Emerging Scholars Blog

InterVarsity's Emerging Scholars Network

sci-fi film festival

Science Corner: Magical Multiverse Thinking

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness deals more explicitly with the occult than its predecessor; make of that what you will. (Image © Marvel Studios)

I went to see Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness this weekend. (There are no spoilers ahead.) This was only my third trip to an indoor movie in 2 years. Part of my calculus was the fact that I’d be going to see my daughter in her first school musical later that evening. I obviously wasn’t going to miss that. At the same time, if I were to get sick later, I wouldn’t want that to retroactively cloud my memories of my daughter’s performance. But with multiple activities in the same weekend, I add plausible uncertainty without putting other people at additional risk (meaning it was very unlikely I could get infected at the movie in the morning and already be contagious by the evening). Is that kind of thinking scientific? Is it rational? Is it magical?
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Sci-Fi Film Fest: Talking The Rise of Skywalker (Pt 2)

Rey with lightsaber, tensed and ready to run
What comes next is a pretty neat trick. (Image © Lucasfilm)

Welcome back to the ongoing Emerging Scholars Network Sci-Fi Film Festival! I’m having conversations on various classic and current science fiction movies. Feel free to watch along and join the conversation. This week’s film is 2019’s Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker. The conclusion of the 40+ year Star Wars saga was too big for one guest, so this week I’m joined by previous contributors Mike Beidler and Sam Blair and new addition to the festival Will Rose. The conversation was also two big for one post; last week we took a look at the Dark Side of the Force and this week we turn to the Light. [Read more…] about Sci-Fi Film Fest: Talking The Rise of Skywalker (Pt 2)

Sci-Fi Film Fest: Talking The Rise of Skywalker (Pt 1)

Rey and Kylo Ren face off with lightsabers
Once again, a clash of the Light and the Dark (Image © Lucasefilm)

Welcome back to the ongoing Emerging Scholars Network Sci-Fi Film Festival! I’m having conversations on various classic and current science fiction movies. Feel free to watch along and join the conversation. This week’s film is 2019’s Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker. The conclusion of the 40+ year Star Wars saga was too big for one guest, so this week I’m joined by previous contributors Mike Beidler and Sam Blair and new addition to the festival Will Rose. The conversation was also two big for one post, so this week we’ll take a look at the Dark Side of the Force before turning to the Light next week.
[Read more…] about Sci-Fi Film Fest: Talking The Rise of Skywalker (Pt 1)

Science Corner: Talking The Matrix with Mike Beidler (Pt 2)

still from The Matrix of Thomas Anderson hiding in an office
Early on, The Matrix seems like a story about escaping the drudgeries of cubicle life. (Image © Warner Brothers)

Welcome back to our Sci-Fi Film Festival. This week, I continue my conversation with Mike Beidler about The Matrix as we chat about vocation and Christ figures. You can find the first half of the conversation here, including details about Mike’s own red pill awakening on matters of science and his thoughts on using storytelling as an invitation to deeper reflection.
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Science Corner: Talking The Matrix with Mike Beidler (Pt 1)

Photo of Cornel West in character in The Matrix
I love that the Wachowskis didn’t just put philosopher Cornel West’s ideas in their films, they put the man himself in the films too. (Image © Warner Brothers)

Welcome back to the Emerging Scholars Network Sci-Fi Film Festival! We took a little hiatus, but we’re back to our conversations on various classic and current science fiction movies. Feel free to watch along and join the conversation. This week’s film is another 20-year-old classic from 1999: The Matrix. I’m joined once again by retired U.S. Navy commander (thanks for your service) and American Scientific Affiliation (ASA) & BioLogos affiliate Mike Beidler. Mike previously joined us to discuss The Phantom Menace, a movie that failed to live up to galactic expectations; by contrast, The Matrix came out of nowhere and blew everyone away.
[Read more…] about Science Corner: Talking The Matrix with Mike Beidler (Pt 1)