God’s Not Dead 2 review: Sequel to a surprise hit that is confidently Christian, even if it isn’t very good.
God’s Not Dead 2 review
Does a non-believer have any place reviewing an unapologetically Christian movie? It’s a good question, with the result being that God’s Not Dead 2 is critic-proof. Like the big budget blockbusters protected by franchise links, you already know if you’re going to see this. However, I have no bias against films that employ faith or religious aspects. Ben-Hur and The Passion Of The Christ being fantastic pieces of work. What should be an issue, to all moviegoers, is when a film is this unintentionally funny and mawkish. A sequel to the surprise hit, but following a different cast in the lead roles, God’s Not Dead 2 takes a timely subject matter (for the US at least), and squanders it on a plot that panders to its core audience in an attempt to extract as much cash from them as possible.
Melissa Joan Hart puts aside practising witch-craft to play High School teacher Grace Wesley. One day a student, Catherine Thawley (Maria Canals-Barrera), who has just discovered her recently deceased brother was a secret Christian, asks if messages preached by the likes of Gandhi and Martin Luther King were similar to lessons taught by Jesus. Grace confirms that indeed they were similar, and what erupts is a controversial media storm where Grace’s job goes on the line as Catherine’s parents take Grace to court with the help of sinister lawyer Peter Kane (Ray Wise) who is out to prove once and for all that God is dead.
God’s Not Dead 2 review
God’s Not Dead 2 is such a disappointment because it actually has a core idea that deserves exploring. Even hardcore atheists will be on the side of Grace, as she simply confirms a fact and doesn’t bring her beliefs into it. It’s the media and misunderstanding that blows things out of proportion and a more serious and open screenplay could have dealt with these issues with maturity and elegance. Instead we get mockery of any non-believers, atheists shown as having nothing better to do than torment Christians, and a film with such a lack of self-awareness that it ends up being hilarious.
Joan Hart is rather good with the material she’s given. It’s clear to see why students like her, and there is clear uneasiness when a student approaches her looking for advice and her honest answer goes back to her beliefs. Even Jesse Metcalfe as in-over-his-head lawyer Tom Endler convinces as the charming atheist defence of Grace. Elsewhere the cast splutters about with Ernie Hudson as a bored judge, David A.R. White as pointless returning character Reverend Dave, Paul Kwo as a ridiculously mishandled Chinese man looking for answers despite a traditional upbringing, and finally the delightful Ray Wise. Wise is either giving the hammiest of misdirected performances, or is having the time of his life in what he misconstrues as a satire.
God’s Not Dead 2 review
Overall, God’s Not Dead 2 should appeal to its demographic, while also raking in some cash from lovers of so-bad-their-good movies. It really is hard to tell what’s sincere and what parts have been constructed to appeal to both believers and cynics. When the final credits roll around to the Christian rock song of the same name as well as a credit asking the audience to text all their friends to let them know that God’s not dead, it feels like a cynical cash grab and a tad cultish. I didn’t text friends and family with a new fond respect for our lord and saviour, but I did laugh a lot.
God’s Not Dead 2 review by Luke Ryan Baldock, April 2016.
God’s Not Dead 2 is released on 29th April.
