Plot Summary
Elizabeth Thatcher is restless in her American white upper class family structure and longs to make a true difference in life. She is tired of being sheltered by an extravagant and risk-free lifestyle in the east and longs to teach struggling children in the west. But her family is opposed to this prospect and seeks to thwart her goals. Yet as Elizabeth seeks to understand their opposition, she stumbles upon a family secret involving an aunt who shares her name who also had a heart for struggling western schools. In trying to discover how she can leave her mark on the world, Elizabeth finds that God has uniquely equipped her for adventures she never imagined.
Production Quality (2.5 points)
Michael Landon Jr. usually puts on a good production. The camera work is professional, including in different lighting scenarios. Good locations and sets are chosen that are neither cheap nor unrealistic. The costuming and makeup are not overdone like Landon has done in the past. The video and sound quality are solid. The editing is pretty good, considering that two stories are being overlaid. But the editing also leaves something to be desired as there are some plot holes. But in the end, this film’s production is quite good.
Plot and Storyline Quality (1.5 points)
When a movie mixes two different plots together connected by the reading of a diary, it usually means that there is not enough content in either subplot. This is slightly true in this Janette Oke novel adaptation, but it seems to work out well enough. Yet it cannot be ignored that putting two plots together undermines character development in both. Dialogue is limited because of the combination, but it is still not a completely bad plot. There are some interesting points and slight twists throughout. Events that occur are authentic and believable. The premise of the movie is very interesting, but the end of the movie is confusing. Was this meant to be the first in a series of movies? At the time of this writing, there are no plans for a sequel. The ending could have been written in such a way so that a sequel was not necessary—as it is, it seems incomplete and slightly unprofessional. Whatever the intention was, this is an average plot that needed further developing, yet it is not horrible on its face.
Acting Quality (1.5 points)
This is a semi-professional cast, yet they are not terribly dynamic. They do fairly well in delivery and expression, but they still leave something to be desired. The actors and actresses do not change the movie for the better, but neither do they derail it. Average is a word that sums up this film as a whole.
Conclusion
It is likely that Michael Landon Jr.’s development of the When Calls the Heart television series cut this potential movie saga short, but we cannot understand why he planned to make both, each with different actors and characters and with entirely different premises. This movie, we believe, had more potential than the television series, although there is nothing wrong with creating more miniseries. The bottom line is that the When Calls the Heart film seems like an afterthought and feels like more could have been done with it had more effort been applied. As it is, it’s a fine movie, but it is not Hall of Fame worthy.
Final Rating: 5.5 out of 10 points
Box Office Revolution 