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Many critics bemoaned 2001 as a terrible year for movies. For some religious critics, the year's only significant topic was the terrible evil of Harry Potter, and they exhorted parents to keep their kids away from a fairy tale that might lure them into dangerous waters. (Interestingly, those same critics lauded Fellowship of the Ring because the author was a Christian, even though the Dungeons and Dragons phenomenon and much of our culture's obsession with magic and fantasy stems from love of The Lord of the Rings.) Meanwhile, other moviegoers found spiritual truths evident in Shrek, Amelie, Moulin Rouge,Memento, Mulholland Drive, even in Harry Potter.

Daniel Taylor, author of The Healing Power of Stories, talks to Christians about the importance of exploring stories that come from secular culture. "There is a great hunger for meaning … for justice," he said in a recent interview. "Many things that we think are in 'our province' are things that are also in these stories, because everybody is made in the image of God. We might be quick to say 'This is secular, this is non-Christian, or this is liberal' or anything that distances us from it. That is an immoral way of listening. We listen because they are human beings … who have things to tell us that we need to know and will be better for hearing. And at the same time, listening to their stories will help us form relationships with them."

Last week I asked fellow critics and readers what 2001 answers are a testament to how God can reach us through all kinds of secular art—heavy political dramas, animated lowbrow humor, French romantic comedies, bombfilms were meaningful to them. I received a flood of opinions. Their astic postmodern musicals, action-packed epic myth, and more.

For me, it was an unforgettable year, if only because the literary world I loved as a child finally came to the big screen in a worthy adaptation with Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings—The Fellowship of the Ring. It is remarkable how the actors bring each beloved character passionately to life. Viewers can't miss the story's emphasis on moral responsibility and the seductive nature of evil. It has its flaws—Jackson struggles with the size and scope of the novel, and inevitably rushes things along at a breakneck pace to try and encompass as much as possible. We're left rattled, exhausted, and Tolkien fans complain about how the film skips some favorite episodes. But that harrowing cliffhanger ending sent almost everyone I know to the bookstore or the library, eager to find out what happens next, unwilling to wait until The Two Towers opens next December. Any movie that makes people read great literature is a reason to celebrate. I can't wait for the DVD release, which reportedly features 40 more minutes of essential storytelling.

I was also moved by the ebullience of Moulin Rouge, Baz Luhrman's pop-opera valentine to "silly love songs," which also acted as a parable about Christian love's triumph over base and carnal lust. Waking Life served up hours of challenging philosophical debates. It pointed towards God instead of self-interest, a refreshing change, offering fodder for after-movie discussions. And others—The Road Home, The Royal Tenenbaums, Divided We Fall, and Amelie offered inspiring stories of individuals who seek healing for themselves, their families, and even total strangers. And while Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone wasn't a great film, I was impressed by the symbolic importance of magic in the story, as a way of talking about gifts and talents that make each child special and full of potential. (For the rest of my year-end wrap-up, visit Looking Closer.)

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January (Web-only) 2002, Vol. 46