Soul

Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) is a band teacher who has dreamed of playing professionally as a Jazz musician. On the greatest day of his life, he auditions for a Jazz legend before dying in a freak accident. The next thing he knows, he finds himself on a mystical stairway in space leading to “The Great Beyond.”

Joe refuses to accept his fate and, determined to return to his previous life, ends up instead in “The Great Before.” Here ‘new souls’ work on developing their “spark,” the thing that will bring them joy in life. Once they get their “spark” they are sent to begin their life on Earth. Mistaken for a mentor, he is assigned the most difficult of new souls simply named, “22.” 22 (Tina Fey) can’t fathom why Joe wants to get back to his boring life but is intrigued enough to learn more about what is so great on Earth.

An animated, metaphysical romp through the fantasy “before-life,” “Soul” is at times, charming, playful, funny but also a clever way to look at the passions that drive us towards our own fulfillment and purpose in life. By no means an overtly offensive nor a theologically accurate view of ‘the soul,’ the film includes some points of concern.

Content of Concern

Hindu/New Age Religion: The character 22 introduces Joe to a friend, Moonwind (Graham Norton), a hippie whose beliefs harken to Eastern philosophies and rituals and speaks of one’s ‘chakra.’ A soul on the way to “The Great Beyond” speaks of her different expectations of the after-life, however keep in mind that neither God’s final judgment, nor eternal life in Heaven are ever shown or addressed. Rather, the film messages a different impression with a worldview more consistent with Hindu/New Age suppositions, in contradiction to God’s Word.

Lastly, the angelic-seeming caretakers of ‘new souls’ are depicted as ever-changing, two-dimensional living lines-of-force, who describe themselves as “the coming together of all quantized fields of the universe.” What a shame not to acknowledge God’s angels who are very real, very powerful first creations of God.

Violence: Mild. Slapstick represents the majority of the violence, which is seldom directed towards another person, and when 22 slaps Joe several times it is only to show him that nothing can hurt souls in that realm. Likewise, a giant construct falls on a group of ‘new souls’ but they simply walk through it while laughing. Joe is seen before the opening credits as falling through a manhole to his off-screen death.

Scariness: The most frightening aspects of “The Great Before” takes place primarily in the realm called, The Zone. Here, souls that are obsessed with something on Earth are disconnected from ‘life’ and become grotesque, monstrous versions of themselves. Parents of younger children should be warned that this imagery may scare them.

Language: Minor. God’s name is not taken in vain, except for a single use of “Oh my Lord.” The word “h*ll” is used numerous times (12+), albeit playfully and innocently by “new-souls.” This happens after Joe asks, “Is this H-E double hockey sticks?” The word “h*llish” is used once. “Cr*p” is also uttered.

Sex/Nudity: None.

Food for Thought

GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY— Joe states, “I’m not dying the very day I get my shot.” Similar to the parable of the rich fool who thought he had more time, Joe doesn’t consider the fact that God alone determines our time on Earth. He alone is in control.

“But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” —Luke 12:21

“…whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” —James 4:13-14

“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” —Proverbs 16:9

THE SOUL— The film depicts various personality traits as they are being assigned to new souls to ‘round them out’ before they can move on to Earth. Although this is not accurate Biblically, the Holy Scripture contains many references to our Lord ‘knowing us’ before we were born testifying both to His omniscience and position as Creator of all aspects of reality who knew the end from the beginning.

“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made… Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” —Psalm 139:13-16

CONTENTMENT— Joe is stunned to learn that his barber had always wanted to be a Veterinarian. Joe laments that he must be unhappy, but his barber counters that he is as happy as a clam. The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians speaks clearly on this.

“Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.” —Philippians 4:13

Furthermore, we see that after Joe attains his dream job he has a moment of clarity and doesn’t feel as fulfilled as he had expected. We remember the joy he had mentoring the kids in his band class and can’t help but wonder along with him if that was the better path for him.

“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” —Philippians 2:4

Our Lord Jesus himself addressed our desires, but in context of our Heavenly Father and in the proper order.

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness: and all these things shall be added unto you.” —Matthew 6:33

On the other hand, 22, who has never known joy, gets a taste of it on Earth when she takes in its beauty (God’s creations). Later, Joe experiences a bit of that wonder as seen through 22’s eyes.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.” —Psalm 19:1

PURPOSE— Joe’s “spark” is his love of music, but he takes it to the next level when he declares, “My only purpose on this planet is to play.” As the film’s angelic stand-ins tell him, his spark is not his purpose. Mentoring, whether it be to his students or 22 seems to be at the core of both his contentment and his purpose. Our Heavenly Father wants nothing less for us, but we are to be looking at Him if we want to find our purpose.

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” —Jeremiah 29:11

“Who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.” —2 Timothy 1:9

Conclusion

“Soul” splits its time between two worlds, the metaphysical and the real, and in the process produces the kind of thrilling visuals we have come to expect from Pixar. Story-wise, this may be the studios’ most adult film yet. The drawback being that the emotional crossroads Joe is going through will not resonate with a younger audience. The film is unlikely to hold the interest of many youngsters.

The middle act, where 22 is in Joe’s body and Joe is in his therapy cat is the most engaging and features the film’s most hilarious scenes, but that tone is quickly lost when that chapter comes to an abrupt close.

“Soul” has some decent messages, but it is combined with a confused Hindu/New Age worldview. Sadly, it misses the opportunity to make the final leap to address our true purpose or God and His wonderful ultimate plan for mankind. Ultimately, “Soul” comes across as a somewhat fascinating but often middling effort that falls short of Pixar at its best.

• Violence: Mild
• Profane language: Minor
• Occult: Minor
• Vulgar/Crude language: None
• Nudity: None
• Sex: None
• Drugs/Alcohol: None

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