Much like other newer, more mainstream PureFlix releases, Do You Believe sports professional production quality with very few errors to speak of. Naturally, due to the nature of this film, the editing is mostly a mess as each scene tries to be a dramatic climax with no resting periods or relief scenes. Thus, the only issue with the production can be rectified by improving the plot.
Plot and Storyline Improvements
Much like God’s Not Dead, Do You Believe takes on far too many subplots than it can handle. Easily half of them are unnecessary, as each of them try to insert a dramatic turn into nearly every scene that comes up. The paramedic subplot is mostly unrealistic and unnecessary, and its deletion would have also rendered the Andrea Logan White\Sean Astin subplot useless. The military veteran suffering from PTSD and the girl with the unknown past who tries to commit suicide belong in their own film, so they can be developed better as characters. The criminal brothers subplot is awkward and stereotypical. With the removing and reassignment of these subplots, the more pertinent elements of this storyline, namely the older couple who helps the homeless mother and daughter and the pastor and his wife who help the young homeless mother, could have been given more room to grow and be developed beyond their current state. An alternate option to improve this plot would have been to start at the mass car accident scene and then work backward by following each character’s path to the accident, but this would take a lot of skill and discipline. Also, the narration has to be totally eliminated. In short, there is so much content in Do You Believe that there is bound to be potential in here somewhere.
Acting Improvements
While there are some good elements to the acting of this film, most casts would be improved in the absence of Liam Matthews, Andrea Logan White, and of course, Ted McGinley. There are just so many cast members involved here that any good portions are cancelled out by poor performances. However, if the storyline was pared down to a realistic medium, the cast would have also been trimmed to ensure quality of quantity.
Conclusion
Quality over quantity was truly the order of the day for this film. Dumping every subplot you can think of into one film will make a film that a lot of people will see and perhaps like momentarily, but its lasting impact is blunted by its onslaught of content. However, there are enough good ideas in this film to perhaps kickstart a better film in the future.
There are really few production errors to note in the first God’s Not Dead film. The primary issue with this production is, of course, the editing, due to the large and complex amount of content that is attempted to be used in this film. Thus, if the plot categories were improved, the editing issue would likely also improve.
Plot and Storyline Improvements
The plot of God’s Not Dead needs some serious work. For one, there are too many ideas shoved into one two-hour film. A lot of these ideas really need to be movies of their own, such as the Muslim family subplot and the Chinese student subplot. The blogger character and all of her connections (Dean Cain, the Robertsons, etc.) need to be deleted completely. The woman with dementia is an interesting aside, but it needs better development. Pastor Dave and his connections really wouldn’t be missed either; this area might be better if it was altered. Finally, the portrayal of the atheist professor is noteworthy and better than most, but it still could be better and less over the top. The “character who is an atheist because their mother died of cancer” trope is a bit thin. Also, there are obviously instances of anti-Christian bias in academia, but this story could have been a bit more down to earth. Thus, with a lot of separation, editing, organization, and focus, this plot could have pushed the film into the Hall of Fame.
Acting Improvements
While the acting of the original God’s Not Dead is actually a major improvement over most PureFlix casts, it still isn’t perfect. For one, David A. R. White and Tommy Blaze rarely need to be acting. Trisha LaFache is average at best and needs serious coaching. Dean Cain should probably never be cast again. Kevin Sorbo has his place, but not as a raging professor. Otherwise, this cast is fine.
Conclusion
There was a reason the beginning of the God’s Not Dead saga was so popular, and it wasn’t because of its portrayal of atheists. It has a lot of intriguing content and a lot of ideas that need further exploration in different venues. Trying to lump all of it together in one film was a disappointment. However, it was the first time PureFlix actually proved they could be at least somewhat responsible with their budget, including a high-quality production. Perhaps one day someone will use some of the half-baked ideas of God’s Not Dead for greater purposes.
Bruce Dalt is obsessed with his job as a local sports anchor. He is also obsessed with his son getting a good basketball scholarship. However, he lets his emotions get the best of him when he gets angry at a referee who made a call on his son, Bruce finds himself in the middle of a public relations nightmare. His media employer determines that he needs to complete community service before he can come back to his job. Thus, Bruce is stuck ringing a Christmas bell for the Salvation Army. Will he be able to learn the true meaning of Christmas?
Production Quality (2.5 points)
Silver Bells is a typically professional PureFlix and UP production collaboration. As such, there are few errors to note here. Video quality, camera work, and audio quality are all what they should be. The soundtrack is a bit too holiday-ish, but it’s fine. Sets, locations, and props are also fine, albeit filled with Christmas stuff. There are also a lot of Salvation Army ‘product placements,’ but at least this is a good ministry to promote. Finally, there are some small editing issues to note, but on the whole, this is a model production.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
Unfortunately, despite the influence of Andrea Nasfell, this plot suffers from a bout of forced comedy and cardboard cutout characters, including a stereotypical over the top holiday-hating character that is forced to like Christmas throughout the course of the film. Also, the holiday-hating character constantly reminds the audience of his unexplained cold attitude towards Christmas. Thus, the Christian message is quite cheap. There is unfortunately nothing truly creative in this plot as it seems like it was manufactured in a Christmas plot factory. Any issues raised are too easily resolved, and even though the Salvation Army has some great causes, it’s not enough to save this story from itself.
Acting Quality (1.5 points)
Mostly, the lead cast members trying too hard to convince the audience of who their characters are, much like many PureFlix movies. In doing so, they come off as very disingenuous and plastic. However, there are plenty of good moments from the supporting cast members that help this section from being nothing. Emotions are overall average throughout, thus rounding out a nearly-average film.
Conclusion
Films like this one can’t help but be seen as just one made on the assembly line of holiday inspirational films. If you’re going to reuse an old plot concept, at least make it was accessible and believable characters that audiences can relate to. As it is, Silver Bells just seems like it’s trying to check the boxes so it can be a packaged made-for-television film. We need more creativity than this, but the good thing is that Andrea Nasfell has shown that she has the ability to do this when she is supported properly.
Johnny is a foster boy with cancer who sees it as his mission to show people the truth and love of God even though he is suffering. When he encounters Dr. Carter, little do they know that both of their lives will be changed forever as a result. Dr. Carter and his wife are still hurting from the death of their young son, and though they are not ready to believe that Johnny could offer healing for them. However, God has other plans for all of them.
Production Quality (1.5 points)
In keeping with most recent PureFlix productions, Johnny is most fine. Video quality is on standard, but there are some unexplainable moments of shaky camera work. Audio quality is mostly what it should be, but the soundtrack is extremely uninspiring and sometimes it seems like the audio is overdubbed. Sets, locations, and props are professional. However, there are far too many montages in this film that serve as a crutch for actual content. Thus, the editing work is poor. Overall, this is an average production that should have been better than this, considering the funding it had.
Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)
Though there is a somewhat good message behind Johnny, there is far too much melodrama that distracts from it. It is very difficult to connect with the struggles of the characters because they come off as very manufactured and plastic. The main character is very cheesily sappy and perfect, almost to the point of embarrassment. A lot of the dialogue from all the characters is very obvious and forceful in moving the plot along rather than developing the characters. Thus, the story follows a predictable progression that is obvious from the start. While there is nothing inherently wrong with the plotline itself, the way it is presented and the lack of authenticity really derails this film. Also, things are fixed too easily, which doesn’t really help us learn anything. In the end, these sorts of movies are very formulaic and are unfortunately designed to make money.
Acting Quality (.5 point)
Though this cast is intended to be professional, there is really no coaching present. While it is not all bad, there are far too many over the top emotions and yelling sequences. Everything is overly dramatic, which makes for a very distracting experience. This is not the way to make a meaningful film.
Conclusion
Johnny is one of those films that uses a generic and predictable plot structure to churn out a made-for-bookstore film that can be easily sold on the shelves. It contributes nothing to the field and only serves the purpose of generating revenue for the production company. A few weeks after the release, it is totally forgotten and eventually turns up in the cheap Walmart bins and in thrift stores. Christian film should not be about profit ventures, even though PureFlix has done this for about a decade now. However, hopefully that tide is turning.
Michael Steele, a major movie star, slowly finds his life changing and being turned upside down as he tries to live the way he feels a Christian should live. Nothing seems to work out and things only seem to get harder as he tries more to do what Jesus would do. As his friends and coworkers call him crazy and shake their heads at what he is trying to do, Michael Steele finds himself wavering at times. Will God really help him endure what he is going through?
Production Quality (.5 point)
If one good thing can be said for this unusual production, it’s that time and money were definitely spent on the sets, locations, and props. However, not much else positive can be highlighted. Camera work is quite shaky and video quality is quite grainy. The soundtrack is bad enough without forcing us to listen to Randy Travis attempt to sing. Also, there are a number of annoyingly bizzare special effects throughout, including constant flashing that seems to be unfriendly to the epileptic. Finally, editing is poorly done, thus leaving the film too choppy and punctuated. In the end, to be a film of this profile, production should have been far better than this.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
Based on a novel by Bill Myers, this really is not the best book plot that could have been chosen to be placed on the big screen. The plot structure is quite unusual and includes confusing flashbacks that don’t serve much purpose. There is not real plot content as the story hops from one thing to the next. The characters therein are very one-dimensional. Unfortunately, this includes a strawman portrayal of non-Christian characters and a squeaky clean portrayal of Christian characters. While there is some semblance of a good message lost in translation, all the problems of this story are fixed far too easily, thus making it all seem very trite and plastic. In short, this movie was written for a vague idea that never materialized.
Acting Quality (1 point)
After watching The Wager, one has to wonder why Randy Travis is ever cast in a movie. What exactly good acting qualities does he bring to the table. But hey, on the bright side, this film contains Candace Cameron Bure’s best role to date, surprisingly enough. Other cast members, such as Nancy Stafford, are not all that bad, but there is a lot of negative here that detracts from the positive—mostly pertaining to Randy Travis.
Conclusion
What is to be accomplished by these sorts of films? With half-efforts evident in all three categories, what did the creators expect? Do people expect that they can just barely try to put a movie together and then it will just be fine since it’s a Christian movie? Thankfully, we are seeing less and less of these types of films today, so films like The Wager can provide a major lesson to today’s film makers: ‘big name’ cast members and writers do not automatically make for a great movie. Great Christian movies take true effort and care and are unfortunately hard to come by.
Olivia and Lucas have always heard rumors about a mysterious old house in their New Orleans neighborhood. Legends say that if you throw a rock through one of the windows and make a Christmas wish, it will come true. After witnessing several wishes come true when they ask them for other people, Olivia and Lucas decide to investigate the matter further. They find a collection of offbeat characters hanging around the house who are not what they seem at first. Little do they know that Christmas angels come in many forms…
Production Quality (1.5 points)
As we’ve mentioned before, PureFlix can usually put together a respectable production. Video quality is clear as usual and camera work is professional. The sets and locations are realistic and down to earth. Unfortunately, the audio quality drags down this production, including a silly Christmas soundtrack and too many scenes in which lines cannot be heard due to background noise. The editing is mostly okay and does a good job concealing the obligatory Dorsey twist until near the end. Basically, this is an average production effort but we strongly believe it could have been better.
Plot and Storyline Quality (1.5 points)
In keeping with their usual practices, Bradley Dorsey and Andrea Gyertson Nasfell craft a creative and thought-provoking plot that makes you think it’s going to be one thing, only to change it to something different in the end. However, it goes without saying that Dorsey also commits his original sin of not going all the way with his creativity. There are times when Christmas Angel is innovative and interesting, while some moments are cringe-worthy and totally off the wall. This inconsistency makes the audience vacillate between cheering and scratching their heads. The schizophrenia is also demonstrated in the characters—while the character arcs are great in the end, it’s a rocky road to get there. As usual, the storyline is based off a creative concept that sports a key plot twist and demonstrates the creative genius of the team. Elsewhere, there are just too many childish Christmas elements that hold this plot back from being as good as it could have been. Sometimes we wonder why a creator can come so close so many times but always miss the mark by an inch.
Acting Quality (1.5 points)
Like the rest of the film, the cast of Christmas Angel is very inconsistent. Sometimes they have awkward scenes while other times they act very professionally. Emotions are good at times and not good at other times. Some of the makeup work is below par. In short, in comes to another average score.
Conclusion
Basically all of the films Bradley Dorsey is involved in need to be remade. As we’ve said before, he has tons of potential that is untapped, probably because he throws in his lot with the PureFlix crew. For that matter, Andrea Gyertson Nasfell has lot of untapped potential herself. Both Dorsey and Nasfell have much to offer to Christian film and if they ever reach their full potential, then the field will be a different place.
Sarah wants a big executive break like her boyfriend has, that’s why she sees an opportunity when she gets interviewed for a temporary job. The only catch is that in order to get hired, she has to prove that she’s not pregnant. But after she takes a test, she finds that she is pregnant and is faced with a serious decision: pursue a career and abort her child or give up her career and have her child. Sarah will have to decide how real her faith is and what direction she wants her life to go in.
Production Quality (2 points)
The one thing PureFlix usually has going for them is that they can put together a respectable-looking production. Sarah’s Choice is not an exception. Notwithstanding an odd opening sequence, the camera work is at least above average. The video quality is good, as is the audio quality. The soundtrack could use some improvement, but the sets are respectable. Also, the editing is mostly average, though there are a handful of unnecessary scenes that put a damper on this production. But overall, despite their obvious flaws, PureFlix can usually put together a semi-professional production.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
Leave it to PureFlix to take an important social issue and mutilate it with over the top messaging. As a plot filled with typical White-style extremist characters, Sarah’s Choice sports a ridiculously unrealistic premise that is designed to force the issue of abortion on the audience. As usual, pro-abortionists and other people who disagree with the PureFlix worldview are portrayed in offensive ways. The dialogue is very obvious and forces the plot along, even though there is plenty of time wasted on bizarre asides. There is also a silly shoehorning of the Christmas story into this plot, along with some odd ‘magical’ Christmas elements. While the psychological parts are intriguing, they are not enough to offset the onslaught of nonsense in the remainder of the storyline. As can be expected, the end is neat and tidy with no real justification for it ending up that way. Basically, every horror story regarding the combination of PureFlix and the issue of abortion comes true in Sarah’s Choice.
Acting Quality (1.5 points)
While some cast members, including Rebecca St. James, post moderately respectable performances, this is probably Andrea Logan White’s most obnoxious role to date as she attempts to caricature a vain (well this mostly true) pro-abortion feminist. There are some bright spots here that keep this category from being terrible, but there are still too many unrealistic emotions and drama moments. Line delivery is fairly average throughout. Overall, this is just average, despite Andrea Logan White.
Conclusion
In a PureFlix Christmas movie about abortion, what could go wrong? Well, a lot, actually. The Whites and company continue their addiction to portraying non-Christians as heartless ogres and construct an unrealistic framework designed to shove a social issue down your throat. Do they even have any regard for reality or are they just trying to sell movies? Movies like Sarah’s Choice are exactly why people tire of legalistic Christianity. Unfortunately, while this blog is unashamedly pro-life, this is not the type of film we can support.
When Christian teacher Grace Wesley is sued by a student’s parents for daring to mention the name of Jesus in her classroom, she is confused as to what is even happening to her. Yet, inspired by the wisdom of her ailing father whom she takes care of, Grace refuses to back down and begins working with her union-appointed lawyer to fight back in court. With her faith under fire, Grace’s case draws the attention of many from the town of Hope Springs, including Pastor James White David Hill, who serves on the jury. As Grace’s beliefs are attacked and tested over and over again, she must dig deep to withstand the world’s onslaught so that Christianity is not snuffed out forever.
Production Quality (1.5 points)
In the new era of PureFlix, video quality and camera work are no longer in question. The sets, locations, and surroundings are respectable. The musical score is average. On the surface, God’s Not Dead 2 looks like a professional film, but there are many hidden issues therein. Of the high profile Christian movies we have reviewed, this is possibly the worst edited one to date. The many-subplots addiction from God’s Not Dead and Do You Believe? is back, and this time, they are more empty than ever. As will be discussed next, there long sections of this movie that consist of characters staring into space and attempting to sing. Essentially, this was just a lazy production effort that looks good on the outside but not on the inside.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
In this plot, Christian characters are very perfect in every way while atheist characters are hopelessly evil. What’s more, atheists are borderline ridiculed, giving an embarrassing feel to the film. Subplots jump all over the place, confusing the viewer. The premise and other plot happenings are unrealistic and cannot be reconciled with reality. The storyline is saturated with legal rhetoric that is either only half-true or isolating to the audience. Besides these glaringly obvious issues, the plot does not hold the attention and is very drab. There are many slow and melancholy scenes that seem to be designed only to pad the runtime. Large portions of the film are dedicated to advertising apologetic books and other Christian ‘celebrities’. While there is a lot of good information in these product placements, it flies over the audience’s heads and is not remembered. With all this wasted time, there is zero character development, therefore we cannot even appreciate the struggles that are portrayed. In addition, the dialogue is chock-full of swipes at atheists and ‘worldly’ people. The ending is very empty and anticlimactic (despite desperate attempts) and even includes an off-the-wall post-credits scene. Basically, David A. R. White and company just phoned this one in, hoping that the title name recognition would garner them some more cash.
Acting Quality (.5 point)
While this section is not all bad, there is a lot of monotone acting in this film. In another attempt to create buzz by trotting out C-grade ‘big name’ actors and actresses (in addition to the typical PureFlix clowns), this attempt basically flops. Most of the characters carry a Hallmark-ish look to them, with far too much makeup and costuming. Other cast members are just blank—even though they show potential, there’s no one to draw it out. In the end, there is really nothing new here.
Conclusion
In our experience, the world portrayed in this film has never existed. This is not to diminish the plights of some, but the realm PureFlix constructs in many of their films is over the top and outside of reality. Rather than preaching to the choir with a juvenile us-against-the-world narrative that further divides Christians and atheists, the money spent on these types of films would be better spent on films that actually strengthen the church as a whole and tastefully address how American Christian behavior can improve. No one will be saved as a result of God’s Not Dead 2. Christians will not be inspired to grow closer to God as a result of viewing this movie. I would never recommend this movie to a non-believer because the creators give no concern to opposing points of view. Since we as Christians have the truth, we have no need to force it down people’s throats with no regard for their feelings. Delegitimizing someone else’s beliefs has no place in the gospel message. Yet with an awkwardly placed post-credits scene, we are all but promised more of the same nonsense from PureFlix. This is not the direction Christian film needs to go in and now more than ever we need someone who will stand up and combat the image movies like this one project.
Demoted from his detective position because he took a conspiracy theory too far, Rick Dancer feels like an outcast in most people’s eyes. But then he stumbles onto something new about his theory regarding the city’s richest philanthropist, whom he believes is corrupt. Yet this only serves him orders for a psychological evaluation, which leads to him taking on a new partner—a traumatized police dog. Rick will have to learn to work with her while trying to regain the trust of his boss all while he still chases leads regarding his theory. In the end, he will have to decide if he is going to let himself care again in order to succeed.
Production Quality (1.5 points)
In a break from the typical PureFlix model, most production element of Dancer and the Dame are okay. Video quality is clear and camera work is pretty good; they’re getting better with action shots. Audio quality is fine, but the soundtrack is annoying. Prop usage is as cheesy as can be expected from a PureFlix action film attempt. The sets and locations are fairly realistic but are also stereotypical. As for the editing, there’s basically none of it. The entire film is face value: what they filmed is what you get. Every scene is run as long as it possibly can be and there’s really nothing else there. But the rundown is that Dancer is pretty average on production, which is actually a step up from the norm. This fact alone is disturbing.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
So essentially, this story is about a washed up cop doing office work at the precinct because his conspiracy theory about a local rich guy blew up in his face. But he gets a second chance in his career when his theories start to be ‘proven’ true. Then he’s sentenced to a suspect mental evaluation which consists of the psychologist pushing her opinions on him and then forcing him to take her dog off of his hands. From there, doggish ‘comedy’ ensues as Dancer stumbles upon ‘clues’ like a children’s mystery (or maybe a Hallmark mystery). The characters are flat and comedy is typical Tommy Blaze style. Once again, another horrible portrayal of counseling\psychology in a Christian film. The odd thing about this Blaze creation is that it’s not entirely committed to crass and cartoonish ‘jokes’, but instead tries to insert inspirational themes into the movie, such as the typical feel-good pet storyline. This is not to mention the Christian-sounding messages awkwardly forced into key parts of the plot. And what’s with the constant cheesy references to dog breeds ‘hidden’ in people’s names? In short, this film is a usual Blaze train wreck—a little less zany than usual, but still a mess.
Acting Quality (.5 point)
The sad state of Christian casting is that ‘secular’ actor Billy Gardell is substantially better at acting than most PureFlix actors and actresses. David A. R. White, Tommy Blaze, Brad Heller, Carey Scott, and Anna Zielinski are all their typical selves. There is really no regard for any professionalism, yet line delivery is not terrible, just awkward. Basically, nice try, but not good enough.
Conclusion
Year after year PureFlix rolls out laughable films in the name of Christianity. They are rarely received well and seem to accomplish little for the Kingdom. We’ll never understand where they constantly get their money from or how they convince more popular actors and actresses to appear in their films. If you’ve seen one dumb PureFlix movie, you’ve definitely seen Dancer and the Dame. It’s better to not waste your time on another one.
After jumping out of that plane to save their lives, Chad and Dao find themselves on the run for their lives in Thailand as they try to remove the secret chip from Chad’s arm while being pursued by agents of an all-powerful rising world leader. The Rapture has occurred, leaving the world mired in chaos. As they try to grapple with the God of the Bible, Chad and Dao find themselves involved in multiple international conspiracies, including a human trafficking scheme that involves Dao’s sister and Chad’s former employers. As they fight for survival, who will prevail in this brave new world?
Production Quality (.5 point)
In keeping with the usual poor PureFlix production mode, clear video quality is all that can be found here that is remotely positive. Anything else related to camera work is dizzying and annoying. Much of the footage is recycled, both flashback footage and non-flashback footage, which demonstrates extreme laziness. Other scenes of the film are extremely long and drawn out, trying to delay the inevitable to build up some kind of fake suspense. Action sequences are over the top and poorly executed. The use of special effects and sound effects is very amateurish and obnoxious. For such a big plot, the sets and locations are quite limited and the surroundings are almost entirely confined to Thailand, PureFlix’s favorite international location. There is little to no editing—I’m convinced that the production team just went with what they had from filming. Basically, The Mark 2 is same song, different verse for PureFlix.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
Picking up where The Mark left us hanging, The Mark 2 is the most slow to development suspense plot ever. Inevitable confrontations between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ characters are painfully dragged out over a ninety-minute runtime full of coincidences, convenient plot devices, information dump dialogue, stupid action scenes, and scenes of characters sitting around or pacing around and talking. There is basically no purpose to this plot as John Patus once again shoves his apocalyptic opinions down our throats in the most awkward fashion possible. Multiple scenes appear to be directly copied from the original Left Behind series, which is no surprise with Patus involved. Only this time, the antichrist character is borderline unbearable and sports the fakest European accent possible. In the middle of the film, a cheesy Christian message is shoehorned in, along with a random human trafficking subplot that tries to improve the runtime. The mark of the beast concept, though slightly interesting, is only toyed with in the film and never seems complete. In the end, as the characters tell us through narration what we’re supposed to learn, it is unclear whether or not the story is to continue—obviously not, since there’s no Mark 3, but what were they really expecting? Did they actually have any ideas beyond the Rapture? Basically, we learned nothing from this plot, thus making it completely useless.
Acting Quality (.5 point)
This typical C-grade PureFlix cast is complete with fake accents, lame attempts at diversity, racial stereotypes, and Eric Roberts. Multiple cast members appear to have no place in the film, opting to pace around and talk about important things. Other cast members appear to take themselves too seriously and try to be as serious as you can be in a PureFlix action plot. At least not all of the acting is bad, but across the board, line delivery and emotions are very poor. But what else is new?
Conclusion
Why are so many PureFlix action plots at least partially set in Thailand? Also, if we are to endure so many apocalyptic Christian films on the market, can’t we at least see one that doesn’t involve the alleged ‘Rapture’ in some fashion? Haven’t we seen that enough from the original Left Behind series, that horrible new Left Behind, the first Mark film, The Remaining, Jerusalem Countdown, In the Blink of an Eye, the Revelation Road series (with the exception of The Black Rider), Six: The Mark Unleashed, etc.? With the money spent on this film and every other wasted apocalyptic film, you would think that it could have been saved for a truly groundbreaking Christian action\adventure or suspense movie that would have made a difference in the culture. But instead, we are left with a littered collection of could-haves and cut-rate productions.
Captured by the Romans, the Apostle Peter is held for questioning and possible execution. As he awaits his earthly fate, his mind wanders back to the early days, when he followed Jesus on earth. As he is interrogated by a young and inquisitive soldier, Peter recounts his experiences with Jesus, including the painful moment when he disowned his Lord. Tormented by evil spirits, Peter wrestles with his past as he tries to convert the man in front of him. In the end, each man has his own battle to fight and they must decide which side they will choose.
Production Quality (1 point)
If you endeavor to create a Bible film, please, please, please invest in good sets and props. Apostle Peter and the Last Supper suffers from the affliction of having only three or four sets, so it fills in everything else with very obviously cheap CGI. They’re not even good sets at that. The one good thing here is that at least the video quality is clear and the audio quality is find most of the time. The camera work is commendable, but the soundtrack is not. There are too many bizarre special effects that seem out of place and isolate the viewer. Finally, the editing is blasé and seems to only focus on the sensational parts, as will be discussed next. In all, Bible productions seem to always fall into a poor category all to themselves, and this one is no exception.
Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)
While it is commendable to include spiritual themes in a Biblical film, the ones included in this one are only sensational and sometimes downright creepy. The smallest things are overly dramatized—as usual with anything David A. R. White touches, nothing can be subtle, all must be obvious. Dialogue is very pedestrian and theologically scripted; it doesn’t feel like real people are talking. When dealing with the Biblical narrative, it is obviously out of order for some reason, probably for convenience. Jesus is portrayed in a very odd way, like He’s constantly obsessed with reading everybody’s minds. The plot being split between the past and the present does not allow for good character development in any form. Basically, the only positive aspect of this plot is the interesting idea of incorporating the spiritual battle, even though it is pulled off very poorly. Essentially, this plot is The Encounter with Peter—some slight potential but too much sensationalism and mediocrity.
Acting Quality (.5 point)
Time and again, we have seen Biblical movie casts with an inordinate number of British actors and actresses and Apostle Peter is no exception. What is it about Bible films that cause creators to believe that Biblical characters are very white and British? Accents aside, the acting is mostly dramatic and sensational, like the rest of the film. Bruce Marchiano, in his typical role, seems creepier than usual. Line delivery is very theatrical rather than conversational. Emotions are not believable. However, the acting is not bad enough to warrant zero points. Overall, everything about this film is just a mess.
Conclusion
Oh, what we would pay somebody for a worthwhile Bible film. Stories from Scripture need to be properly and accurately portrayed and presented on the big screen. Such films should have a historical bent rather than an otherworldly feel. Spiritual elements are great to include, but do them correctly, not in a way that turns people off. Unfortunately, the majority of Biblical films on the market misconstrues the historical truths and spiritual realities of the Word of God, thus contributing only negative content to the field. Who will stand up and turn the tide?
The Split Personality of David A. R. WhiteNobody believes that stupid beard is realOur reaction to this movie
Plot Summary
When Roy, a ‘young’ Amish man, supposedly turns 18, it’s time for him to go on his ‘Rumma Shpringa’, the time when all Amish ‘young’ folks go out into the world to hopefully discover how evil the world is and come running back to their drab lifestyle. But Roy is determined to not only find his long-lost uncle, who disappeared to Hollywood on his ‘Rumma Shpringa’, but also to witness to the heathen of the world about Jesus Christ. But what he finds instead is a cold world with no care for the things of God. Roy finds his uncle, who advises him to jump into the show business in order to covertly share the gospel. Roy runs into all sorts of odd characters along the way, including a producer he’s attracted to, who entices him to play Satan on a daytime soap opera. But the further he does into the showbiz game, the more Roy finds himself compromising all he has been taught. Which set of values will prevail?
Production Quality (.5 point)
If Holyman Undercover has anything going for it, it does have pretty good video quality. But that’s where the positivity ends. Camera work is all over the place, obviously trying to be ‘funny’ and ‘comedic’. Audio quality is fairly consistent, but cheesy sound effects interrupt it. The sets and locations are purposely cheap-looking, and the surroundings are clownish, like they’re from a comic book. I could go on about how the editing is poorly done, but it doesn’t really matter because it’s all purposeful. This film was purposely created to be ridiculous, and that’s exactly what it is.
Plot and Storyline Quality (-1 points)
Watching Holyman Undercover is a surreal experience unlikely to be replicated by anything else—expect for Me Again. From slurs against the Amish to blatant and rude Hispanic stereotypes to gigantic strawmen of Hollywood insiders, this film really takes the cake. As the split personality of David A. R. White, manifested in his two-character acting role, jumps from one random schizophrenic scene to the next, the audience can only laugh and look on at this train wreck of a creation. Yet if you look past the zany madness that is this storyline, you can see truth emerging from the cracks. This is a wild and embellished retelling of how the Whites began their film careers. Coming from a strict Mennonite upbringing, David A. R. White must have felt like he was confined and not allowed to create, yet his stint in Hollywood has given him a chip on his shoulder the size of Kansas (pun intended) that makes him feel like the entire world is against Christians. But in his usual extreme black and white thinking, the false dichotomy between overly strict Christians and hopelessly evil ‘worldly’ people is far outside of reality. There is nothing real about this plot, and we believe that it was never intended to be real. This is a sick satire, borne from the damaged emotions of David A. R. White, yet it is a window into what makes him tick. But in the midst of trying to be over-the-top hilarious, there is zero coherency to this madness. It would certainly be one thing if this creative wonder had a consistent thought across the continuum, but it does not. There is no understanding of what and why goes on, or what is coming next. It’s basically an embarrassing failed attempt at parody. On the flipside, it’s a shame that a drug commercial satire idea got wasted in this movie. Otherwise, Holyman Undercover can be seen as nothing more than a big joke that wasted over a million dollars.
Acting Quality (-1.5 points)
This clownish bunch of cast members is only lacking in Tommy Blaze, Morgan Fairchild, and David Blamy. The actors and actresses have obviously been instructed to act as zany and stereotypical as possible, from the mentally ill ‘uncle’ David A. R. White, to the robotically mindless Andrea Logan White, to the histrionic Jennifer Lyons, to the egotistical Fred Willard, etc., etc. Also, nothing beats Carey Scott trying to be a European maître d’. David A. R. White has basically let himself out of the box in this one and acts as maniacal as he possibly can. There is truly no seriousness here and a lot of lines seem adlibbed. Emotions are blown out of proportion and line delivery is either lazy or forced.
Conclusion
The mind boggles as to how and why the Whites acquire so much money for films like this one. Just think—what if the million and a half dollars blown on this train wreck was put toward a film that actually needed it, one that could have actually used the money for something good. This is perhaps the real travesty with this film and with PureFlix in general. Sinking millions of dollars into dead end films designed to make fun of stereotypes is a terrible use of God’s blessings. This is why we continue to call the White and PureFlix out: wasted money and wasted potential. Hopefully, one day, the tide will finally change and Christian movies will be something to be proud of.
Richie Chaplin is a mess. He’s struggling to convey meaning in his pastoral ministry. His wife has separate from him due to his depression and sleepwalking, taking their three children with her. His two younger children don’t even know who he is. His older daughter is messing around with a boy. Basically, Richie doesn’t want to be himself anymore. He wants somebody else’s life because his life stinks. He’s forgotten the original purpose God created him for, so he’s about to embark on a wild journey outside of his control to remind him why he is living the life he is living. In the end, he will have to decide whether or not he likes the life God has given him or if he is going to make one of the biggest mistakes of his life.
Production Quality (1 point)
To their credit, at least PureFlix invested in better camera quality than usual for this film. The sound quality is also fine, but these are the only positive aspects of the production of Me Again. Throughout this zany drug trip into the creative faculties of David A. R. White and Tommy Blaze, the camera angles can get dizzying, confusing, and downright amateurish in their attempt to be dramatic or comedic. Cheesy horror effects are inserted randomly and out of context. Low-quality special effects are overused and invasive. The surroundings are painfully obviously reused from Marriage Retreat, suggesting that this movie was borne out of that film’s B-rolls. Finally, all editing sense is thrown out the window as the plot tosses hither and fro with no system or consistency, like they’re just throwing stuff up against the wall to see what happens. Overall, Me Again feels like an experimental film that either accidentally got released or was released to try to glean desperately needed funds. Either way, it doesn’t work.
Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)
Few screenwriters venture to create a psychological comedy, and Me Again may stand as a testament as to why. The plot of this film is extremely hard to nail down. After watching an unusual sequence on television two nights in a row, David A. R. White is suddenly transported into an alternate universe in which he gets to become a random rich guy, a model he saw on TV, a goldfish (?!?!), an infant, a housemaid, the teenage boy trying to date his daughter, and finally his own wife. The only real explanations that are offered for this potentially interesting psychological journey are vague and trite inspirational quotes from an offbeat angel character he should have already known about (more on that shortly). The leaps from one impersonation to the next are not only painfully horrible at trying to be funny, but also leave no room for real character development. The dialogue is horrifically childish and often feels adlibbed and impromptu. Yet somewhere in the midst of histrionic displays from A. R. White, including a fake (or not) heart attack, a purposeful makeup disaster, voiceovers for a goldfish and an infant, generally idiotic behavior, self-parodies, and an epic conversation with himself in the alternate universe (perhaps his acting dream), there is some interesting meaning hidden here. If someone was able to ‘walk in someone else’s shoes’, then they would view life a lot differently. But this potential meaning is covered up due to time wasted on downright stupidity. This goes without saying that, in keeping with usual White themes, everything is too black and white. ‘Good’ characters are obviously perfect and wise while ‘bad’ characters are complete over the top strawmen, bringing more disgrace to how people think Christians view ‘worldly’ people. Also, solutions to problem are far too easy, trite, and shallow, and offer no real help for people struggling with the real issues presented.
But perhaps the worst element of this entire plot is found in the unusual sepia tone flashback prologue and epilogue. It’s so devastating that it warrants a Box Office Revolution first: a separate paragraph of discussion. The prologue and epilogue are presumably supposed to depict Richie and his wife as childhood sweethearts drinking honeysuckle tea (whatever that is). The epilogue completely undermines the purpose of the plot and suggests that it’s all one big joke. Either that or PureFlix is full of incompetence (probably a little of both). Richie’s wife, as a girl, tells him that she knows they’ll be married one day because the specific angel he later sees on television and has a conversation with in the midst of his psychological adventure told her so. If this is the case, then he should have known what was happening when he recognized the name of the angel. Another alternative possibility is that the entire middle of the movie is just part of the girl’s dream, which suggests that the entire movie is useless. Whatever the case is, this plot is so slipshod and incompetent that we can’t make heads or tails of it. All we know is that it’s an experience we’ll both never forget and never wish to repeat.
Acting Quality (0 points)
As usual, the Whites and their comrades have no restraint or direction in their acting but are content to blurt out lines in ‘funny’ fashions and lazily act their way through another cheap movie full of one-take scenes and adlib behavior. No emotional meaning can be felt here because the acting is so absurd, especially David A. R. White’s zany impersonations of other characters and Tommy Blaze’s generally bizarre behavior. In short, another zero point acting job is business as usual for PureFlix.
Conclusion
If anything was accomplished through this unique experience, it was that a movie like this has never been made before and should never be made again. Unfortunately, any attempt at deeper meaning is so shallow that’s easily washed over with a tide of absurdity. Many elements of this movie seem to suggest that the Whites and company have no grasp on the real world, as they treat important issues too lightly and portray people has completely good or completely bad. It seems like the only purpose of Me Again is to make fun of everything, including themselves, and to waste another good idea. The one merit PureFlix has is an acceptance of creating different types of movies, but in most cases, like this one, they ruin the reputation of Christian movies in unique genres. This is not to mention the fact that Me Again is just another film that makes the name ‘Christian film’ more of a laughingstock. At some point, the creation of this type of nonsense must end and Christian filmmakers must get serious about generating quality content if we are ever going to make a true difference.
Two years after the Rapture, the enigmatic Josh McManus has a mission to do good and to right wrongs, even when it seems like evil is winning. His latest mission takes him to a strict and legalistic settlement that tolerates no crime in order to gain medical attention for an injured girl. In exchange for both of their lives, Josh must carry out a dangerous mission: search for a mysterious and troublemaking vagrant known as the Shepherd and bring him back so the settlement leader, Drake, can exchange him to his superiors for more life saving supplies. In route to searching for the Shepherd, Josh and his unwanted tagalong, Sofia, must battle multiple villains and come to grips with what they truly believe about Jesus and His plan for the world.
Production Quality (2 points)
Despite previous production struggles, Bradley Dorsey and Gabriel Sabloff have greatly improved this franchise. The camera work improves dramatically in The Black Rider, as does the sound quality. The surroundings and sets are innovative and creative. Gone are ridiculous special effects, including that weird lightning! This would have been a stellar production were in not for a collection of small issues—no doubt White influences. For example, the CGI that is used is very amateurish. Action scenes are overall not produced well, and there are too many of them, which is an editing problem. The scope of the plot is so vast that precious time does not need to be wasted on silly fight scenes. Yet these such portions squeezed out the deepening of plot creativity. Nonetheless, this is the type of production that Pureflix has been trying to stab in the dark for years.
Plot and Storyline Quality (2 points)
The abysmal non-plot of The Beginning of the End seems like a distant memory after viewing The Black Rider. There is a unique psychological edge to this plot and creative concepts that give the film deeper meaning beyond car chases and gunfights. An entire new cast of characters is introduced, and it actually works. A new world is introduced two years after The Sea of Glass and Fire, and it’s better than before. But this new world is a double-edged sword—it’s too big for the scope of this film. If more of this world had been explained in The Sea of Glass and Fire, we would have a framework to understand, but this did not happen. Foreign plot devices such as the ominous ULC are forced upon viewers without explanation. However, the city-state government system works well in this apocalyptic setting and gives the movie that epic backdrop David A. R. White has been searching for. Moreover, there are other speculative concepts that are introduced and not fully explained. Yet the gospel message is philosophically communicated far better than ever before in a Pureflix movie, and all without forcing the message down the audience’s throats. There is unfortunately still wasted time on childish fighting scenes. The escapades of Josh McManus, a surprisingly good character, border on unrealistic and sometimes coincidental. Some of the many villains in this movie are laughable, while others are believable. Each character is crafted through mostly effective dialogue. The ending of this plot is also a double-edged sword: it both introduces a key psychological element and confuses the audience. It both isolates the viewer and makes them want more. Any further discussion is beyond the scope of this review, but the bottom line is Dorsey and Sabloff really have something going here, something that needs to be continued.
Acting Quality (2 points)
Hands down, The Black Rider is David A. R. White’s best acting work to date. Bradley Dorsey also contributes an excellent role to the film, perhaps his best. Unfortunately, there is still some cheesy acting from certain cast members. Kevin Sorbo in a thrift store disaster getup and sporting a fake insert-ethnicity-here accent is just too much to bear. Action acting is still B-grade. Other small issues plague an otherwise great casting job, such as that dumb sheet the Shepherd wears. Otherwise, costuming is fairly responsible. Line delivery is sometimes effective and sometimes forced. Emotions are mostly believable. In short, everything about this film is give and take: for every cheesy element, there is an excellent element, and vice versa.
Conclusion
The Revelation Road saga is a cinematic freak of nature—a film franchise with a redemption arc of its own that closely mirrors the rise of Josh McManus, the surprising crowning achievement of David A. R. White’s acting career. Nonetheless, The Black Rider is a constant tug of war between the C-grade action of The Beginning of the End and the psychological creativity of The Sea of Glass and Fire. The third installment suffers from the wasted time of the first two installments, where this time could have been used to build a better backstory instead of shoving in all into one movie, intending to fix a broken series in one stroke. But The Black Rider is proof that broken sagas can be fixed. Therefore, we are surprisingly anticipating the release of Revelation Road 4.
After witnessing the Rapture, Josh McManus sets out on the road trip of his life to discover the whereabouts of his family, whom he is unable to contact. But making the trek back won’t be easy with a crazed biker gang on his tail, bent on revenge for how he stole their pride. Josh is joined by Beth, whose grandparents were taken in the Rapture. As they travel across the desert, navigating the strange new world they live in, Josh will have to come to grips with who he really is and what he has done in the past. Not only him, but Hawg will also have to reconcile with the person he has become. On a collision course, Josh and Hawg will both have to determine how they are going to change who they are.
Production Quality (1 point)
Believe it or not, production quality improves from the first series installment to the second. Video quality remains the same, but sound quality also improves. Special effects are used more responsibly. The weird lightning is still there, but it’s a step in the right direction. The camera work is strange at times, but not nearly as bad as the first film. The editing is still a work in progress, but there seems to be more effort put into this installment. Overall, that’s the story of Revelation Road 2—the thought is there, but the execution is only half there.
Plot and Storyline Quality (2 points)
The Beginning of the End was obviously driving to something, as that non-plot continually delayed the inevitable next film. Thankfully, that something was actually worth waiting for. Who knew that Pureflix would begin using flashbacks to develop characters? Since when do the Whites and company create character backstories? Stranger things do happen, and they happened in The Sea of Glass and Fire (whatever that title’s supposed to mean). The core idea behind Josh’s character is very innovative, and seemingly beyond the reaches of the Pureflix creative realm. Even Hawg is turned into a somewhat believable villain through flashbacks. And Cat…oh wait, never mind. But pitfalls still exist in this film—mindless violence rivals B-grade Hollywood action flicks and time fillers litter the plot. Dialogue is better in the flashbacks than in the present plot. The ending inevitably leads to another film, but we have to wonder if this is really necessary at this point. Overall, this plot is a huge step in the right direction, but there is still work to be done.
Acting Quality (1 point)
Mostly due to the flashbacks, the acting slightly improves from the previous movie. This is probably the best David A. R. White, Andrea Logan White, and Brian Bosworth will get when it comes to action acting. Line delivery and emotional delivery are blasé, making this an overall underwhelming cast performance. But hey, they got one point!
Conclusion
Revelation Road 2 is one of the rare Pureflix movies that really had something, but never found it. The overarching idea behind the series, if you ignore the strange eschatology, is very creative and breaks genre barriers in Christian film. Yet under all of this is a sad storyline, and this is the fact that four points is a monumental accomplishment for this creative team. The Sea of Glass and Fire stands as an example of how good even this crew can be when they put their minds to it, but it also makes us hunger for more. Unfortunately, that more is probably not going to happen, if history is any indication. Basically, if this idea were put into the hands of another team, it would have been Hall of Fame and beyond.
Josh McManus is a confused man. As a traveling self-defense product salesman, he is used to meeting new people on a daily basis, but he is not comfortable with the secret man inside of him. While travelling across the western America desert, strange things start to happen. Pursued by mysterious biker villains and plagued by weather anomalies and electrical failures, he is finally forced to face off with his pursuers. Hawg is a troubled biker gang leader with an agenda to take over random small towns in the western United States. His disgruntled mentality tends to cause discontent in his gang, but they ride on, bent on destroying the mysterious Josh McManus. All of the characters involved must not only come to grips with who they are, but with the strangely changing world around them.
Production Quality (.5 point)
Where to begin? Let’s start with the positive. The only reason this film’s production is not zero points is because there is at least clear video quality. Otherwise, there is nothing good to discuss. The camera work is obnoxious, with random dizzying cuts and zooms for faux-dramatic effect. To ‘enhance’ action sequences, the camera jerks all around, getting weirdly close to important characters. While we’re on the topic of action scenes, they are either very poorly executed or far too long, eating up huge chunks of the movie’s runtime. Watching a David A. R. White action scene is usually dizzying, and Revelation Road is no exception. Speaking of dizzying, the sheer overuse of special effects in this movie makes us wonder if it’s safe for epileptic viewers to watch. Topping things of, the soundtrack is deplorable. Therefore, as you can see, this is another horrific Pureflix production.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
With this movie packed so chock full with useless action sequences that add nothing to its overall purpose, whatever that is, actual plot depth is squeezed out of the picture. The intended plot can be summed up in a nutshell: random guy drives to a random desert town to sell self-defense gear (does anybody really do that?) and gets caught in the middle of a store holdup, uses secret military training to defeat mindless biker villains, hangs out with the store owner and his family, observe strange weather anomalies with eccentric local policemen, calls his worried wife about stuff, plays vigilante with local deadbeats, and observes a strange ‘rapture’ from a local motel. Elsewhere, we are shown the life and times of a bizarre desert biker gang led by a grunting leader and his sidekick, plus Andrea Logan White in a makeup disaster. No character development occurs as the ‘plot’ jumps from one explosion and gunfight to the next. Dialogue has a typical cheesy, off-the-wall Pureflix feel. We are unsure what is trying to be communicated here except for another offbeat Christian apocalyptic concept. This movie might as well be a commercial for the next one, as it delays the viewers any real substance for over ninety wasted minutes. Finally, the ending is extremely confusing and isolating. In short, Revelation Road is the story of the White action films: toss out convention and common sense and exchange it for cheaply constructed action sequences.
Acting Quality (0 points)
What more is there to say that hasn’t already been said? With the same old Pureflix actors and actresses recycled in the Revelation Road saga, their acting skills do not improve. When a collection of cast members is kept in such a bubble, there is no reason for them to improve when there is no constructive criticism or filter. Through this film, emotions are forced and unbelievable. Action scenes are sloppily acted and line delivery is lazy. Unfortunately, there is nothing unique or surprising from this cast.
Conclusion
We promise we are really not out on some kind of Pureflix warpath, but when a company so consistently generates such low quality and bizarre content in the name of Christianity, they must be called out. Revelation Road may be the pinnacle of the Whites’ action movie career. It involves every possible element of a C-grade action flick. With creations like this, only two conclusions can be determined: either Pureflix does not know how to make a good movie or they do not care to make a good movie. Apocalyptic movies are usually bad enough, but this motorcycle madness takes things to a whole new level. The end result is just another ridiculous Pureflix creation.
Chad Turner, a former criminal, has been chosen to be a human prototype for a biometric computer chip some call the Mark of the Beast. After the chip is inserted into his skin, Chad becomes a different person, more powerful than before. But he soon finds himself on the run from a powerful world leader, Joseph Pike, who seeks to take the chip and use it for his own means: world domination. Chad takes a businessman, Cooper, hostage and convinces him to assist him in keeping the chip away from Pike. But they suddenly find themselves trapped on a place in the middle of a global catastrophic some refer to as the Rapture. With multiple assailants after them, Turner and Cooper must navigate the uncertain waters and avoid death at all costs.
Production Quality (.5 point)
Beyond a clear video quality, there is little to be excited about in The Mark when it comes to production. The movie is filled with poorly constructed action scenes, wild explosions, and maddening gun-wielding chases. Not much effort was put into sets and locations, as a majority of the film takes place on a plane, which brings to mind many other apocalyptic movies. The editing is passable, but there is little true content to deal with. The musical score is a stock action soundtrack. Basically, this type of movie is been there, done that.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
In this possible sequel to In the Blink of an Eye, several potentially interesting characters are thrown together on a transatlantic flight to discuss the world’s political scene and to escape from the antichrist’s henchman. John Patus has used this plot before and used it again after this movie. With the chip in his skin, Turner is basically an invincible character, not that plot devices like this have stopped action protagonists from being invincible before. With mind-numbing action sequences, there is little to no actual plot in The Mark. Character development and meaningful dialogue are traded for firing guns and yes—crawling around inside of a plane’s engine area while it’s in flight. While Turner and Cooper could have been interesting flawed ‘heroes’ with agendas of their own, they were not. The antichrist character is unbearably cheesy. The bottom line is that the apocalyptic stuck-on-a-place plot has been done before and needs to be put to rest once and for all.
Acting Quality (.5 point)
This particular PureFlix cast is not extremely cheesy, but they are just not that great. In the wake of cheap action, emotions are discarded and line delivery is reduced to monologuing and pontificating. Where there was potential in the actors and actresses, it is not harnessed.
Conclusion
Centering a plot around a character that has been forcibly given an artist’s conception of the Mark of the Beast is not entirely a bad idea. Such an idea has the possibility to breach new genres and reach different audiences than usual. However, movies like The Mark only cause the apocalyptic genre to become further viewed as cheesy and not worth anyone’s time. As it stands, Christian apocalyptic movies mostly are not worth your time. No matter where you land on eschatology, movies like The Mark are pointless and empty.
Nick, Melissa, Hank, Catherine, and Kayla are all strangers to each other until they are forced to meet up at a quaint diner due to road closures one stormy night. Each has their own story and hurts, but the last thing they expect is to meet the mysterious owner of the diner, who calls himself Jesus. He knows many things about them that no one else knows but he actually demonstrates true care for them, something many of them have never experienced. Each of them must make the most important choice of their lives—will they listen to the words of Jesus or will they turn away?
Production Quality (.5 point)
The production pretty much derails this movie from the get go. For starters, the movie is purposely designed to have extremely limited sets—the movie only takes place a very small amount outside, partly inside vehicles, partly inside flashback locations, mostly inside the makeshift diner, and yes, inside the diner’s bathroom. The video quality is quite grainy and the camera work shaky. The sound quality is inconsistent. The only redeeming production quality is the editing, even though there is very little content to work with. In short, it would have done this movie wonders to have better production quality. With such a small cast and so few sets, there are no excuses to have such poor production.
Plot and Storyline Quality (1.5 points)
Although the encounter with Jesus in modern times is not really a new plot, there is nothing inherently wrong with this particular rendition. The characters are pretty good and the flashbacks effectively enhance them, but once again, with so few characters, there was more time to develop them, yet this was not done. This sort of small scale plot depends entirely on the characters, and since the characters are just average, it’s not good enough. We needed to know more about these characters besides their favorite foods, their occupations, their parents, and their surface struggles. Again, the flashbacks are great, but more is needed. The spiritual\psychological elements in the plot are interesting, but the devil character is very cheesy. In short, this plot concept had a lot of potential—especially if more psychological elements had been explored—that was not brought to the surface. The final result is just a stock plot.
Acting Quality (1 point)
This cast seems better than a lot of PureFlix casts; even though there is really no acting coaching, the actors and actresses do a pretty good job by themselves. However, like the rest of this movie, more is needed. Similar to how the characters carry this sort of small scale plot, the actors and actresses are vital. Unfortunately, there is just not enough positive here.
Conclusion
Though David A. R. White is the director of The Encounter, he does not insert his usual cheesy flavor. But at the same time, dynamic elements are not present. The tools are there, but they are not picked up and used. The Encounter had the possibility to showcase a unique movie genre, but it was left hanging. This film likely joins a group of Christian films that deserve a remake.
Taken from their cherished hometown Jerusalem as young men, Daniel and his three friends must learn to navigate their new culture, Babylon, without compromising their Jewish faith. Even when it appears as though all hope is lost, Yahweh continues to give Daniel and his friends opportunities to influence their own captors for the better. As Daniel’s life progressed, he was given more and more chances to influence world politics by simply serving and obeying Yahweh. The life of Daniel is one that can be modeled by Christians of all generations and cultures.
Production Quality (.5 point)
Unfortunately, The Book of Daniel falls into the infamous Biblical film traps when it comes to production. The sets and costuming scream church play and demonstrate a severely limited budget combined with lack of attention to historical authenticity. There are no outside sequences, except for one, that are not replaced with extremely obvious CGI. There are also some annoying special effects. For what it’s worth, the camera work is not horrible and the editing is passable, even though the story is very choppy. In summary, PureFlix Bible productions leave much to be desired.
Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)
It is commendable to cover all the stories in the Biblical book of Daniel in one movie and to transpose it with Daniel’s God-given influence over historical monarchs. But in this pursuit, the viewer gets lost in a very disjointed storyline. There is simply too much content and not enough character development. We at Box Office Revolution continually wonder why Biblical characters always have to be portrayed in the movies as inhuman and lofty—they were regular people! The dialogue of The Book of Daniel also reminds one of a poorly written church play, very robotic. The bottom line is that while there was a mountain of potential to be found in this sort of plot, it was never unearthed. We are only left with a pathetic attempt.
Acting Quality (1 point)
While the acting is not glaringly bad, it is overly theatrical and overly practiced. There are little to no emotions expressed. Again, it gives off the impression that Bible characters were not real people, but like talking wax figures. We believe that if these actors had been afforded better lines and better coaching, something more could have materialized. But alas, we are once again left wondering what could have been.
Conclusion
Bible movies need to be made, but not like this. So many audiences need to know what is in the Bible, but films like The Book of Daniel only serve to further turn people off, making them think that the Scriptures are boring and full of inaccessible characters we can’t relate to and fantastical events that will never happen again. The truth is, nothing could be more of a lie. The Bible has many historical and realistic narratives full of flawed and believable characters that need to be depicted on the big screen properly. We look forward to the day when this will happen.
Stuck in a long line of pastoral succession at a megachurch headed by the popular Johnny Kingman, James White is desperate to make his mark and to stand out from the crowd. But doing so only gets him into further trouble. After nearly ruining a children’s Sunday school class and an expensive painting and disrupting a church service, Kingman send James on a probation to pastor a struggling church in Atlanta. So James, his wife Lily, and their two children make a cross-country move to the Peach State and find themselves thrust into a multicultural world they have never before experienced. Not only must James find a way to save the struggling church, but he must come to grips with the fact that he is not invincible and must rely on God and his family for help.
Production Quality (1.5 points)
Compared to other PureFlix productions, Brother White is not horrible. It actually has a lot of potential. The camera work is pretty good, as is the video quality. However, the sound quality is inconsistent and some outside scenes are covered up with musical montages. The editing is decent, but the sets and locations are obviously cheap. There are some slight excuses for this, but it still could have been better. Probably the worst production element is pretending like certain characters are singing when they are obviously not. In short, the production of Brother White is just average—neither horrible nor dynamic. There was a lot of potential here that was not brought to the surface.
Plot and Storyline Quality (1.5 points)
Unlike many PureFlix plots, Brother White is slightly interesting. Exploring racial relations by inserting an affluent white (White?) family into a predominantly African-American church has a lot of potential, if stereotypes are avoided. For the most part, they are. There is plenty of satire in Brother White that is actually funny, such as tongue-in-cheek swipes at prosperity gospel churches. But there are also elements that are just trying too hard. Too much comedy falls flat and some lines leave you scratching your head. There are plot holes that are glossed over and some humor is way too obvious, such as the name ‘Lily White’. The plot boils down to a simplistic save the farm storyline and seems to lose its original purpose in the end. James’ character arc is commendable, but the whole movie just leaves you wanting more substance. In short, Brother White is not so awful that it’s unwatchable, but it’s also frustrating to watch because there was obviously a lot of creativity left untapped.
Acting Quality (1 point)
Though this is probably David A. R. White’s best lead role, it still leaves much to be desired. The presence of more professional actors in this cast keeps it from sinking to the depths of most PureFlix casts. However, there is still a lack of acting coaching. Were all the actors up to par, this movie would have improved.
Conclusion
This is probably the closest the Whites and Tommy Blaze will ever get to true comedy. But were this plot in different hands, we can’t help but feel it could have been Hall of Fame worthy. It contains a unique plot on a good topic and as it is, has some humorous elements. In the end, Brother White is the highest rated White comedy and unfortunately, it is hard to believe that it will get any better than this.
Following the death of a common friend, Gary, Jeremy, Michael, Harold, and Sherry all gather at his house for a long weekend of repairs and catching up on the good old days. However, all is not well among them. Jeremy discovers that he still love Sherry, his former girlfriend, even though his current girlfriend is staying with them. Michael is guarding a dark secret from his past. Gary and Harold’s wife constantly clash over his Jewish background and his atheist beliefs. In the end, they will have to come to grips their hidden secrets in order to face the future.
Production Quality (0 points)
There is literally nothing good to say about this film’s production quality. The video is grainy and the sound quality is all over the place. The camera work is unprofessional. Everything about the production has a very cheap identity. The sets are severely limited, mostly taking place inside one house or on its roof (yes, seriously). The editing is terrible, but it’s not like there was much to work with. Roof repair scenes, standing around and talking scenes, and thrift store dress-up scenes litter the landscape. But nothing can beat David A. R. White mouthing a Building 429 song and pretending like he’s singing it. As previously mentioned, there is nothing positive here.
Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)
There is only one positive element to discuss from this entire film, and that is its slightly interesting exploration of the various types of secret sins many Christians harbor. Otherwise, the remainder of this film is utter nonsense. The dialogue is almost written purposely ridiculous. One character is an over-the-top, obnoxious, legalistic Christian who is the only one, in her mind, who can interpret the Bible properly. It would be funny if it wasn’t so unwatchable. The atheist character is equally annoying. Other dialogue is absurd and overly obvious, shoving issues down viewers’ throats. There is also no clear plotline to this movie except for repairing a roof, hanging around talking and arguing on various controversial topics, reminiscing about the good old days, playing dress-up in a thrift store, and pretending to sing in a cheap restaurant. Any good intentions there were in making this movie are buried beneath a mound of insanity.
Acting Quality (0 points)
No acting coaching is employed in Hidden Secrets. Actors and actresses are allowed to basically run wild with the material with no quality control. Line delivery is forceful—several actors and actresses are clearly trying to draw attention to themselves. Emotions are also extreme and unbelievable. Once again, there is nothing good to say here.
Conclusion
There is a base idea in Hidden Secrets that should have been given to another film. Unfortunately, Carey Scott, Sean Paul Murphy, and Timothy Ratajczak have not demonstrated that they are good stewards of movie ideas. To make this sort of movie shows one of three things—they either do not care about making quality movies, they do not fully know how to make quality movies, or they are purposely making low quality movies. What type of audience is supposed to derive meaning from this sort of movie? For many reasons, this movie receives a very low score.
Ethan, Catherine, Luke, Ryder, and Alexandria, friends through college, have finally reaches graduation and are ready to go out and change the world. However, the world they find outside of the college classroom is not the one they anticipated. Catherine and Luke seem to be following their lives’ purposes when they embark to serve the Lord in India. Catherine and Ryder are set on making an impact in the business world. Ethan feels stuck working for his lonely father’s restaurant, even though he dreams of going to graduate school. Each person has a different path to follow and each friend must discover God’s purpose for their lives.
Production Quality (2 points)
Unlike most PureFlix distributed films, This is Our Time has good production elements. The camera work and video quality are both pretty good. The sound quality is inconsistent at times. The sets and locations are pretty good, considering the story takes place in America and India. The editing is unfortunately sub-par; there are too many scenes that appear to be filler. Some events take place off screen and confuse the viewer. Overall, This is Our Time has a pretty good production effort, but it is not quite there yet.
Plot and Storyline Quality (1.5 points)
This is Our Time has a very unique plot structure that is not typical to most inspirational plots. Usually, when more than three subplots are crammed together in a movie, it comes off as choppy, but in this instance, it works fairly well since the subplots are all related to characters who graduated together. The topics discussed in the film are accessible to average viewers. There are some interesting twists throughout the film. However, there are just too many negative factors in this plot. Some situations are very trumped up and contrived. Most of the dialogue is empty and thus, the characters are left wanting. The worst part is that it didn’t have to be this way—we feel that Lisa Arnold has more potential than this. There are several important messages in this film that are lost due its low quality. In short, we believe that a larger, more dedicated crew would have greatly improved this movie.
Acting Quality (.5 point)
This cast had potential, but they are obviously not coached well. A lot of the line delivery is very forced and the emotions are not believable. Once again, we believe that it didn’t have to be this way. There was simply too much left on the proverbial field.
Conclusion
This is Our Time joins a collection of Christian films that desperately needed a rewrite and\or a redo. Had Lisa Arnold had a better team surrounding her in the production of this movie, it could have reached its full potential. Quality control is the real issue here—the tools are there, but they are not placed in the right hands. In the future, we hope to see Lisa Arnold recruit people who can help bring her intriguing plots to life.
While driving to her destination wedding location in the Hamptons, Dr. Lisa Leland has an unfortunate run-in with the local law enforcement of Normal, Louisiana. Due to her new speeding ticket and unpaid parking tickets, a local judge decides to give Lisa a choice between community service or jail time. Lisa chooses community service and finds herself as the new town doctor. While begrudgingly performing her duties, Lisa clashes with the town lawyer, who is in the middle of a heated legal battle. Finally forced to slow down in her fast-paced life, Lisa realizes there is more to her existence than just making money.
Production Quality (1.5 points)
The production quality of Finding Normal is better than usual, but it is still only average. The camera work is passable, as are the video and sound qualities. The sets and locations are limited and seem cheap. The editing is all right, but there is not really much to work with. Overall, Normal is a step above other PureFlix movies that contain glaring errors, probably since it was made for TV, but it is still not as good as it should be, knowing how much funding PureFlix has available to them.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
The plot content is really where this movie takes a nosedive. For starters, it is a typical small town hostage plot in which a big city character gets stuck in a small town with every cliché imaginable: little to no cell phone coverage, a local judge with an agenda, a police officer that pulls over newcomers, a small church with typical church events, a predictable town event, and even fishing. Besides this, the storyline is trumped up and inaccurate—local jurisdictions cannot enforce parking tickets in other states. It is a stretch to believe that being a doctor could count as community service. In other news, an unrealistic religious freedom case is inserted into the film, along with some save the farm plot elements. In the wake of this nonsense, the characters are empty and the dialogue is painful. The ending makes little to no sense—the whole movie seems like it was forced to happen. Unfortunately, there is nothing good to say here.
Acting Quality (1 point)
The acting is not as bad as it could be, but it is also not as good as it could be. Candace Cameron Bure is average at best. The surrounding cast tries too hard to have a ‘small-town feel’. Overall, there is nothing dynamic enough here to warrant any more points.
Conclusion
The bottom line is that this type of movie has been done before, too many times. There is nothing new about a big city character getting stuck in a backwards small town and being forced to slow down their fast-paced life. When these types of movies are being pitched, creators need to be challenged to change it up and do something that hasn’t been done before, even something slightly different. Christian films are already too replete with mediocre nonsense and we certainly do not need anymore. We implore Christian film distributors everywhere to use the funding they have to make one truly dynamic movie, one that can change cultures, not five more that will be forgotten in a few years.
Following the banishment of Queen Vashti from the royalty of Medo-Persia, King Xerses, lonely and confused, takes the advice of his closest advisors and decrees that all the young women be brought to him, given beauty treatments, and then displayed before him so that he can choose a new queen from among them. Among them is a Jewish girl, Hadassah, who had been admonished by her cousin Mordecai to hide her cultural identity from those in the palace. Against all odds, she is chosen to succeed Queen Vashti, just as the wicked advisor Haman is plotting to destroy the Jewish people from the face of the earth. Queen Esther must decide that she must live up to the calling God has put in front of her in order to save an entire race from extinction.
Production Quality (.5 point)
The Book of Esther commits every Biblical movie error in every category, beginning with production. The sets and costuming are very cheap, like this is a children’s church play. It would be one thing if PureFlix did not have the funding to put on a better production, but this is not the case. The camera work and video quality are passable, but the sound quality is very inconsistent. There is really nothing to comment on regarding the editing, either good or bad. In short, the first rule of Bible movies is to create a realistic and high quality setting, including backgrounds, sets, props, and costumes. The Book of Esther does none of this.
Plot and Storyline Quality (-1 points)
The story of Esther is overused in movies, probably because it is easy to replicate and the plot suits most audiences. But this film is not even a good adaptation—it misrepresents Biblical and historical events and includes unnecessary parts. It seems like the viewer is being insulted and being treated like a child in a bad Sunday school class. The film contains ridiculous over the top characters, more so than usual for a Bible film. The dialogue is overly dramatic, like most Scripture screenplays. There are also creepy undertones and insinuations regarding Haman and his eunuch. A lot of content takes place off screen and this plot generally has no real potential and is even offensive is some ways, thus warranting negative points.
Acting Quality (.5 point)
As a whole, line delivery is horrible and emotion is absent. The acting is either absurd or too theatrical. The only exception is some small acting potential from Joel Smallbone and Jen Lilley, as their talents seem to be wasted on this nonsense. Otherwise, there is unfortunately nothing positive to say.
Conclusion
Needless to say, The Book of Esther is another ruined Bible movie. The audience will learn nothing worthwhile from it except that they probably don’t want to watch anymore films based on Scripture. This movie is the embodiment of why Box Office Revolution feels the need to speak out for quality Christian films and against low quality ones. It feels like PureFlix isn’t even trying when they make movies like this, which further warrants a very low score.
David, a detective, stumbles into the vacation of his life when he saves a famous pop star from a hostage situation. David and his wife Lori, along with David’s partner Larry and his wife Sussette, are invited by the pop star’s boyfriend to spend a lavish weekend with them on their private yacht in the waters of Mexico. But David quickly sense that something is not quite right with the pop star and her boyfriend. Yet before he can do anything about it, strange things start happening. Passengers begin disappearing and David keeps waking up to the same day repeating over and over and over again. No matter what happens, the day repeats over again and David is the only one who can remember anything about the repeats. In order to solve the mystery of his life, he must face the faith he has been running from all his life.
Production Quality (1 point)
For starters, In the Blink of an Eye has pretty good video and sound quality. However, that is all that can be said. The film also contains odd camera angles and confusing editing—this may be due to the odd plot structure, but it is difficult to understand the flow of the movie. There are also plenty of unnecessary scenes that appear to just fill time. In addition to this, the movie has limited and cheap sets and costumes, like they spent most of the money on the expensive yacht, cars, and jet skis. There is also bad makeup work on most of the characters and cheesy apocalyptic special effects. To make matters worse, John Hagee product placements litter the dialogue. In short, there is little to be positive about here.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
This plot has basically no potential. The premise is very trumped up and most of the plot is filler—nothing dynamic or interesting. There is plenty of out of place and awkward dialogue; some of the lines seem impromptu. Thus, the few characters within are mindless and empty. This sort of plot concept, a day repeating over and over again, has been done before and is almost worn out at this point. To top things off, the entire plot, including the confusing end, is based on bad theology regarding knowing the exact hour of the Rapture’s occurrence, which is directly contrary to the Scripture verse used at the end of the movie.
Acting Quality (.5 point)
It is commendable to cast David A. R. and Andrea Logan White together as husband and wife, but it is not worth it if they are not going to be coached properly. Most of the lines are forced, and since the cast is so small, they carry the entire movie on their shoulders. Instead of helping the movie, most of the actors are very poor casting choices, exhibiting overdone emotions and unrealistic actions. There are really only one or two good actors.
Conclusion
There is nothing wrong with expanding the Christian film genres into action adventure and psychological thriller, but In the Blink of an Eye misses the mark. The repeating day plot is overused and is rarely justifiable, especially in the fashion that this movie uses it. Employing such a small cast and limited sets in exchange for using expensive vehicles suggests an air of vanity. Our advice for the Whites is that they listen to constructive criticism in order to improve their film quality, because they certainly have the potential and resources to do so.
In a moment of decision that altered his life’s course forever, Ben Walker left his chance to go into full-time ministry and marry his longtime girlfriend behind and instead entered the cutthroat business world to pursue a six-figure salary. He achieved the salary and snagged a fiancée that looked good next to him, but he never found something to satisfy the emptiness within. Hence, his car is hijacked by a mysterious tow truck driver who claims to be an angel and Ben is transported to an alternate timeline where he gets to live as if he had married his old girlfriend and gone into full-time ministry. Unable to escape his alternate life, Ben is forced to play along and discover what the true meaning of life is.
Production Quality (3 points)
There are really no production errors to speak of in What If… The camera work is professional and the editing is straightforward. It is difficult to pull this type of plot without including cheesy production elements, but What If… avoids these pitfalls. The sets are diverse and there are no video or sound quality errors. The soundtrack is effective. This film takes the route of not committing errors and while it does not do anything dynamic, it also does not turn off the viewer. This is a well-done production.
Plot and Storyline Quality (2 points)
While there is nothing original with this sort of parallel universe plot, this rendition is a good one. The plot twists are minor but the dialogue is good. The characters are believable, as are most of the events of the plot. There are some predictable elements and while the overall plot is quite simple, there are once again few errors committed. There is truly funny humor throughout that is not overdone. The only caveat here is the confusing end that seems to force a certain conclusion to occur. Otherwise, this is a very good plot.
Acting Quality (2.5 points)
In keeping with the theme of this movie, the acting is good without detracting from the overall movie. This is perhaps Kevin Sorbo’s best lead role. John Ratzenberger is cast very well. The only issue Box Office Revolution has with the acting in What If… is the fact that there is no excellent acting, just great acting. But when considering many Christian films, this is truly an accomplishment.
Conclusion
What If… is a Christian film that is recommendable and may even appeal to some non-Christian audiences. In a field of poorly production Christian films, What If… stands out. It is created well enough to join the ranks of the best Christian movies. Christian film makers should delve deeper into these types of psychological genres without falling into typical plot patterns. What If… can be an example to follow.
Paul Tyson’s internet security business is successful, but his colleagues are calling for more. A larger company wants to use his business’ skills and talents for their own purposes through a buyout deal. In charge of the transition process is Julia, a seemingly desperate woman with a questionable agenda. Distracted by Julia and the business deal, Paul continues to put off preparing for his pending vow renewal ceremony with Beth, his wife of many years. In the end, Paul must grapple with what is really important in his life—business convenience or his marriage.
Production Quality (1 point)
In the past two years, PureFlix has improved somewhat in their production quality; some movies are better than others. The camera work of Redeemed is fine, but the sets aren’t very diverse. The editing is very poor, which is not something that should occur in a plot that is out of order like the plot of Redeemed is. Scenes cut back and forth too fast, isolating the audience. Overall, the final cut of Redeemed seems like a rough draft rather than a finished product.
Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)
Building a strong marriage is a very important topic to depict in a Christian movie, but Redeemed only further confuses and almost ruins it. Along with the inappropriate and suggestive content throughout, all of the wrong elements are focused on. Besides this, all of the characters are caricatures, built on cringe-worthy dialogue. Julia is a ridiculous unintentional parody, as is Beth. So much of the plot is full of wasted time, and some of the characters seem un-genuine. None of them are believable. In short, the only good thing here is the idea that was ruined.
Acting Quality (0 points)
This is perhaps one of the worst cast movies of all time. Ted McGinley and Teri Copley are awkward in their roles as supposed parents of young children. Kevin Downes’ character and acting are both grating. Some of the characters that are intended to be Brazilian do not seem to fit the bill. In other words, there are no positive elements here.
Conclusion
Tommy Blaze’s self-proclaimed expertise is comedy, so Redeemed is a departure for him. Therefore, what unintentionally happened is that he ended up making a mockery of an otherwise important topic. The idea behind this plot has potential, but this plot and this cast should have been thrown out in the early stages of production. Box Office Revolution knows that PureFlix is no longer lacking in the funding department, but they are still not using money wisely. Better luck next time.
Pastor Matthew has almost forgotten why he believes what he believes. His spiritual life is stagnant and he wonders why he is even a pastor, until one day he when he encounters an eccentric man on the side of the road carrying a cross. The man asks him if he truly believes in the cross he preaches about. This prompts Matthew to alter his approach to ministry by assisting a homeless pregnant girl and by learning more about the lives of his congregants. Outside of his realm of influence, events begin to take place that indirectly affect him and the people of his church. They are all headed for an unexpected collision and are forced to truly look at the lives they are living—what do they truly believe?
Production Quality (2.5 points)
In the same vein of God’s Not Dead, the production of Do You Believe is an improvement over previous PureFlix installments. The camera work is good; several difficult action scenes are portrayed well. The sets are realistic and diverse. Audio quality is also good and the soundtrack is respectable. There is not too much wasted time in the movie, but the editing is not the greatest. However, this is most likely due to the high amount of plot content.
Plot and Storyline Quality (1.5 points)
There are a lot of well-meaning intentions in the plot of Do You Believe. There are a lot of good stories, but like God’s Not Dead, they are all crammed together, thus making it hard to focus on one or for each one to develop as they should. There are more subplots in Do You Believe, and a handful of them are unnecessary and stereotypical. There is also too much narration that replaces the value of developing a plot. Due to the large amount of content, most of the characters are reduced to stereotypes and are therefore not accessible. What would have greatly improved this movie would have been to start at Do You Believe’s climax and then work backward by integrating the past and the present. As it is, a lot is left on the field.
Acting Quality (1.5 points)
Some actors are professional, while others seem unrealistic in delivery. The cast is very diverse, which is a plus. It is possible that the many characters crowded out the scene and did not give actors enough time to work through their characters, but it is also possible that not enough acting coaching was employed in Do You Believe.
Conclusion
Do You Believe has an excellent message, but it is too issues-based. The better production quality and the action sequences do hold the attention of the target audience, but the movie is not as good as it could be. There is plenty of potential with some of the better story lines, but they are drowned out by too much content. It is noble that the creators wanted to address a lot of important issues in a Christian movie, but the point may be lost. In the end, it will be interesting to see how this PureFlix saga plays out in the future.
Josh Wheaton didn’t ask to be put in the philosophy class of the infamous Professor Radisson. He also didn’t anticipate having to sign a piece of paper stating that God is dead in order to achieve a high grade in the class. But prompted by the help of a local pastor, Wheaton decides to not only refuse to sign the paper but also to prove God’s existence in front of the class in addition to his other class assignments. It’s something that those closest to him do not understand or agree with, but it brings him closer to God and to other people. Little does he know that Professor Radisson and even those connected to him are being profoundly impacted in ways he never expected.
Production Quality (2.5 points)
This is perhaps the strongest area of the movie. God’s Not Dead has better production than a majority of PureFlix movies, which shows great progress. The camera work is great, and the editing is pretty good considering the many interconnected story lines. The sets are authentic and varied and the lighting is good. The soundtrack is effective. The only real error to consider here is the fact that there may be too much content included. In short, the money used for the movie is mostly put to good use.
Plot and Storyline Quality (1.5 points)
Unfortunately, the plot is a bit weak, mostly due to the large number of story lines. There is nothing inherently wrong with a movie about the interconnected lives of people, and for the most part, God’s Not Dead does a fairly good job managing the content. However, it seems like there are one too many subplots and one too many characters. If one or two of these were eliminated and that time used to develop other more interesting characters, this movie would greatly improve. As it is, the dialogue is pretty good considering the number of characters. There are some interesting twists and not everything turns out as expected in the end. Most of the characters are believable, but some seem to be caricatures. In summary, the plot is a mixed bag with a lot of untapped potential.
Acting Quality (2 points)
When compared to older PureFlix movies, the acting in God’s Not Dead is superb, for most of the actors. This is David A. R. White’s best acting job to date. Shane Harper is great in his major debut. However, Dean Cain and Trisha LaFache are uninspiring. But still, one could argue that they did not have much to work with. All in all, the acting is another mixed bag.
Conclusion
God’s Not Dead is the best PureFlix-created movie in their existence. Improved acting, improved production quality, and improved plot development all contributed to this rise. However, they still have not hit their ceiling. There is a lot of potential in this movie, and on its face, it is still an above average movie. What is most important is that the core message of God’s Not Dead is driven home without being overly preachy or unwatchable. This is success in and of itself.
Box Office Revolution 