10 Great Movies You Didn't Know Had A Hidden Symbolic Meaning

5. Jesus Christ Allegory - E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

Dozens of movies have used passages and parables from the Bible as inspiration for their themes and symbols, a number of them drawing upon the figure of Jesus Christ to inform the development of their characters. A much-discussed example many readers may be familiar with is the film Robocop, not least with its rather heavy-handed symbolism of Robocop appearing to walk on water. Steven Speilberg's E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial is another movie in which the arc undertaken by its protagonist has been said to mirror the story of Christ. There are a number of parallels throughout the film, including: Jesus was pursued by Herod and protected by three wise men/E.T. is pursued by scientists and protected by three children; Jesus was a carpenter/E.T. is discovered in a shed, implying carpentry; Christ delivers the Sermon on the Mount preaching goodness/E.T.'s first words are "Be good." Whether or not this interpretation was explicitly intended, it's hard not to notice the comparisons when watching the film. After all, the poster campaign itself, depicting E.T.'s glowing finger touching Elliot's, is directly reminiscent of the touching fingers of God and Adam in Michelangelo's masterpiece Creation of Man. Whether this can be taken as proof of E.T.'s religious allegory or a cunning marketing stunt using well-known iconography is up to the reader to decide.