It is a cliché that Christian movies usually stink, mainly because most of them do. The problem is when your main goal is to "teach a good lesson" rather than "tell a great story", the audience catches on to you. They feel themselves being manipulated and resent it. They don't mind being moved (in fact, they welcome it), they just don't want to lose the ability to believe the story because they see the strings of the puppeteer. It simply stops being believable, and we all feel patronized.
However, the trend is now shifting hard toward quality storytelling (THE CHOSEN being the prime example of a new gold standard of excellence - so much so that even Paul Schrader is a fan) JESUS REVOLUTION continues this trend of quality with a well-told story of flawed people caught up in what even Time Magazine saw as an authentic spiritual movement.
The acting is excellent across the board, with some great subtle humor between Kelsey Grammer and Jonathan Roumie. But the thing that makes it great is that the creative team was determined to show the pastors as real, flawed human beings. We see pride and ego getting in the way of the spiritual renewal taking place, as the Frisbee character makes what appears to be a power-grab into faith healing and celebrity.
These flaws would have been glossed over in a lesser faith-based film. But here, we nod in recognition. We recognize people we may have known, spiritual leaders, who didn't quite live up to what they preached. But this is the true human condition, because who can truly live up to the Christian ideal?
The realism, combined with inspiration, make JESUS REVOLUTION one of the best faith films we have so far. More please!
However, the trend is now shifting hard toward quality storytelling (THE CHOSEN being the prime example of a new gold standard of excellence - so much so that even Paul Schrader is a fan) JESUS REVOLUTION continues this trend of quality with a well-told story of flawed people caught up in what even Time Magazine saw as an authentic spiritual movement.
The acting is excellent across the board, with some great subtle humor between Kelsey Grammer and Jonathan Roumie. But the thing that makes it great is that the creative team was determined to show the pastors as real, flawed human beings. We see pride and ego getting in the way of the spiritual renewal taking place, as the Frisbee character makes what appears to be a power-grab into faith healing and celebrity.
These flaws would have been glossed over in a lesser faith-based film. But here, we nod in recognition. We recognize people we may have known, spiritual leaders, who didn't quite live up to what they preached. But this is the true human condition, because who can truly live up to the Christian ideal?
The realism, combined with inspiration, make JESUS REVOLUTION one of the best faith films we have so far. More please!