If you’ve noticed that Hollywood films that explicitly assume a Christian worldview and deal with matters of redemption or reconciliation are as rare these days as magic wardrobes, you might want to take note on Feb. 18 as two of them open in theaters on the same day.

In most respects, Constantine and Because of Winn-Dixie couldn’t be more different. Certainly they target completely different audiences, and few people will be looking to catch both films. But both are of interest to Christians with an eye on religious vocabulary and ideas in popular culture.

Constantine, starring Keanu Reeves, is a sort of cross between The Exorcist and Hellboy — a violent R-rated action-thriller based on a DC/Vertigo comic book about a cynical demon-hunter antihero who’s literally been to hell and back, and is futilely trying to earn his way into God’s good graces by fighting demons.

Because of Winn-Dixie is a heartwarming family film faithfully adapted from a best-selling Newbery Honor book about the 10-year-old daughter of a Baptist preacher, and how their lives and those of others in their town are changed by a big, scruffy dog. Like Holes, another excellent adaptation of a beloved children’s book, Because of Winn-Dixie is from Walden Media, the education-oriented film house that is bringing C. S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe to theaters this December.

Recently the director, writers and stars of Constantine spoke to the Register and other outlets about various aspects of the film, including its religious vocabulary and conventions. Micheal Flaherty, co-founder of Walden Media, also spoke with the Register about Winn-Dixie and The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe.

Comments from the Constantine filmmakers about the film’s religious themes have at times resembled a panel discussion of theologians from various denominations, each with differing perspectives.

Asked about the role of Catholic or broadly Christian themes in the film and its source material, screenwriter Kevin Brodbin commented, “It does have maybe a Judeo-Christian basis, but it was never firmly one religion or the other.” But co-writer Frank Capello disagreed. “I think that religion, Christianity, heaven and hell is a big part of the comic book,” he said. “It is there a lot.”

How did star Keanu Reeves regard the film’s religious themes? “I think of it as just a kind of secular religosity,” he said. “The piece itself is using icons … a kind of Catholic heaven and hell, God and the devil [fighting for] human souls … I was hoping that these concepts could become a platform [for ideas] that are humanistic … even though they’re such fantastical characters and situations.”

On one point on which everyone agreed: Constantine’s demon-fighting isn’t selfless in motivation. “He’s sending demons to hell, but he’s doing it to buy favors from God,” said Broadbin. “He’s going to try to negotiate with God.” But Capello thinks there’s also another difficulty: Constantine’s direct experiences of the supernatural preclude true faith; since he knows, he can’t believe. “He knows it. There’s no faith going on here.”

Then there’s the question of repentance. In one scene, Constantine mentions the necessity of repenting in order to have one’s sins absolved. Why doesn’t Constantine simply repent? “His pride gets in the way of his asking to be let off the hook,” said Capello. “He basically says, ‘I’m going to do it myself.’ And when you believe in yourself, you don’t want to ask for help. You don’t want to lower yourself to beg.”

Does Constantine ultimately achieve redemption through selflessness? Capello doesn’t think so. “When you realize that it’s going to be over soon,” he said, “you’re going to align yourself to the side where you’re going to feel the least pain. I mean, truly it’s a selfish thing even in the end, I believe. It’s still selfish because I’ll feel less pain if I go [to Heaven] than if my soul is ripped apart for all [eternity].”

But the director and star disagree. “Did he make the sacrifice so that he could go to Heaven, or does he really mean it?” Keanu mused. “Utimately, he does; otherwise, the Man Upstairs knows, just like Santa Claus, if you’re telling a lie or if you’re really nice. He knows.” Lawrence concurs: “Because he is a con man you can say, Wow, is it a trick? But it can’t be a trick.” Pressed further about the film’s implications, though, Lawrence acknowledged simply: “If you really dig in, there are some little flaws in the rules.”

There are no angels or demons in Because of Winn-Dixie, but Micheal Flaherty is sure the story will appeal to religious audiences.

“What I love about it,” he said, “is that the little girl has a wonderful personal relationship with God. When she has a problem, she addresses God directly with it, and asks him for help. The other message that I think about it that’s so powerful is that too many times we think we have it all figured out, but the truth is we’re all broken … I think the film has a lot to say about when you are broken, the best thing to do is to lay those burdens down.”

Like other Walden films such as Holes and I Am David, Winn-Dixie tackles some tough themes, but in a way that is redemptive and accessible to children (my wife and I screened the film with our kids, ages 10, 6, 4 and under 2). The story “can be pretty complex,” Flaherty said, “and there’s a lot of interesting themes in there that adults can really relate to as well. … There are [also] enough dog moments and slapstick in there that the [really young] kids don’t get completely restless.”

Regarding the Narnia books, Flaherty said, “We’re big C. S. Lewis fans, and we’re really looking forward to bringing a faithful adaptation of The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe just as we did with Holes and Winn-Dixie. …  We’re in the business of faithful adaptations.”

Addressing fan concerns about the films respecting the Narnia stories’ allegorical dimension, Flaherty pointed to Walden’s PBS special The Question of God, which contrasted Lewis’s theistic worldview with Freud’s materialistic one as evidence of Walden’s sensitivity to matters of religious belief in general and Lewis’s outlook in particular.

“I don’t know why people now feel the need to divorce the mind from the soul,” he said. “They can coexist — you can have something that really makes you think, that’s based on great literature, that also has a strong message about a hope in the unseen, about the transcendent.”

“Faith is one of the most transformational things in human history,” he concluded, “and if you want to tell great stories, many times it’s going to involve that. You shouldn’t ignore it.”

Steven D. Greydanus, editor and chief critic of  DecenFilms.com,

writes from Bloomfield, New Jersey.