Jesus Revolution: the flagship Christianity film of the year. I rarely watched faith-based on the account that they are usually preachy, not entertaining, have the wrong focus/shame the audience, and are just bad movie experiences. This one I very much enjoyed as a picky movie watcher.
Jesus Revolution is centered on its accuracy to the movement with a little bit of embellishment here and there, or is it? Most viewers were not part of the Jesus movement during that time. I can assure you however, that it was far different and more impactful (in different ways) than presented. Christianity is, and always will be the most difficult film to pull off.
It's always difficult to film "spiritual experiences" when you're not actually filming the Spirit at work. It will ALWAYS feel fake, not much you can do there. This is the biggest barrier for non-Christians that watch this film. It will feel foreign, dangerous, and culty. The question is, is this movie for lukewarm Christians, on-fire Christians, or is it an evangelistic tool?
Movie aspects: Sound design was seamless. Soundtrack was noticable but probably the weakest part of the film. Cinematography was excellent, save for the drug trip scenes (it was obvious many of the folks working on it could have benefitted from listening to several people talk about their trips in detail). The editing could be a lot better, however. Significantly better than past Christian movies. The script was standard. A little messy trying to follow three stories, but considering how the cards were stacked against the writers they did better than any writer I know. Some lines made me cringe, but that's in the nature of any kind of movie that is based on drama more than anything.
For the budget (15 million based on Wikipedia) this is a masterclass of excellent filmmaking on a lower budget.
If you're a Christian, I recommend Jesus Revolution any day of the week. It will convict you, entertain you, and encourage you. If you're not a Christian, you may not enjoy this movie if you're caught up in "this movie is trying to convert me". It is, but so is every other movie. If you haven't enjoyed a Christian film in the past, proceed with caution. 7/10 for a solid, enjoyable movie experience.
Jesus Revolution is centered on its accuracy to the movement with a little bit of embellishment here and there, or is it? Most viewers were not part of the Jesus movement during that time. I can assure you however, that it was far different and more impactful (in different ways) than presented. Christianity is, and always will be the most difficult film to pull off.
It's always difficult to film "spiritual experiences" when you're not actually filming the Spirit at work. It will ALWAYS feel fake, not much you can do there. This is the biggest barrier for non-Christians that watch this film. It will feel foreign, dangerous, and culty. The question is, is this movie for lukewarm Christians, on-fire Christians, or is it an evangelistic tool?
Movie aspects: Sound design was seamless. Soundtrack was noticable but probably the weakest part of the film. Cinematography was excellent, save for the drug trip scenes (it was obvious many of the folks working on it could have benefitted from listening to several people talk about their trips in detail). The editing could be a lot better, however. Significantly better than past Christian movies. The script was standard. A little messy trying to follow three stories, but considering how the cards were stacked against the writers they did better than any writer I know. Some lines made me cringe, but that's in the nature of any kind of movie that is based on drama more than anything.
For the budget (15 million based on Wikipedia) this is a masterclass of excellent filmmaking on a lower budget.
If you're a Christian, I recommend Jesus Revolution any day of the week. It will convict you, entertain you, and encourage you. If you're not a Christian, you may not enjoy this movie if you're caught up in "this movie is trying to convert me". It is, but so is every other movie. If you haven't enjoyed a Christian film in the past, proceed with caution. 7/10 for a solid, enjoyable movie experience.