Plot Summary
John Miller inherited his father’s recycling business, along with his brother Ben, and he would do anything to keep it alive. John is also dedicated to his family, and to his son’s baseball aspirations. But his carefully ordered world is tested when his son struggled with baseball and when a shrewd government agent threatens to shut down the recycling business over obscure new regulations. Consumed with saving his business, John begins to forget what matters most in life—and he must remember before it is too late.
Production Quality (-2 points)
When a movie begins with the creator telling the viewers that it’s going to be a good movie, it’s probably not going to be good. This is the case with Mercy Rule. The production of this film is unlike anything Box Office Revolution has ever witnessed. From inconsistent aspect ratios to head-scratching camera work to poor lighting to the most insane scene cuts in the history of filmmaking, Mercy Rule is an experience that is not easily forgotten. The camera angles are very amateurish, like the camera is either sitting on a table while a scene takes place in the distance or shoved up in somebody’s face. There are multiple points in the movie where two different subplots are being carried out, but they cut back and forth violently, giving only five seconds of time to each before jumping back, and so on. What’s worse is that there are scenes included in the film that seem like bloopers, like they accidentally left the camera running over in the corner. In short, the production is so bad that it warrants negative points for the first time in Box Office Revolution history.
Plot and Storyline Quality (-1 points)
The actual plot of Mercy Rule evades our comprehension. The entire first half of the movie is constant narration and baseball highlight reels. Then the viewers are taken down a unique journey into the fascinating world of government regulations on recycling companies. From there, slow-motion scenes, blooper reels, incomprehensible events, and painful dialogue litter the landscape. The end of the plot is just as bad as the rest of it. Once again, negative points must be awarded because the viewing experience is so bad.
Acting Quality (-2 points)
Mercy Rule is likely one of the worst acted movies of all time. The few actors in the cast are poorly coached and borderline unbearable in their delivery. The presence of Tim Hawkins takes this cast to a whole new level. BOR does not wish to personally attack any person in any movie reviews, but this lackluster show of acting must be called out if Mercy Rule is considered a serious Christian film.
Conclusion
What else can be said? Kirk Cameron rated this movie on his own rating system, which suggests a certain attitude of arrogance. His motives for wanting to create a family-friendly movie to counteract Hollywood garbage are commendable, and Christian film makers everywhere should want to do this as well. But to place the label ‘Christian’ on such a poorly produced and acted film such as this one further degrades the title ‘Christian film’. Christian movies should stand out from other movies not only in their message, but also in the way they are made. Christians are not meant to throw half-hearted productions together just to have a movie and then complain about being persecuted for their faith when someone criticizes their creation. Movies like Mercy Rule will neither draw people to Christianity nor will they strengthen current Christians. Instead, they will make Christians and non-Christians alike continue to roll their eyes when they hear about ‘just another Christian film’.
Final Rating: -5 out of 10 points
Box Office Revolution 