I decided to spend the evening watching movie and went to the local DVD store and got "Lost City Raiders" out... bad move... I am sad to say it was one of the worst movies I have ever seen. I should have read the back a bit closer and see that it was made for TV. After viewing it I did read a couple of reviews and came across a review on the iMDb by 'seenafilm' which summed up the plot and the film.
"Basically constructed as a cheaper TV imitation of familiar mega productions (Tomb Raider, Indiana Jones, Waterworld etc.), "Lost City Raiders" presents the ultimate explanation for the climate catastrophe: we all live in a gigantic bathtub, and every few thousand years, someone needs to pull the plug to lower the water level. Moses did it once, and our heroes just need to find his scepter to repeat the trick."
As post-apocalyptic films go it seems the global warming 'rising' caused by (and I am assuming it is a reference to Genesis 'the waters above and the waters below') had managed to leave 10% of the world's land liveable and above water without causing horrific and catastrophic wars over who got to live on the remaining dry land and it would seem causing world wide famine. It was a very clean although wet (and insipid) post-apocalyptic environment. Maybe it reflects the hope of the rich affluent western worldview that (in very New Zealand terms) 'she'll be right', that the lifestyle that is enjoyed now will be able to continue and simply be a little inconvenienced by world disasters.
I know that there is much speculation about the science of global warming and rising sea levels, but the answer is surely not steady as she goes. The questions being raised about the sustainability of the way we live and use resources does need to be asked and answered.
The second thing I noticed about this movie was the 'hope' that things were able to be solved by finding a 'silver bullet' in this case a mystical, magical sceptre that some ancient power (be it alien or other had left). I wonder if we haven't fallen into that mind set? Looking for quick fixes be they miraculous Scientific breakthroughs or some other source in the hope that just maybe we won't actually have to change our way of living. I know such movies as 'Lost City Raiders' are cheap escapism but I do wonder if they don't reflect a longing within us for that escaping from the challenges of life.
People look at religion in that light and Christians have looked at God as the ultimate quick fix/silver bullet. In the movie there is even one character who portrays the whole hey its the end of the world so let just go with it and be ready for the next mentality. sadly seen in many places and versions of the Christian faith. But Jesus invitation is to live in a different way, rather than look for a way out. I struggled with Brian Mclaren's book 'Everything Must Change' but I sense the truth of it as he addresses what he calls the world's suicide machine of consumption with Jesus teaching. The gospel is a call to a lifestyle and a life commitment rather than a life raft. It's not a get out jail free card we need ( justification by faith notwithstanding) but a get into life in a new way.
is the film worth watching. Well a facebook friend of mine replied to a scathing post of mine about the movie, that they like watching B grade (C grade) sci-fi movies for the laugh. I'm not even sure I could recommend it for that. I would be interested to know if other people find the same reoccurring theme of looking for the silver bullet/ quick fix in movies and how that feflects what we believe and how we live.
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