God's Not Dead (2014)
Directed by: Harold Cronk
Starring: Shane Harper, Kevin Sorbo, David A. R. White
God's Not Dead was nowhere near as painful to sit through as I assumed it would be, though that's not exactly high praise because I anticipated something that was nigh unwatchable. The visual quality of the film is actually quite good, since they seem to have been working with professional grade equipment at least. Unfortunately it is stylistically bland and uninspired, which now that I think about it, is probably an appropriate fit for its problematic script.
Luckily the film's content doesn't drop to the same level as Griffith's Birth of a Nation, but it's still evangelical propaganda through and through. It seems to think it's being clever, but all it's doing is reinforcing the stereotypes people already have about Christians regarding how they perceive themselves, people of different faiths, and non-believers. The film makers' lack of awareness is almost as insulting as its portrayal of well, basically everything.
The script feels like it was written by an old, out of touch white man. Whether the fault for that lies in the original book, or in those who adapted it, who knows. I'm willing to bet it's a bit of both though. I laughed out loud a couple of times, especially whenever Dean Cain had a line to say, but I was usually just shocked at how seriously it was expecting the audience to take these absolutely ridiculous characters. The fact that this trash has spawned multiple sequels is somehow not at all surprising, but it's still deeply depressing.
Luckily the film's content doesn't drop to the same level as Griffith's Birth of a Nation, but it's still evangelical propaganda through and through. It seems to think it's being clever, but all it's doing is reinforcing the stereotypes people already have about Christians regarding how they perceive themselves, people of different faiths, and non-believers. The film makers' lack of awareness is almost as insulting as its portrayal of well, basically everything.
The script feels like it was written by an old, out of touch white man. Whether the fault for that lies in the original book, or in those who adapted it, who knows. I'm willing to bet it's a bit of both though. I laughed out loud a couple of times, especially whenever Dean Cain had a line to say, but I was usually just shocked at how seriously it was expecting the audience to take these absolutely ridiculous characters. The fact that this trash has spawned multiple sequels is somehow not at all surprising, but it's still deeply depressing.
__________________