bentheartist
Reading the reviews, all I see is 1s and 10s. My word, is there no such thing as true objectivity anymore?I've been following the Kendrick brothers films from the very beginning. Their earliest works are admittedly cheesy bad, but an extremely limited budget could be to blame for that. Watching this film, I felt it was quite an improvement and it is good to see that with each new release, they have attempted to up the production value a little more. Trust me when I say, the acting is WAY better than the earlier projects, although art direction, continuity and other issues still can be improved. While no Hollywood blockbuster, the film has the same kind of quality as a made-for-TV Hallmark film. A little syrupy at times, but overall enjoyable.In regards to the message, I find it laughable when the haters jump on and complain that religious producers should not make movies that bash their religion over your head. That's the whole point. It's their art. Art is designed to communicate the message of the creator. If you don't like the message, don't watch the art. No one's bashing anything. Those who watch the film, do so electively. Nor did I ever get the sense, as many of the critics have suggested, that the main character, a wife, should just stay in an abusive relationship and do nothing and prayer would magically make all things better. That message is not preached in this film. The film's objective was not to focus on the external stuff we do to improve our lives, it was designed to focus on the spiritual efforts. Just because it focused on one, doesn't automatically mean the other doesn't exist. And the movie made it really clear that one doesn't pray for things to magically get better, it prays that we would get a better sense of the understanding and heart of God, and through that, OUR own actions actually DO change. And it's the changing of our actions, brought about through prayer, that can often change the external. Yes, there were cheesy moments. Yes, there were typical feel good moments. But that's what the target audience wants and is looking for. If that's not your cup of tea, that doesn't mean it makes a bad movie. The story moved, and that is what is important, even if the story seemed predictable, and at certain moments, seemed like certain plot twists were added last minute. The movie is less about the plot than it is about the message, and that does become painfully obvious at times. The message was thick, but going in, one should know that this is by design, and should be expected. While the message was heavy, I never felt like the film was preachy. And for that, I feel they did a really good job. I could nitpick about other things, such as art direction (better lighting, camera angles, variance in pacing...), but I think I will end the review here. Acting: 8, Story: 6, Art Direction: 5, Production value: 6, Entertainment value: well, I guess that depends on your world view, apparently. I'd give it an 8.
AlfredBond
It's not that I am against religion or that this review is anti-religion. It's because War Room has one of the worst morals I have ever seen.This movie is just propaganda for the kind of irrational behavior which plagues the world: the kind who lives in the past, the kind who take the bible way to seriously, the kind who don't vaccinate children against diseases, the kind who refuse to acknowledge equal rights to homosexuals or women, the kind who resort to violence if you say or do something against their religion. THE KIND WHO OPPOSE HUMAN PROGRESS.That kind of people created this 2-hour film and it is made especially for them. Do not fall for it, please skip it entirely. Thanks for reading.
