It is Holy Week. Long before, it used to be that there would be Bible-themed movies in the theaters for the faithful to meditate upon. However, with the passing years, these films about Jesus Christ have become really rare. This year, there is only one such film out there in malls, quietly opening in cinemas with no fanfare just a day before Palm Sunday. Fortunately I still got to catch it today.
It is 1980 in Chicago. Lee Strobel is a celebrated, award-winning journalist who wrote for the Chicago Tribune. He also had a happy family life with his wife Leslie and daughter Alison. However, one day, a tragedy in his family was narrowly averted just in the nick of time. This caused Leslie to seek her own spiritual renewal, defying Lee's staunch atheism. Lee goes on his own in-depth research about the historical and medical accuracy of Jesus' resurrection. Could he prove his wife wrong?
The actors act with earnestness as is usually expected from a religious film. Mike Vogel did very well in the lead role as Lee Strobel. He had the whole 80s look down pat, hair-sprayed mane and all. For the whole film, he was infuriatingly adamant in his atheism as he was overconfident in his skill as an investigative journalist. Despite his apparent love for his family, he was made to say such cruel and hurtful words to his wife as a result of his cynicism. However, he did have one effectively moving and tearful scene going through an album of his old articles.
Erika Christensen was a loyal and steadfast Leslie Strobel. L. Scott Caldwell played the good Samaritan nurse Alfie Davis, who provided the spark for conversion in the Strobel household. In much smaller but key roles are Oscar-caliber actors Robert Forster as Lee's estranged father Walter and Faye Dunaway (whom I just saw in "The Bye Bye Man" before this) as psychologist Dr. Roberta Walters. I liked the portrayal of Tom Nowicki as medical expert Dr. Metherell for his authoritative discussion of Jesus' mortality.
Directed by Jon Gunn from a script by Brian Bird, "The Case for Christ" presents its story methodically as a lawyer would present his case in court. It was very refreshing to watch a religious film with an intellectual point of view, as a result of various expert interviews that Strobel conducted. This practical, logical approach will probably appeal to male audiences more than the melodramatic, emotional approach seen in "The Shack," which had more feminine sensibilities. However, this also means that "Case" had more verbose dialogue than special effects, which can also define the audience it can attract. 7/10.
It would be nice to see how they present the case. It's a different look of Christ, which can be more methodical and contemporary.
ReplyDeleteI'm interested to check out this movie since you gave it a 7 out of 10. I'm not a fan of flicks like these as they sometimes gives a fabricated story to play emotions in spirituality. I like that people seek God because of their personal experiences.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering what happened to Erika Christensen. I liked her when she made movies when I was in high school. Sounds like an interesting film worth checking out.
ReplyDeleteI dunno but I'm not a big fan of religious movies. But I like this concept. What happens finally? Does Science win or Religion win???!!!
ReplyDeleteIt actually sounds very interesting because you rarely get christian films with a more investigative approach. I hope I get to see it online.
ReplyDeleteYou're right during holy week, during my younger years in school, we would watch a religious film. I haven't done this in the past two decades. Maybe I'll give this a try since you gave it a fairly high rating.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like both an inspirational and life affirming movie. I love movies like this that make me think. I will be checking this one out.
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