If you see only one religiously-themed movie, see this one...

Like a lot of people, I didn't quite know what to make of this movie when I first saw it. Was it pro or anti Christian? Pro or anti religious? And at the end of the movie, did the Rapture even actually take place - or was it all in Sharon's mind?

And like a lot of people, I was somewhat frustrated that I had let the movie suck me in, stayed with it despite some less-than-stellar production values, obvious budgetary constraints, and a thoroughly depressing storyline - and then when it finally ended I wasn't even really sure what had happened.

Years later, I realize that the same attributes that left me puzzled and depressed when I first watched the movie are the exact same attributes that make it possibly the most truly intriguing religiously-themed movie ever made.

Movies such as 'The Passion of the Christ' and 'The Last Temptation of Christ' - despite having more polished writing and directing, and far superior production values - ultimately fail to truly change anyone's mind for the simple reason that there was never any doubt what the creators of these movies wanted us to believe in the first place. And if you believed what the creators believed before seeing their movies, you would believe what they believe afterwards. If you didn't subscribe to their beliefs beforehand, the creators weren't about to succeed in changing your mind - even if they might well succeed in pissing you off.

Of all the explanations of the intent of The Rapture, the one that seems most plausible to me is that the events at the end of the film actually DID occur - but that the filmmakers' intent is basically anti-Christian, and to say that even if things did turn out to be exactly the way this one particular religion predicted, they would still refuse God's offer of eternal salvation as their way of telling God to shove it for letting all the bad things in the world happen.

And as much as I admire such a unique perspective, what makes this movie truly compelling is the creators, REGARDLESS of their own beliefs, actually challenge us to make up our own minds - not only about the movie itself, but about God and religion in general. And that alone makes this movie the one religiously-themed movie that actually explores religion - and perhaps the only one truly worth exploring.