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Easter has always been an awkward holiday for me.
Mixed in with a fairly straightforward Christian observance celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, you have some very weird elements (odder maybe than someone coming back from the dead).
You have brightly colored eggs and bunnies, fertility elements left over from the Sumerians, Babylonians or perhaps the Romulans; baskets which maybe have to do with the story of Moses; and jellybeans, which probably have something to do with a man named Jack who needed to sell a cow.
We observe the day with chocolate, prayer and a ham dinner to celebrate the return of a man who was contractually obligated not to eat pork.
None of this makes much sense. And since Mel Gibson gave up being a likeable action star with some comedic timing, we’ve also had “The Passion of the Christ” thrown into the mix.
I don’t like “The Passion of the Christ.” It’s an unpleasant period drama in need of a wise-cracking sidekick, a musical number or maybe just an illustrated lunchbox and Thermos set for the kids.
I’ve never liked it. Among Gibson’s directorial works, I much prefer “Apocalypto,” which I think is his best work, or “Braveheart,” which is about as historically accurate as a “Muppet Show” skit but made invading England look like fun.
“Hacksaw Ridge” is pretty good, too.
Oh sure, there are other religious-like movies out there you could watch instead to celebrate the holiday. Some of them are probably pretty good, though none come to mind right away except for “The Ten Commandments,” which was a yearly obligation to watch when I was a kid.
I much prefer Charlton Heston’s work in “Omega Man” and “Planet of the Apes.” I digress …
My best Easter movie suggestion is to load up on Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. These beautifully crafted films are loving adaptations of the source material by J.R.R. Tolkien, but don’t get bogged down with some of the wonky elements that only dice-rolling nerds care about.
Mostly, only the dice-rolling nerds will get that reference, by the way.
Christian readers know that Tolkien’s Middle-earth is loaded with religious themes, while fans of sword and sorcery films get to see goblins, trolls and a talking tree. There’s adventure, romance and short people running around barefoot — if you’re into that kind of thing.
Just be sure to stick with the original trilogy and give the bloated “The Hobbit” prequel trilogy a pass.
Bill Lynch covers entertainment. He can be reached at 304-348-5195 or lynch@hdmediallc.com. Follow @lostHwys on Twitter and @billiscap on Instagram.
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