60 Examples of Cinematic Chiasmus

Posted on November 18, 2025 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Since 2014, I have written a lot of Cinematic Chiasmus articles. These explore the symmetry of individual films, trilogies, and even TV miniseries. I would like to present about 60 films (give or take) that mirror themselves in remarkable ways.

I know that all of these are already on my main Cinematic Chiasmus page, but they are not listed in a way that makes them super-easy to find on there. They are simply listed in the order they were published. I want to make it easier for you to find specific films, so I’ve put them in alphabetical order below. Continue reading →

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This Scene from Witness Shows What Happens When People Don’t Act Christian Anymore

Posted on November 11, 2025 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

It’s not normal to return good for evil or to love one’s enemies. For most of world history, we have accounts of people seeking revenge for wrongs committed against them, hating their enemies, and allowing anger to supersede patience and mercy.

Despite this, it’s easy to think that turning the other cheek and abiding by the Golden Rule are normal behaviors and attitudes. That’s because we have been surrounded by so many good people who are followers of Jesus Christ. It requires constant effort to maintain this fragile balance of love for everyone against our baser instincts. And we could be witnessing the end of an era if Christianity becomes less dominant in the world. Continue reading →

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Movie Matchups: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse vs. Back to the Future Part II

Posted on November 4, 2025 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is similar in many ways to Back to the Future Part II. I’m too excited to say much more than that in this introduction, so let’s just fly through their connections and see what sticks. Continue reading →

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When Bill Murray Turned a Baby Ruth Into a Tootsie Roll

Posted on October 28, 2025 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

All right, I’m in the mood for something fun. And since it’s nearly Halloween, I want to relate it to candy. Continue reading →

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Edge of Tomorrow’s Most Impressive Parlor Trick

Posted on October 21, 2025 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

In Edge of Tomorrow, Major William Cage experiences a time loop every time he is killed in battle fighting a horde of aliens called mimics. He also falls in love with a fellow soldier named Rita Vrataski along the way. Even though this might sound familiar, Edge of Tomorrow is more than a Groundhog Day meets Aliens movie mashup. It’s a magic trick. I’d like to explain what I mean by exploring my favorite sequence in the film. Continue reading →

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Why Idiocracy Speaks to Me on a Personal Level

Posted on October 14, 2025 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

When people watch Idiocracy, I imagine most of them are focused on the world it creates, not the main character Joe Bauers. He’s just supposed to be a vessel for reacting to all the craziness around him. But when I watch that film, I’m entirely focused on Joe and how he changes over the course of the story. It’s a perfect setup to force him to grow. Continue reading →

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Like Its Predecessor, Tron: Legacy Is a Symmetrical Film

Posted on October 7, 2025 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

What an interesting situation this is. You see, Tron was the first complete Cinematic Chiasmus I found as a result of a reader making that suggestion to me. That was Jordan, the same one responsible for Escape from New York, Dreamscape, Akira, Conan the Barbarian, Scream, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Goldfinger, Revenge of the Sith, X2: X-Men United, The Running Man, and Forbidden Planet.

However, this time the credit goes not to Jordan but to another amazing reader of mine. Jo recently asked me to see if the 2010 sequel Tron: Legacy is also a chiasmus. And it turns out that it is! Jo previously showed me that How to Train Your Dragon 2 is a chiasmus, and she helped me find the chiasmus in How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, The Lion King, and The Hunt for Red October, too.

So I’d like to give a huge round of applause to Jo for suggesting Tron: Legacy to me. Its chiasmus was a delight to discover, and now I’d like to present it to you. Continue reading →

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The Passing of a Prophet of God

Posted on September 30, 2025 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Death is always a sad thing, even if we can take solace in the fact that it is not the end of one’s existence. When the person who dies is righteous, then we can find joy in the eternal rewards they are reaping. In that spirit, I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the passing of a great man named Russell M. Nelson. He had just turned 101 years old, making him the oldest President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in history. Continue reading →

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Phil Connors and Becoming the Perfect Job Candidate

Posted on September 23, 2025 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

“I am really close on this. Really close.” That’s how Phil Connors describes his prospects of becoming the ideal guy for Rita Hanson. How many of us (as job seekers) have said those words when reading job descriptions? That’s right, I’m going to compare Groundhog Day to job seeking and see if there are some interesting parallels.

No, I’m not saying that every day seems like exactly the same thing when you’re hunting for a job. Rather, I want to talk about how trying to get a job is a lot like finding a mate. Continue reading →

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An Historical Parallel That Brings Hope to This Sad Time

Posted on September 16, 2025 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

I live in Orem, Utah, just a couple of miles from Utah Valley University where a good man named Charlie Kirk was assassinated last week. I’ve seen an amazing amount of love and positivity from the people around me in response to that devastating attack, and it inspired me to write about it. I would like to share a story from the past and find some parallels to this time of tragedy and hope. Continue reading →

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