The God of Continuity

People who know me well are sometimes reluctant to watch movies with me. The reason for this is rather simple: I take great joy in pointing out continuity problems in films. When something doesn't match up from one scene to another, I will often share my unsolicited insights with those around me... sometimes destroying the cinematic moment for my long-suffering companions.

The 1968 movie, Bullitt, has one of the best car chase scenes ever filmed. In the movie, Steve McQueen goes after a miracle-performing Dodge Charger in his Ford Mustang. The Charger keeps losing its hubcaps only to have them reappear on the wheels in the next scene. If I remember correctly, by the end of the 10-minute chase scene the Dodge has lost a total of five wheel covers... and still has some in place!

In Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines [2003] the central characters, John and Catherine, get into a Cessna with the N number (what you see on the tail of a plane) N3035C. Once they take off they are shown flying the same model plane with the number N3973F. Upon landing, the number miraculously returns to the original N3035C.

Like I said, people can get real touchy when I point these things out in the theater. 

For some reason only explained by my defective DNA spiral, I do not have the same issue with continuity in vintage cowboy movies. I rather enjoy seeing John Wayne shoot his pistol approximately fifty times before reloading. If John manages to kill fifty bad guys in the process, I experience no personal sensitivity. I realize this reveals a profound character flaw on my part, but as long as people do not bleed in old cowboy movies - and they rarely do - I feel no pain at their passing "to the round-up in the sky."

I find the same personal insensitivity is present when I read certain parts of biblical history. In 2 Kings, chapter 1, we find the story of Ahaziah falling through the lattice on the second floor of his palace. Rather than seek after the true God, the injured Ahaziah sends his messengers to ask Baal-zebub, the god of the flies (or, god of the Earth), about his possibilities for a full-recovery. Elijah, the Tishbite stops the king's men with the question, "Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-zebub..?"

The part of the story where I have to confront my own insensitivity is when King Ahaziah sends fifty soldiers to bring Elijah back to him. The prophet calls down fire from heaven and all fifty are immediately microwaved. This happens a second time with the same results. Finally, the captain of the third group of fifty sent by the king humbles himself and begs for the lives of his men and Elijah goes "down with him to the king."

Rather than experiencing moral conflict and remorse about the death of one hundred men (101 if you include the king who eventually dies as a result of his fall), I actually find the story rather captivating. I think the life and ministry of Elijah would be a great movie and almost certainly have spectacular special effects. I know I would buy a ticket to see it... even if I had to go alone.

Of course, I doubt this will ever happen. After all, the "continuity" in Elijah's story is that God is great and man is, well, sinful. No miracle-performing Dodge Chargers will ever change this fact. No Hollywood sleight of hand can do away with this truth. Much to the chagrin of many movie-making elite, there is still a God in Hollywood and He does not take kindly to the entertainment industry bowing down before the god of this earth.