I struggled to put into words for a while why I didn't like this movie until realizing that it would have been better as a documentary. I was told that it wasn't preachy compared to other Christian movies. I beg to differ. I have an unlimited movie viewing account for regal so I gave it Jesus Revolution try despite not being religious. That said I was a Christian and was raised within Christianity in California in a non-denominational church which had some members who had a similar idea of Christianity as many of the hippie Christians in this film.
Overall I had nothing bad to say about the cinematography, directing, acting or editing. My issue was with the writing and content of the movie itself.
No character outside the Jesus Movement in the movie seems to raise many of the questions and concerns I had about the movement. The story seems to go after the boring puritanical Christians and the more traditional hippies of that late 60s/early 70s era who are all about the sex, drugs and rock and roll, by presenting the "Jesus hippies" as the mid-way solution. I appreciate people having the freedom to be "Jesus hippies", but to me the movie did seem to be preaching Jesus hippies and a specific brand of Christianity as the answer to people's problems and societies problems. And in the movie their "proof" was that the movement became popular and was featured in a Life magazine by a writer who was surprised how interested he became in the movement while covering the movement.
It reminds me of that Super Bowl ad from a few years ago trying to conflate a need for Christians finding a central common ground with American finding a common ground. As a proud citizen of the U. S. who doesn't identify-with or worship either side, it feels annoying to be shown that combining the two sides is "the answer" to establishing peace for humanity (or the country in the case of the Super Bowl as). There is never an attempt by any of the Christian characters to really address a lot of the more outdated and troublesome claims in the Bible, like misogyny or God condoning slavery and God or Jesus never claiming it to be be wrong. They also never address why anyone should treat a historically alleged "holy book" as "holy" in the first place. I guess my thought is that if the movie wanted to preachy, they should have better committed to being preachy rather than the subtle preaching displayed in the movie. And if they didn't want the movie to be preachy, they should have better defending an understanding that many hippies felt better off not being Jesus hippies and planty of people felt better off not being Christians or their brand of Christian. And there is no real proof that someone's life or afterlife will be ruined by not being a hip Christian.
Another issue I had was that a character who is shown joining the Jesus movement is shown shortly later trying to lead another congregation without any scene devoted to showing him actually learning anything about the specific claims of the religion he joined. I feel the average Christian in the United States would get very annoyed if another religion was presenting in such a manner where someone has an experience which they interpret as mystical, and then later they are shown preaching that religion which they attributed as being mystical without the character ever shown learning or even addressing any of the actual tenets and claims of the religion besides being baptized. It felt like the movie wasn't sure if it was trying to recruit non-Christians or comfort existing Christians. And IMO it really would have been better off objectively discussing the Jesus Revolution like a documentary.
Overall I had nothing bad to say about the cinematography, directing, acting or editing. My issue was with the writing and content of the movie itself.
No character outside the Jesus Movement in the movie seems to raise many of the questions and concerns I had about the movement. The story seems to go after the boring puritanical Christians and the more traditional hippies of that late 60s/early 70s era who are all about the sex, drugs and rock and roll, by presenting the "Jesus hippies" as the mid-way solution. I appreciate people having the freedom to be "Jesus hippies", but to me the movie did seem to be preaching Jesus hippies and a specific brand of Christianity as the answer to people's problems and societies problems. And in the movie their "proof" was that the movement became popular and was featured in a Life magazine by a writer who was surprised how interested he became in the movement while covering the movement.
It reminds me of that Super Bowl ad from a few years ago trying to conflate a need for Christians finding a central common ground with American finding a common ground. As a proud citizen of the U. S. who doesn't identify-with or worship either side, it feels annoying to be shown that combining the two sides is "the answer" to establishing peace for humanity (or the country in the case of the Super Bowl as). There is never an attempt by any of the Christian characters to really address a lot of the more outdated and troublesome claims in the Bible, like misogyny or God condoning slavery and God or Jesus never claiming it to be be wrong. They also never address why anyone should treat a historically alleged "holy book" as "holy" in the first place. I guess my thought is that if the movie wanted to preachy, they should have better committed to being preachy rather than the subtle preaching displayed in the movie. And if they didn't want the movie to be preachy, they should have better defending an understanding that many hippies felt better off not being Jesus hippies and planty of people felt better off not being Christians or their brand of Christian. And there is no real proof that someone's life or afterlife will be ruined by not being a hip Christian.
Another issue I had was that a character who is shown joining the Jesus movement is shown shortly later trying to lead another congregation without any scene devoted to showing him actually learning anything about the specific claims of the religion he joined. I feel the average Christian in the United States would get very annoyed if another religion was presenting in such a manner where someone has an experience which they interpret as mystical, and then later they are shown preaching that religion which they attributed as being mystical without the character ever shown learning or even addressing any of the actual tenets and claims of the religion besides being baptized. It felt like the movie wasn't sure if it was trying to recruit non-Christians or comfort existing Christians. And IMO it really would have been better off objectively discussing the Jesus Revolution like a documentary.