'God's Not Dead'

It’s rare to have a Christian movie that doesn’t make you leave feeling as if you’d just been choked by a Bible. But somehow, “God’s Not Dead” manages it.

Shane Harper plays Josh Wheaton, a college freshman. Things are going well until he meets his philosophy professor. Professor Radisson (Kevin Sorbo) is an atheist and wishes to have the class skip the Christian portion of the curriculum by writing three words: God is dead.

Josh, a devout Christian, refuses to comply. As a consequence, he must prove the existence of God to the class.

Against the wishes of his parents and overbearing girlfriend, Josh accepts the challenge. As he struggles to find evidence of God, other characters’ story lines unravel.

Ayisha, a student at Josh’s school, must hide her Christian beliefs from her overprotective Muslim father.

Amy Ryan is a spunky journalist diagnosed with cancer.

Mina’s mother is suffering from dementia.

In the end, all these characters are brought together by one thing. No, it’s not by God.

The reason this film didn’t feel overbearing is because not everything works out in the end. There are no miracles. Amy still has cancer. Mina’s mom still can’t remember who her children are. Some come to God and some still brush him off their shoulder.
It all comes down to choice, just as in Josh’s final presentation.

The criticisms of Christianity today and its role in the media was represented in Amy’s impromptu interview with “Duck Dynasty” stars Willie and Korie Robertson. Amy criticized them similarly to how the cast has been censured in the past.

In terms of production, the film wasn’t consistent in quality. There were moments of brilliant camera work with artistic angles and changes of focus. Then there were complete flops like shaky camera, which is never forgivable. Never.

Director Harold Cronk tried to go for interesting cuts to better the flow, but they didn’t work in his favor.

There’s no sense in going from a student challenging the creation of the universe to a woman in her office sobbing over her computer and then back to the student. The scenes didn’t complement each other or relate.

Cronk’s other mistake was dramatizing two situations that didn’t need it, using the cheesiest techniques in the book. There was no need for slow motion or awful aerial shots.

When you take God out of the equation, this was a film about rebellion. There were kids being told that something they loved and believed in was wrong. Instead of giving in, they challenged it.

This film isn’t for the godly or cynical. It presents an interesting argument on the existence of God but doesn’t touch on a level that would change minds.

There is no conclusive answer. Everything comes down to a choice.