Nothing says cultural marginalization of Christians like the phrase “faith-based films.” The connotations: mediocre acting, directing and writing; cut-rate production values; and, most of all, niche product.
When I went to see “Risen,” the freshly released New Testament movie from “Waterworld” director Kevin Reynolds, I sat through previews for “The Young Messiah” and “God’s Not Dead 2” (yes, there was a “God’s Not Dead” 1), and the latter at least looked as though it embodied what I mentioned about talent and budget.
Yet with a nationwide release and at least one A-list star, “Risen” has performed reasonably well at the box office. It was the third-highest-grossing movie last weekend, when it opened, bringing in $11 million””a good showing for a project with a $20 million budget.
That may be because Mr. Reynolds has””for the most part””avoided the melodramatic clichés that have marred many an overblown Jesus movie.
We truly enjoyed seeing “Risen” last Sunday afternoon.
It’s hard to imagine that any Christian would not enjoy it, also.