Plot Summary
When Mason, a troubled foster teen, comes to live with the Lewis family, he thinks that it will be just like all the other foster families he has stayed with. But unlike the families before them, the Lewis are committed to setting him on the straight and narrow and teaching him RESPECT at all costs. Even when he vandalizes a hardware store and is sentenced to ‘group’, the Lewis family sticks by him. In the end, Mason will have to learn about RESPECT in order to move forward in life.
Production Quality (.5 point)
If KKO Productions have anything going for them, at least they have figured out how to have clear video quality. Otherwise, there is little else we can say positive for this film. Camera work is inconsistent and some scenes are darker than others. Audio quality is also a tossup, as some lines are indistinguishable while others are too loud. The soundtrack is cheesy, as usual. KKO appears to be severely limited in sets and locations, as there are really only three main sets used in this film. This causes the editing to suffer as well, since many events take place off screen in places where they obviously could not acquire a set. In short, old news is new news for KKO when it comes to cheaply produced Christian films.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
Framing an entire film as a sermon illustration is hardly ever a good idea. It gives the writers a springboard to shove an obvious message down the viewer’s throat and is generally lazy. Thus, In the Name of God overuses theological concepts and oversimplifies them by having characters repeat them over and over again. Rather than showing and demonstrating Christian virtues lived out, they are talked about and impressed upon the audience with no meaningful actions to back them up. Coupled with this overreach are empty and mindless characters, who are driven by petty and silly dialogue. None of them seem like real people, just players in an obvious church play designed to teach second graders the Ten Commandments. The subplots therein are very random and lack continuity, not the mention the fact that they contain highly unrealistic occurrences, such as a small church pastor placing children in foster care and a ‘counselor’ sharing confidential information with random people. If you want to include such things in your films, please research them first. As it is, In the Name of God makes a mockery of important issues that could have been presented in a meaningful fashion. But alas, we can find no real potential with this movie, thus warranting no points for the plot.
Acting Quality (0 points)
As is the usual custom of KKO, otherwise talented actors and actresses are fed lines without any real coaching or guidance. Most of the scenes in this film seem like they were one-take only. John Ratzenberger has certainly had much better acting jobs than this one. Eric Roberts always plays the same weird character, but that’s beside the point. It seems like the ‘no-name’ cast members have potential that is not being brought out. Thus, no points can be awarded here.
Conclusion
So apparently this was intended to be a movie series about the Ten Commandments. Can you imagine ten movies like this one? If this was supposed to be about the fourth Commandment, it completely went over our heads. Basically, In the Name of God, or whatever it’s called, is another embarrassing low budget production that carries an in-your-face theological message that is unlikely to convert or inspire anyone. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: before making a Christian movie, please make sure you have the funding for what you want to do. Then please make sure you actually have a plot. These two things can make such a difference when your movie is completed. Because seriously, who’s going to watch this garbage?
Final Rating: .5 out of 10 points
Box Office Revolution 