Hello fellow readers. This is Mr. Birdwell. Sorry it has been a while since I have published a blog. Life happens, and I think we can all relate. It turns out that this next review has been the one that I have had the most trouble with so far. Today, we are going to be looking at last year’s surprise “God’s Not Dead.”
“God’s Not Dead” is a 2014 Christian drama film. The film stars Shane Harper, Kevin Sorbo, Dean Cain, David A.R. White, and Trisha LaFache. The plot is about a devout Christian college student who refuses to disavow his faith for his philosophy professor, who happens to be an atheist. He must prove to the entire class, along with his professor that God exists. Along the way, we as an audience follow other stories in the film that all tie into one another. Sounds like a cleaner version of “Crash.”
Faith and religion are things that are seen as taboo in society. It can turn friends into enemies, neighbors into rivals, and even wars have been started over it. However, it can be seen as a way for people to bond with one another. Even lifelong friendships can come out of it, and it can tie people together. I consider myself a Christian, but I don’t look down upon others if they have different beliefs. Hell, one of my all-time favorite comedians is George Carlin.
Anyway, back to the review for the film. Let’s look at the pros. The first are Shane Harper who plays Josh Wheaton (and no that is not a typo), and Kevin Sorbo who plays Professor Radisson. Both actors do a good job in their respective roles, and the debate scenes are some of the best parts of the movie. Whether you agree with their views or not, it was good to see it done in a respectful manner and giving the students to choose.
The way this film was shot is done well too. For a budget of 2 million dollars, it sure didn’t look that way. There are no awkward transitions or silly cutaways. Also, I liked the songs that were featured in the film as well. It was nice to watch a movie that featured positive messages and encouraged people as well. Admit it, you like positive songs. Better than hearing songs about getting drunk, passing out, and doing who knows what else.
Now this movie wasn’t perfect. It did have some flaws that I noticed after watching the film 3 times. For one, this film suffered from having too many storylines. Some stories were so spread out that after a while; you forgot they were part of the movie. For example, there is a subplot about this old lady who is suffering from dementia. It is introduced in the first ten minutes of the film, and you don’t see this character again until maybe the last twenty minutes of the movie.
Also, I didn’t really care for some of the characters, particularly the one portrayed by Dean Cain. He is there purely to be an asshole, and I just felt his storyline just dragged down the movie. Plus, I think the way the film ended could have been handled a little bit better. To me, it seemed like the ending left me with more questions instead of answers.
Despite its flaws, I still enjoyed “God’s Not Dead.” The film does have a good message, which is fighting for what you believe in. I think we have all fought for something in our lives as well. For my overall rating, I am going to give God’s Not Dead a 3.5/5. Thank you so much for reading this review. Let me know what you thought of “God’s Not Dead.” This is Mr. Birdwell saying, “Keep Reading and Watching. You’ll never know when you will find something remarkable.”