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Wow. Last year we saw so many films flop that it’s not even funny. Disney, Marvel, DC Comics, Star Wars, Doctor Who, all the usual suspects got paid in “exposure” but not much else. But we did see several breakout movie wins in the year 2023. What did we love? What did we ignore? How can Christians best discern these supposed “get woke go broke” stories?

Mission update

• This week, we started the Voyage of the Dawn Treader book quest.
• We also shared a Voyage review. Next week we review Once A Queen.
• Subscribe free to get updates and join the Lorehaven Guild

Episode sponsors

1. Enclave Publishing: Water’s Break
2. The Culling Begins by Anthony DeGroot
3. I. W.R.I.T.E.: How to Write a Novel course

Concession stand

• Of course, at Lorehaven we focus on Christian-made books.
• Talking about onscreen stories is a “side quest” for us.
• We want to like onscreen stories, not criticize them.
• Also, if we’re not careful, we’ll just remake episode 144!

1. Heroes who won the large and small screens

• Star Trek: Picard season 3
• One Piece (Netflix live action)
• Godzilla: Minus One
• Two from WBD: Barbie and Wonka (Stephen hasn’t seen either)
• Almost anything from Universal Studios, such as Mario and Oppenheimer
• Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse (not Stephen’s favorite but still solid)

2. Heroes who got beaten by real-life villains

• All the Warner Bros. Discovery DC movies: Shazam 2, The Flash, Blue Beetle, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
• Almost all the Disney Marvel movies: Ant-Man 3, The Marvels
• Even the better-praised Marvel shows got very low viewership; the worst was likely Secret Invasion with its reported subversion of Nick Fury
• (Stephen literally needed to remind himself about all these names.)
• This year’s Doctor Who doubled down on its mean-spirited subversion.
• Once again, the Star Wars shows failed to impress many fans
• Now lately we have everyone’s favorite Lucasfilm head promising more feminism in space, as if we haven’t already had good and bad heroines.

3. Our theories why villains are beating heroes

• “Superhero fatigue,” tired of the genre, too much homework
• Oversaturation and watering down with too many shows
• People are also disillusioned with streaming’s disposability
• “Woke” content and perception of feminism, fan-hatred
• None of these account for corporations doubling down
• Why in the world do these people want to lose money?
• Stephen’s reply: inner guilt, craving for “righteousness”
• They’re not all about the money; they want to feel good

Com station

• What were your favorite or disliked movies and shows of 2023?

Kirk commented on ep. 192:

Hi guys,

First time listener. Loved Episode 192, Twenty Years Ago: How did Return of the King Rule the Movies? Fantastic podcast and as a Tolkien nerd myself, I appreciated all the references to the actual books as well as the focus on true heroes and good & evil. I read the Hobbit and LOTR when I was in 3rd and 4th grade and Tolkien’s worldview and setting informs my own writing and fantasy milieu.

Great stuff. Keep up the good work.

Jason Brown also remarked on ep. 192:

Hello, gents! In regards to the last episode, it was revealed through some YouTube video that Peter Jackson had been hinting at some surprise for the movie’s 25th anniversary. The big fan theory is a possible extension of the movie series. That might go well with the recently announced anime movie War of the Rohirrim.

As for Lawhead, I’ve been reading his books since he released his time-travelling Bright Empires series. With that said, long time fans of his hope that, with this “Lawhead Renaissance,” as it were, the next series of his to be adapted may be his Song of Albion trilogy (which I would be okay with). Anyway, I should get back to reading The Pendragon Cycle before the show comes out. Take care and God bless this year!

Next on Fantastical Truth

After the holiday break, we’re still catching up! This topic may open up future episodes about how Christians discern this new and rather sad “popular culture.” We’re reaching out to new guests who have firm yet balanced views on this subject. Meanwhile, we’re often switching off our screens, making reader resolutions, and hitting the books! This season we will share the best Christian-made fantastical novels and their authors.