: USA Today
The pilot was preceded by a one-hour special on The Davinci Code, which a lot of religious scholars also object to, although both artistic works are advertised as fiction. So why the big fuss? Are they afraid that people don't understand the meaning of fiction and that they'll mistake it for being historically correct? Maybe they are the ones who don't understand the meaning of fiction?
Even if NBC didn't come right out and say that Revelations is pure fiction that and is only loosely based on the Book of Revelation, I think the first clue would be their portrayal of a nun who, despite her great faith in scripture and in Christ, is trying to stop the apocalypse. Obviously, one would have to take a lot of artistic license on top of artistic license to make that into a story such as this, and it should be a given that some suspension of belief is needed in order to enjoy it for what it is, which is fiction.
That said, I loved the pilot of this miniseries. I find it to be imaginative, suspenseful, and beautifully produced. At the end of the hour, I was wishing the pilot had been two hours, because I can't wait to see what happens next.
Highlight for spoilers:
The show opens with a professor talking to his class about the creation of the universe and Earth. A student asks if there is any room for God in his scenario, to which he replied that God fits into any scenario, if only he would make Himself known. Well, I'm sure plenty of people will see for themselves soon enough!
The integral characters of this story are introduced to us in the next four scenes. In the first scene, Harvard scientist Richard Massey (played by Bill Pullman) is on an airplane returning home from Columbia after helping to catch his 12-year-old daughter Lucy's murderer. Her murderer, Satanist Isaiah Haden (played by Michael Massee) is nearby on the same plane, handcuffed and with police escort. A news story concerning the case helps set up the scene, telling of how Haden had torn out her heart and used it in a Satanic ritual. While they experience turbulence, Haden is taunting Dr. Massey, during which he counts to three, snaps his fingers, and the turbulence suddenly stops. "Coincidence?" Haden asks, "I guess you'll never know."
The second scene begins by going back to the news, where they are talking about Sister Josepha Montafiore (Natascha McElhone), in a story they dub "Miracle on the Mountain." They drift from the newscast to the 'actual' situation, where she is with a massive crowd to observe a miraculous phenomenon. She sets up her video camera, and a shadow of Jesus on the cross materializes on the mountain, although there is nothing there that could create the shadow. She watches in amazement as the Shadow turns His head toward the crowd, then slowly 'disintegrates,' for lack of a better word.
Meanwhile, in an effort to find a ferry in distress, they discover what seems to be the only survivor in its sinking: a baby boy, sitting upright on a floating piece of the wreckage and smiling up at them. Christ reborn? Or the anti-Christ?
The fourth scene that sets up this story is of 12-year-old Olivia (played by twins Brittney and Chelsey Coyle), who is running through a golf course, trying not to be late for school. It begins to storm, then she is struck by lightning. At first it appears as though the lightning had disintegrated her, seeing only her shoes on the now-burnt patch of grass, but then they show her up in a tree, where she is then struck by lightning a 2nd time. She is taken to a hospital, apparently at a convent, where braindead Olivia starts reciting scripture in Latin as the priest gives her last rights.
Since the scripture Olivia was quoting had to do with armageddon, the priest calls Sister Josepha's foundation for assistance. Olivia starts 'channeling' again, so Sister Josepha puts a pencil in her hand and she draws a map with what looks like latitude and longitude coordinates. Somehow the map, or something Olivia whispered, led Sister Josepha to Dr. Massey, who quite understandably thought she was a total crackpot when she told him why she was there.
The doctor, who has more faith in science than he does in God, is very skeptical throughout the rest of the hour. But after seeing Satanist Isaiah chop off his own finger and not bleed, after realizing that the animal drawn on the map was something Lucy always used to draw for him and nobody else knew about it, he finally decides to call Josepha back.
While Massey is confronting Josepha -- how did you know about the donkey that Lucy used to draw me? -- brain dead Olivia goes into cardiac arrest. Josepha immediately takes off running to her room, and after Massey rolls his eyes in an "I can't believe I'm doing this" moment, he takes off running too. While Sister Joseph is yelling at the doctors to get her heart going again, Massey walks to Olivia's bed, pictures his own dead daughter, and holds her hand. A few seconds later, her hand twitches, and her heart begins beating again.
To be continued...
I've left out a lot of details, but this post is long enough as it is. Like I said, I can't wait to see what happens next!
I wonder what they pieced together that led to that belief/conclusion that he was the Apostle John.
