This movie is a lot better than I had expected from seeing the trailers.
However, that does not make it a masterpiece.
Pros:
. Solid cinematography
. Quality production design (for the most part)
. Kevin Sorbo
. Nice score/sound editing
. Some decent action scenes
. Other compelling moments of writing/direction supported by the actors
All that said, good or even great scenes here and there don't make for a truly transformative viewing experience- there has to be more, and unfortunately, that's where I think this film stumbles to deliver.
Cons:
. This is a 2 hour and 20 minute long film (from what I can find online). To me, it dragged hard in places, and should have been chopped down to an hour and a half.
. Characters: Some motivations feel unclear/contradictory. A number of arcs seem rushed/incomplete/written from the end forward. Possibly too many superfluous roles as well.
. Show me, don't tell me: a good chunk of the storytelling gets imparted though talking expositional dumps- visually uncreative.
. The movie's tone shifts quite sharply on occasion. Not always a bad thing, but it's a little abrupt at times when swinging from solemn to sweetness.
Now, for everything else, I have this last list of mixed bag items...
"Pons":
. The acting visible here is on a moving spectrum- most times just fine, sometimes even pretty good, and other times kind of cringe inducing
. Dialog is ok, a little campy in a lot of places for my taste though
. Editing is decent, though I noticed several hard fades to black- it maybe could be said to lack a little creativity in spots
. Direction is alright, but I just feel like this whole concept had way more potential than what was ultimately realized on screen.
In summary, I'd say it's nothing too awesome, but nothing too bad either.
As someone who also works in this business and holds many Judeo-Christian beliefs, I'm excited to see new filmmakers come out of this community, but I'm also disappointed that we have yet to see consistent high caliber (and that does NOT mean high-budget) productions being produced.
Maybe one day one day there will be a Christian Tarantino-type who comes onto the scene, but I haven't found them yet.
We'll either just have to keep waiting...
or embody the change we want to see...
See ya 'round, fellas!
However, that does not make it a masterpiece.
Pros:
. Solid cinematography
. Quality production design (for the most part)
. Kevin Sorbo
. Nice score/sound editing
. Some decent action scenes
. Other compelling moments of writing/direction supported by the actors
All that said, good or even great scenes here and there don't make for a truly transformative viewing experience- there has to be more, and unfortunately, that's where I think this film stumbles to deliver.
Cons:
. This is a 2 hour and 20 minute long film (from what I can find online). To me, it dragged hard in places, and should have been chopped down to an hour and a half.
. Characters: Some motivations feel unclear/contradictory. A number of arcs seem rushed/incomplete/written from the end forward. Possibly too many superfluous roles as well.
. Show me, don't tell me: a good chunk of the storytelling gets imparted though talking expositional dumps- visually uncreative.
. The movie's tone shifts quite sharply on occasion. Not always a bad thing, but it's a little abrupt at times when swinging from solemn to sweetness.
Now, for everything else, I have this last list of mixed bag items...
"Pons":
. The acting visible here is on a moving spectrum- most times just fine, sometimes even pretty good, and other times kind of cringe inducing
. Dialog is ok, a little campy in a lot of places for my taste though
. Editing is decent, though I noticed several hard fades to black- it maybe could be said to lack a little creativity in spots
. Direction is alright, but I just feel like this whole concept had way more potential than what was ultimately realized on screen.
In summary, I'd say it's nothing too awesome, but nothing too bad either.
As someone who also works in this business and holds many Judeo-Christian beliefs, I'm excited to see new filmmakers come out of this community, but I'm also disappointed that we have yet to see consistent high caliber (and that does NOT mean high-budget) productions being produced.
Maybe one day one day there will be a Christian Tarantino-type who comes onto the scene, but I haven't found them yet.
We'll either just have to keep waiting...
or embody the change we want to see...
See ya 'round, fellas!