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Badmovies.org Forum  |  Movies  |  Good Movies  |  GOD'S NOT DEAD (2014) « previous next »
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Author Topic: GOD'S NOT DEAD (2014)  (Read 12882 times)
Trevor
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« Reply #15 on: November 30, 2015, 06:44:43 AM »

GOD'S NOT DEAD tackles the questions more head-on, and does a good job (imo) except for getting a bit loose in the end (again, my opinion).  I'm interested to hear your thoughts on it after you've seen it.


I've just ordered the DVD from www.takealot.com and will report back once I've seen it.  Smile
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Jim H
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« Reply #16 on: November 30, 2015, 06:03:31 PM »

Kevin Sorbo did an interview on O'Reilly the other night.  He said that since he came out as a Christian, his readings for movie parts have gone from
30-40 per year to 3-4 per year.  Be that as it may, I think this performance is the best I have ever seen him give.

Yeah, I'm sure coming out as Christian is the reason.  Everyone in the film and TV biz threw out a line with the Christian alert tag, don't hire Kevin Sorbo!  Not, ya know, entering the middle age bracket where parts dry up, particularly for someone who was previously a bit of a pretty boy. 

I like the guy, but c'mon.  Lookingup

There is a definite liberal bent in Hollyweird, Jim. I mean, think about it. If instead of Kevin Sorbo coming out as a Christian, he had come out as gay, he would probably be getting offers of 300-400 parts now instead of only 3-4. I mean, take a look at Ellen Page as a perfect example; a mediocre actress who is witnessing her acting career on a slow decline due to her rather ho-hum performance in movies, suddenly decides that now is a good time to come out as a lesbian? I like the girl, but c'mon. Lookingup

Well, it has been over a year.  Yep, she's in everything now.  Coming out as gay caused a huge career renaissance for her, didn't it?  We have her upcoming role in Robodog (!) to look forward to, hurray.

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Also, I'd had God is Not Dead in my queue for a while...  Looks like it dropped off Netflix before I got to it.  But, it is still on Hulu Plus.  Just a heads up.

If I've got time (final projects this week in grad school) I'm going to give it a go. 
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Jim H
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« Reply #17 on: December 22, 2015, 12:59:06 AM »

I just finished watching this on Hulu. 

Where to start...  I'll definitely say this is several notches above the other recent Christian films I've seen bits of (Left Behind and others with that same actor guy who went super Christian, the sitcom one), which are often very poorly made.  Acting, I think, it's the easiest. I thought Kevin Sorbo and the male lead were quite good.  Dean Cain in a small role is good, like he usually is. Other performances were a mixed bag.  The guy's girlfriend was terrible (worst important character in the film).  The two priests were OK.  The Islamic-going-Christian girl was alright.  And so forth.

Writing wise...  I'll start with the positive.  The main character is adequately written, though I feel we don't get quite enough background.  The central plot element is pretty engaging for about half the film.  Due to the good performance, and the solid presentation of "David VS Goliath" (and that Sorbo is a huge prick) you really want him to succeed, regardless of your own philosophy.

There's some pretty irritating issues in the film, however.  Several bits of the story seem pointless.  What's the purpose of the Arabic girl?  She could have been completely cut and it would have changed nothing.  Also, maybe I'm not familiar enough with Islam - but isn't the New Testament usually considered basically outdated, but an important text?  So, isn't the father's reaction nonsensical?  Of course, some islamic sects probably have stricter rules on that sort of thing, but that's the deal - they never establish ANYTHING about the beliefs of the girl or her father, outside of "He's traditional, and she is listening to Corinthians".  So it all comes out of no where, and seems to be there just to serve the thesis of the film.  It'd have been better off on the cutting room floor. 

Likewise, the whole stuff with Dean Cain, the lady with cancer, the priests, and Sorbo's girlfriend.  It doesn't really go anywhere, and doesn't do much for the core narrative, other than supporting the thesis of the film (which you can tell from the title). 

Now, mentioning the thesis brings about a big point.  This film is OBVIOUSLY purely intended for a Christian audience (and a generally conservative, protestant, and American breed of Christian audience at that) who want reassurance and confirmation of their worldview.  Honestly, there isn't anything inherently wrong with that, either.  But when your film is based upon a supposed academic debate and you show basically nothing of the other side whilst creating strawman points, and everyone on the other side is always wrong about everything, it's a bit alienating to a non-Christian audience in a way more pure pandering would not be.  As well, I was particularly annoyed when the lead brings up points totally unrelated to God's existence, like evolution.  Then he conflates abiogenesis with evolution.  Ugh.  Further, the central challenge from Sorbo's character was never "Is Christianity real?", it was a simple "Does God exist?".  In an academic philosophy class, those should be noticeably different.  The film forgets this less than halfway through.

**SPOILERS**



It's all also far too convenient and wrapped up in a bow with how everything turns out in the end.  You could have a debate class like this asking everyone to stand up if they agreed the point was proven that Hitler was bad, and you wouldn't get the degree of immediate agreement the climax of this one shows you.  Sorbo's eventual reveal in the film that he's not an atheist and is instead someone who simply hates God is, by the way, a semi-offensive stereotype for non-believers.  But that also undermines the concept of the film.  He doesn't have to be convinced to really change his view, just give up his own internal dishonesty.  As if that's what is really holding back atheists.  Yeah.

You might say I'm overreaching, that it's a single character, but the film is clearly aimed outward and is trying to say (particularly with the end scroll) "This is how the world is" so I'm going with it. 


**END**


Probably seems like a lot of complaining....  But, I'll also be fair and say the pacing was good, it's decently shot, and I wasn't ever bored. 

5/10.
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Trevor
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« Reply #18 on: December 22, 2015, 01:17:06 AM »

My issues with the film (thus far) are the following:

Professor Radisson isn't an atheist in the true sense - he's a lapsed Christian and that does not, IMO, make you an atheist.

The horrible line delivered by David A R White to the dying Professor "In a minute or two, you're going to know more about God than me or anyone else here." I mean, seriously?  Buggedout Buggedout

The film seems to take a great delight in presenting atheists as horrible people: the atheists I know well are decent, intelligent people and so what if they don't believe in God or a god? That's their life.

The line in the God's Not Dead song [my God's not dead, he's surely alive] raises a question: they are not sure either. The line should go My God's not dead, he is alive.
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A Great Heart to stand me by.
ulthar
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« Reply #19 on: February 10, 2016, 11:08:04 PM »

Jim, as a Christian, I cannot disagree with your assessment of the film.

I thought it did some things very right, but some things wrong.

The central plot was about the kid and the prof.  That's where it should have stayed.  All the other subplots, in my opinion, served only to dilute the central message of the film, and some of it was truly cringeworthy.

But, I think taken as a whole, overall it did several things very well:  first, it showed the Christian kid standing up for his faith, even at the expense of losing his girl friend. It showed him being respectful of the prof in the process....

The debate between the prof and the kid could have been so powerful.  The main theme here is "respect" and they could have RUN with that...that both sides can present reasoned, respectful arguments.  The prof was a little pompous of course (they could have toned that down a notch, but that IS realistic for some I have personally witnessed), but in the end, we have to give him credit for granting the kid a chance to state his case.

I think if nearly the entire film were done in that classroom, we'd have a powerful piece on faith and philosophy.  These are not separate subjects.  This was the right classroom to HAVE that discussion, and the prof was right to allow it and be part of it.

We needed no conversion (of either side).

Oh well.  It is what it is.  On the whole, not a BAD film of the genre, but granted nowhere near as tight as it could have been with a little more...courage.
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Jim H
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« Reply #20 on: February 12, 2016, 06:55:26 PM »

I like that idea ulthar.  I'm envisioning something like Twelve Angry Men.  Could be cool, and could still be done by someone in the future.  You just need a good writer, three or four good actors, a good DP and editor, and a good director - God's Not Dead cost $2 million (and took in 64), and I think a film like that could be done for less. 

Also, I've never met a professor *quite* as bad as Sorbo...  But I have seen a couple he'd probably be friends with.   TeddyR

Final note: sequel is coming, looks really stupid.  It's evidently based on misunderstandings of what teachers are allowed to do and say in public school, coupled with the massive persecution complex in certain Christians. 

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"We must prove once and for all that God Is Dead."   Lookingup
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indianasmith
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« Reply #21 on: February 12, 2016, 07:06:00 PM »

They would have done better to let this movie stand without a sequel, to be honest!
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alandhopewell
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« Reply #22 on: February 19, 2016, 04:27:12 PM »

My issues with the film (thus far) are the following:

Professor Radisson isn't an atheist in the true sense - he's a lapsed Christian and that does not, IMO, make you an atheist.

The horrible line delivered by David A R White to the dying Professor "In a minute or two, you're going to know more about God than me or anyone else here." I mean, seriously?  Buggedout Buggedout

The film seems to take a great delight in presenting atheists as horrible people: the atheists I know well are decent, intelligent people and so what if they don't believe in God or a god? That's their life.

The line in the God's Not Dead song [my God's not dead, he's surely alive] raises a question: they are not sure either. The line should go My God's not dead, he is alive.


     As a Christian, I still find myself in agreement with Trevor on the points he raised, particularly that line; clumsy.
I enjoyed it as a film, but it didn't "strengthen my faith", or anything of the sort-my faith is what it is.
A lot of Christians watch movies like this so they can go "RAH! RAH! RAH!" over the subject matter....as Christians, that's not supposed to be how we see our faith.

     Belief in Christ does NOT make me (or anyone else) better than anyone else....if anything, that relationship should illustrate to me (us) how broken we humans are. I did like the fact that the protagonist didn't present himself as "superior" to unsaved people, which sometimes is not the case-you get characters playing the "great white hunter" role, wowing the natives with a cigarette lighter.

     No movie is going to "bring someone to the Lord"; that's the job of the Holy Spirit. Still, you might enjoy it as a film, along with the recent release, THE WAR ROOM....that's exactly what I did. 
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Jefferytot
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« Reply #23 on: March 12, 2016, 01:39:02 PM »

I just saw "Gods Not Dead" just recently with my family it was really courageous for Josh to stand up for God and I cried at a certain spot in the movie which touched my heart greatly and I dont want to give out any big details
for people who havent seen the movie but it is really good and you should definitely see it
Qshop
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Trevor
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« Reply #24 on: April 07, 2016, 03:10:38 AM »

As a Christian, I still find myself in agreement with Trevor on the points he raised, particularly that line; clumsy.

That line really rattled me: if I'm dying, Reverend Dave must stay wayyy away from me.  Buggedout
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I know I can make it on my own if I try, but I'm searching for the Great Heart
To stand me by, underneath the African sky
A Great Heart to stand me by.
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