Spring's in the air and its Easter weekend, so I thought it would be interesting to take a look at 15 movie characters that rose from the dead just like Jesus Christ.
But there are a few rules and guidelines:
a. A character must have physically/clinically died.
b. No zombies, ghosts/spirits or vampires -- because we'd be here all day.
c. No seemingly "omnipotent" characters, like Michael Myers or Freddy Krueger.
15. The T-800 - Terminator 2: Judgment Day, 1991Cyborg Arnold Schwarzenegger uses brute force against the athleticism of Robert Patrick's improved T-1000 model. The robotic ruckus ends with T-1000 terminating Arnie with a metal spear through the chest. But Arnie always said he'd be back... and so it proves to be, thanks to emergency power kicking in moments later!
14. Selina Kyle – Batman Returns, 1992Shy receptionist Selina Kyle discovers her boss' criminal activities and is pushed out of a high-rise window to her death. But that's not the end of Selina, because a group of alley cats resuscitate her and transform her into PVC-clad Catwoman...
13. Imhotep – The Mummy, 1999As punishment for killing Pharoah Seti and sleeping with his mistress, Egyptian priest Imhotep was mummified alive and cursed. In 1923, he is resurrected after treasure hunters trespass in his tomb and plots to bring his dead lover back to life...
12. Kenny - South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, 1999This youngster has made death an art-form after cheating the Grim Reaper countless times in the South Park cartoon series. In 1999's movie, Kenny is killed after lighting a fart and goes to Hell after doctors accidentally replace his heart with a potato! Kenny later ascends to Heaven after being granted a final wish by Satan. Yes, he didn't technically return to life in the film, but he somehow managed to by the time the next TV episode aired...
11. Al Simmons - Spawn, 1997During a military operation, government assassin Al Simmons is double-crossed by his boss and murdered. Simmons finds himself sent to Hell, where a demon called Malebolgia offers him a deal: if he agrees to lead Hell's army in Armageddon he'll be allowed to return to Earth to see his wife...
10. Jean Grey - X-Men: The Last Stand, 2006Telepath Jean Grey was drowned after a dam collapsed in X-Men II, but returned in the sequel. Unfortunately for her fellow X-Men, the trauma had released her psychopathic alter-ego "The Phoenix"...
9. Alex Draven - The Crow, 1994Musician Alex Draven watches his girlfriend get raped and killed, before he's murdered too. Fortunately, one year later, a legend about a crow allowing the dead to return and avenge their death proves accurate...
8. Aslan - The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe, 2005To save the life of young Edmund, mighty lion Aslan agrees to sacrifice himself. Aslan is later slaughtered on a Stone Table by the White Witch, but returns to life thanks to ancient knowledge that innocents cannot be slain in a traitor's stead. Lucky that!
7. Ellen Ripley - Alien Resurrection, 1997Her sacrifice in Alien 3 seemed to herald the end of Ellen Ripley's battle with the alien creatures, but scientists clone her 200 years later to extract the alien she was carrying. Ripley was effectively brought back to life, albeit in a hybrid guise...
6. Voldemort – Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, 2005Harry Potter's nemesis was killed after Harry's mother sacrificed herself to save her son, deflecting his "Killing Curse" and disembodying Lord Voldemort. While his spiritual presence is sometimes felt, Voldemort only regained a physical form after a minion uses some of Harry's blood to perform a magical ritual in a graveyard...
5. Spock - Star Trek III: The Search For Spock, 1984After saving the crew of the U.S.S Enterprise by fixing the ship's warp drive, Spock died of radiation poisoning in Star Trek II. In the sequel, the Vulcan returned thanks to his dead body being "reborn" on a life-giving planet and Dr McCoy being the unwitting host of his spiritual essence...
4. Alex Murphy - RoboCop, 1987Officer Murphy made a bad career choice when he transferred to Detroit. Within hours he was tortured by a criminal gang who shot him to pieces and left him for dead. Fortunately, Murphy got a chance to avenge his own death after being resurrected as cyborg law-enforcer RoboCop...
3. Thomas "Neo" Anderson - The Matrix, 1999Computer hacker Neo learns that the world is a simulation, people are being used as batteries for sentient machines and he's mankind's prophesized Saviour. At the end of the film he gets a belly full of lead, but overcomes his fatal wounds to become "The One" and dish out some payback...
2. E.T - E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial, 1982Stranded on Earth, E.T is taken in by a young boy called Elliot, who hides him from the government authorities. Days later, scientists find E.T and quarantine Elliot's home, but the sick alien dies. As Elliot's heart breaks, E.T's starts beating again and the two friends escape together on a BMX. Cue the John Williams theme tune and get those hankies ready...
1. Jesus - The Passion Of The Christ, 2004JC just had to be number one. After a life spent spreading the word of God and performing miracles, Jesus was cruelly sentenced to death by crucifixion. Of course, having died on the cross after unspeakable tortures, three days later his corpse had mysteriously vanished...
