Saving the World and Healing the Soul

“This book goes much deeper than analyzing The Jason Bourne movies, Christopher Nolan's Batman series, Twilight, and the films based on the Hunger Games books. McCarthy and Blaugher reveal how our expectations about courage, heroism, and salvation are determined by these films. More importantly, they give readers reasons to hold onto ideas of hope, justice, and love in our overly complex world. This is required reading for students of cultural studies, film studies, gender studies, philosophy, psychology, religious studies, and theology.”

Jacob L. Goodson

“This engaging volume points to the power of stories and the hero's journey in these unstable and uncertain times. Though not always favorites among critics, the films profiled herein have caught the public's imagination by serving as windows into basic questions of our humanity and providing touchstones for a society searching for order and meaning. Through attention to romance, love, redemption, and the hero's quest to navigate the forces of good and evil, Saving the World and Healing the Soul makes a compelling case for the action blockbuster as a religious narrative for the twenty-first century.”

Ann W. Duncan

“Compelling, accessible, provocative, and always entertaining, Saving the World and Healing the Soul shows us how goodness and truth and humanity are always as close as a theater (or tablet screen) near you. In their super-engaging treatment of films like The Hunger Games and The Dark Knight Rises, the authors serve us by both dealing with films people actually watch, and helping us know how to watch them, a treat even better than buttered popcorn.”

Jonathan Tran