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Easter Sunday 2015: Best films involving resurrection from Terminator to The Lion King

Choose something vaguely topical for your sofa sessions this weekend

Neesha Gill
Sunday 05 April 2015 15:48 BST
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Arnold Schwarzenegger as a cyborg assassin in The Terminator
Arnold Schwarzenegger as a cyborg assassin in The Terminator (Rex)

Not satisfied with the Easter Sunday movie offerings on TV today and searching for something different to enjoy your chocolate binge in front of? Our round-up some of the best films involving resurrection might just provide the solution.

The Lion King

Sacrificial love is at the heart of this Disney classic. Mufasa dies saving his son Simba from a wildebeest stampede plotted by his evil brother Scar. There are moments of of 'resurrection' throughout as Simba sees the ghost of his father. Mischievous baboon Rafiki goes on to tell Simba that his father is not dead but lives within him.

(Rex Features)

E.T

Mysterious supernatural being E.T lands on earth a million light-years from his home and befriends a young boy named Elliot. E.T. becomes sick and dies, leaving Elliott heartbroken. Elliot expresses his love for his best friend and remarkably, E.T is resurrected from the dead.

The Terminator

The Terminator has been sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor before her son John is born. Sarah was told by the Holy Ghost that she will have a son who is to be the saviour of mankind.

Beloved

In this chilling film based on Toni Morrison's novel of the same name, former slave Sethe (Oprah Winfey) is haunted by an angry poltergeist and the reincarnation of her dead daughter Beloved, whom she murdered out of desperation in order to save her from a slave owner.

Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Aslan, the great, stoic Lion from the Chronicles of Narnia saga, secretly sacrifices himself so that Edmund, one of the Pevensie children who acted as a traitor, can redeem himself. Aslan is killed by the White Witch but is later resurrected because he was an innocent victim.

The Crow

Rock musician Eric Draven and his fiance are killed in a brutal attack by members of a violent Detroit gang. Draven then rises from his grave on the anniversary of their death and turns into a gothic-like Crow in an attempt to hunt down and seek revenge on his murderers.

Meet Joe Black

Business tycoon William Parish gets a visit from a mysterious stranger just days before his 65th birthday. This is the same stranger Parish's daughter, Susan,became instantly besotted with after a brief meeting in a coffee shop - they parted and he was later killed in a freak accident. The young man's body has been occupied by 'Death' who comes to warn Parrish that his end is near.

A Matter of Life and Death

World War Two British Air Force pilot Peter Carter inexplicably cheats death after fleeing from a burning plane in this 1946 movie. Carter is urged to accept his death and go to the Other World but, after requesting that the matter be appealed, he must argue for his life before a celestial court.

Alien: Resurrection

Ellen Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver, is revived two centuries after her death. She has been cloned using the DNA from blood samples taken before her death. Ripley is now a human-alien hybrid whose mission is to continue the fight against the aliens.

Beauty and the Beast

Just when the Beast is reunited with the beautiful young Belle, he falls to his death from a rooftop in a battle with Gaston. Belle confesses her love for him and because he dies just before the last petal from the Enchanted Rose falls, the spell is broken and the Beast is revived into his original human form.

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