GOD'S NOT DEAD
Cert PG
112 mins
BBFC advice: Contains mild violence
On Monday evening, I was among deans who were visiting Derby from all over the country.
In fact, I shared part of an evening meal with the Dean Of Jerusalem who had joined his British peers for their get-together.
As the event drew to a close I remarked to some about my film-watching and that I was off to see God's Not Dead.
I was interested to see that they rolled their eyes in unison.
It appeared that Harold Kronk's movie would not be on their agenda. They were interested in Noah (one thought is was historically nonsense but enjoyed the action) but keener on a BBC 2 sitcom called Rev.
So, the next evening, as I watched God's Not Dead at Showcase Cinema De Lux, Leicester, I mused on Kronk's target audience.
I suspected that the sprinkling of people in the auditorium were believers and so I am not at all sure how the 112 minutes would have benefited them.
But I don't believe in God and so this was Kronk's opportunity to open my eyes. As it happens, he closed them even more tightly shut.
God's Not Dead not only has a very weak spiritual message, it is also a bad movie in terms of acting and construction.
It surrounds a Christian student, Josh (Shane Harper), who is told to pit his wits against an atheist lecturer who pronounces that God Is Dead and demands all his class agree.
Our hero declines and sets out to prove that God is alive and is looking over us.
What really winds me up about Kronk's film is its stereotypes: Christians in the shape of Josh, the lecturer's wife (Cory Oliver) and a Muslim-to-Christian convert (Hadeel Sittu) are just wonderful, lovely people.
But the atheist (Kevin Sorbo), his mates and a devout Muslim (Marco Khan) are all angry and without soul.
Poppycock. What about the wars that have been fought in the name of Christianity and those lovely people in the Mafia who go to church on a Sunday morning and bury people in concrete in the afternoon?
And why can't folk who don't believe in religion be nice folk? I know plenty who do good work on earth just because they think it's right and are not inspired by an ethereal being to do so.
It seems to me that the film is trying to say that God is responsible for the good that happens but the bad is down to men and the devil. I am afraid that is a circle I struggle to square.
But that's not saying I don't like Christians. I am happy for them to believe exactly what they want and I very much enjoyed the company of the deans on Monday.
But they, unlike Harold Kronk, didn't attempt to stuff a bland religious message down my throat.
Laughs: none
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 1/10