Plot Summary
Victor Clay tried to make it on his own in the business world, but he soon finds himself bankrupt, evicted, and living in his van. With no more options on the table and not enough money, Victor decides to return to the Commons, where he grew up, in hopes of a new beginning. But what he finds is a struggling community with no real options. Will he be able to use what he has learned to help them all succeed?
Production Quality (1.5 points)
Redemption of the Commons is another one of those slightly under-funded productions the raises the question of its own necessity. While video quality and camera work are good, there is far too much dead air in this film, as well as inconsistent audio quality. However, the soundtrack is at least interesting. Sets, locations, and props are quite realistic, even if they are little uncreative. As is common for this type of movie, there is no obvious editing as content is presented at face value. In the end, this production is passable, but it could have been more.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
Redemption of the Commons is trying to inspire, but it does not inspire much. As narration guides the story along, there are too many confusing subplots, empty sequences, and time-filling montages. The plot follows a formulaic return-to-struggling-hometown-plotline in which the returning character is down on his luck in his ‘city’ life but then uses his ‘city skills’ to fix the problems of the small town. But even this small town seems tiny—the premise and scope of this story is almost insignificant as it really only focuses on one neighborhood. All the characters fit into predetermined molds and do nothing to hold the attention of the audience. Dialogue is very flat and empty. The storyline is extremely linear and leads to an inevitably ‘fixed’ and patched-up conclusion that really teaches nothing useful. Unfortunately, there is really nothing good to say here.
Acting Quality (1 point)
Though this cast is realistic and raw, it also includes some slight cultural stereotypes. There is some good here, but there are too many lazy performances and uninteresting acting. Emotional and line delivery don’t seem to be taken seriously enough. This rounds out an overall disappointing effort.
Conclusion
Films like Redemption of the Commons likely mean well, but the idea is almost doomed from the start. Is there really a market for this sort of predictable plot anymore? As Christian film makers, we need to be reaching higher and aiming to be better than the mainstream market, rather than constantly letting the mainstream market dictate creativity. We should be the leaders in creativity, and so far, we are unfortunately not.
Final Rating: 2.5 out of 10 points
Box Office Revolution 