Movie Renovation: Meant to Be

See original review here.

 

Production Improvements

The only major production improvement that should be noted in Meant to Be is the need for more organized editing.  In this film, scenes tend to be tossed here and there in a confusing fashion.  However, the editing can only be improved as the plot content is improved.  Thus, a more organized plot would have likely led to improvement in this area.

Plot and Storyline Improvements

Meant to Be is one of the most creative and most frustrating films we have ever reviewed.  Without spoiling the major twist at the end, it should be noted that this twist is mostly unexpected, especially after sitting through the boring and purposeless first half of the plot.  This is where most of the audience will be lost, so the most effective thing that could have been done in this situation would have been to make the first half of movie a good film on its own without having to rely on the twist in the second half.  This would also cause misdirection and make the twist even more surprising and out of left field.  As it is, Meant to Be seems to be rushing to get to the twist, and character development is sacrificed in the process.  We need to know what these characters care about and what their motivations are, and this can be done through substantial dialogue.  If these characters would be able to stand on their own apart from the twist, this would have been a truly great film.

Acting Improvements

Step one: take out Dean Cain.  Further, the jury is still out on whether or not Bradley Dorsey should be acting in his own films.  Other cast members in Meant to Be were underwhelming in their performances, so more improved acting coaching might have helped this section improve.

Conclusion

Bradley Dorsey has some great ideas, but he often stunts their full impact by getting in his own way.  The best thing he can do at this point in his career is to work with a team approach.  He may need to step back from acting in his films and work collaboratively with someone to bring his creative ideas to full fruition by developing deeper characters.  In the end, while it is unclear what his next steps are, if he heeds this advice, he could soar to new heights.

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January 21, 2018January 12, 2018 by Box Office Revolutionary Categories: Movie and Series RenovationsTags: 2012, Bradley Dorsey, Colleen Foy, Dawn Manning, Dean Cain, Della Reese, Dorsey Productions, Erika Eleniak, Erin Sossamon, Inspirational, Jamie White, Kristen Renton, Lori Marett, Marshal Younger, Michael Gross, Movie and Series Renovations, Psychological, PureFlix, Scott White, White Door Media, Will Musser Leave a comment

Meant to Be [2012] (Movie Review)

Plot Summary

After a negative turn of events in his life, Nathan Burr begins to search for meaning in life.  Recalling his younger years of living with foster parents, he decides he needs to search out his birth mother, who he has never met.  His search takes him to a mysterious hotel where he finds surprising wisdom from the hotel’s aging maid.  But he also finds more questions than answers.  Linda Dickson is a social worker who has guarded a terrible secret all her life.  That’s why she jumps at the chance to help a girl escape from a domestic violence situation.  Little does she know that her world is about to be changed forever.

 

Production Quality (2 points)

Starting off, the limited budget of Meant to Be must be accounted for.  The sets are pretty good; the video and sound quality are great.  The camera work tends to be a little too artistic at times, but it seems to work well more than not.  The biggest error here is the confusing editing.  Some scenes seem to cut too quickly and some seem to drag on too long.  This is likely due to the low amount of plot content, but it is overall produced fairly well.

Plot and Storyline Quality (2 points)

As mentioned, the plot is very limited in scope when it could have been very broad.  There are really only two and half subplots, but it didn’t have to be that way.  Some movies have little room to work, but this one had a mansion.  Though there are few characters, they seem unfinished.  The dialogue is inconsistent.  At first, this plot doesn’t seem sustainable at all.  But more than halfway through the film—if you stick it out—Bradley Dorsey introduces a huge twist that completely changes the audience’s outlook.  This is perhaps the best twist ever in the PureFlix movie.  It makes up for a lot of the movie’s errors, but it also shows just how far the movie could have gone.  Nonetheless, the twist is genius and makes it worth watching.

Acting Quality (1.5 points)

Unfortunately, the average to poor acting quality also detracts from Meant to Be’s creative premise.  Some of the actors show great potential with better coaching.  Dean Cain seemed like an unnecessary addition to the cast.  Overall, the acting has a lot of potential that was not tapped.

Conclusion

This movie had a mountain of potential—it could have been a nearly perfect film.  It does receive an x-factor point for presenting an important social issue in a very unique and creative way.  We desperately want this movie to be remade, or least the idea to be allowed to be used in a different movie, one with more and better characters, a more complex plot, and better actors.  Bradley Dorsey show great potential as a movie maker, and we anticipate his future films.  He needs a better crew to surround him and to support him in his excellent ideas.  He has a corner on the Christian psychological thriller market if he takes the chance.

 

Final Rating: 6.5 out of 10 points

February 8, 2016January 18, 2019 by Box Office Revolutionary Categories: Drama, Inspirational, Movie Reviews, PsychologicalTags: 2012, 6.5 points, Bradley Dorsey, Colleen Foy, Dawn Manning, Dean Cain, Della Reese, Dorsey Productions, Erika Eleniak, Erin Sossamon, Inspirational, Jamie White, Kristen Renton, Lori Marett, Marshal Younger, Michael Gross, Psychological, PureFlix, Scott White, White Door Media, Will Musser 4 Comments