Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

God's Not Dead Blu-ray Movie Review

The ultimate question.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 29, 2014

Those who hold firm to a relationship with God are often called "believers." Think about that word for a moment. Believers. In the trusty Mac OS X Dashboard widget dictionary, a "believer" is defined as "a person who believes that a specified thing is effective, proper, or desirable." Since it's generally frowned upon to use a word to define itself -- in this case "believe" -- that same dictionary describes "believe" thusly: "accept (something) as true; feel sure of the truth of it." So, in essence, a "believer" is someone who feels the truth of, or in, a certain thing. In this case, to "feel" does not meet the dictionary definition of "[to] be aware of (a person or object) through touching or being touched" or "[to] be aware of (something happening) through physical sensation" but instead "[to] have a belief or impression, esp. without an identifiable reason." So on one hand the dictionary says that "believe" means to "feel sure of the truth" but it defines "feel" as "belief...without an identifiable reason." How can one receive truth from something that cannot be identified? Maybe the old trusty widget dictionary isn't so trusty after all, because that sounds like a contradiction. Or maybe it, in a roundabout way, describes what faith -- belief -- in God is all about. It's also evidence that there may not be a more complicated field of study, more hotly contested area of debate, more delicate personal balance than one's relationship with or distance from God, for both the most ardent followers and the most certain atheists alike. Director Harold Cronk's (Jerusalem Countdown) God's Not Dead takes up the challenge of deriving tangible evidence of a faith-based idea, pitting a young man certain of his faith against a grizzled college professor who unflinchingly believes that "God is dead" or, better said, that the very notion of God, the idea of God, is dead, and that God does not, and never did, exist.

Three little words.

Hadleigh University freshman and Christian Josh Wheaton (Shane Harper) is warned against enrolling in a philosophy class taught by a known atheist named Radisson (Kevin Sorbo). Unwilling to change his schedule to enroll in a class with a less hostile professor, he takes his chances and, minutes after the first class begins, comes to understand the warning. Radisson insists every student write and sign a simple proclamation -- "God is dead" -- and skip over the teachings of physicists and philosophers who, through their studies, have deemed it so. Josh refuses and, after a second chance to sign the statement, is given an assignment for the ages: to prove the existence of God. He will be given three 20-minute blocks during class to make his presentations. Josh convinces Radisson to allow his fellow students to serve as a de facto jury in a "trial" that pits him against the professor and dozens of the great minds from recorded history. What follows will challenge him to prove what seems impossible to prove, all while dealing with the repercussions -- good and bad -- that follow in his life for carrying the mantle of faith through hostile territory.

God's Not Dead's success or failure boils down to this: can a 113-minute movie answer the oldest and most important question man has ever asked, or at the very least lead its audience towards a place where the answer can be found? That's an uphill battle and an unenviable task if ever there was one. A monumental mountain to climb, resistance from every corner, and believers already lauding the effort on one extreme, nonbelievers dissing the film on the other, and some skeptics caught somewhere in the middle are but some of the proverbial hurdles a movie like this must overcome even before that first flicker of projected light appears on the cinema screen or the home theater display. Even in today's radically advanced technological world, where the incredible now has a simple scientific definition, where the historically dubious now seems less in question, where any bit of information and any voice pro or con associated with it is but a Google search away, there's still no firm, tangible, scientific, absolute yea-or-nay answer to the ultimate question: "is God really out there?" God's Not Dead takes a bold step forward to answer that question in its own way, with its own method, not so much through facts or figures or a starship journey towards "The Great Barrier" in search of a physical manifestation of God similar to the plot of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier but rather through a de facto trial of ideas, convictions, and feelings as quoted by the world's foremost thinkers and, arguably more important to the matter at hand, one's own gut instinct, heart, and spirit.

As is depicted in the film -- as Josh verbally spars with Professor Radisson -- it seems that the conclusion drawn is that a belief in God cannot be boiled down to scientific observation and mathematical calculations or found in the writings of physicists, philosophers, atheists, or theists. Instead, it's something that's felt, that's understood, that's reasoned out in the heart and soul rather than sorted out by pen and paper. The film, through both its primary story line and the ancillary stories that surround it, states that faith is unique for everybody, that for some it may be a "lightbulb" sort of moment, that for others it may be something that's slowly developed over time. For some, it may cone through reinforcement, for others, a rekindling. For some, faith may come from the least expected place, and for others, it may never come at all. Certainly, there are major driving force influences in people's lives that push them towards a propensity to believe, a willingness to question, or a steadfastness in denial. But perhaps the most important thing one can do in the search for God -- which, in turn, produces a search for purpose -- is what happens in the movie, which is to simply question, to explore, to ponder, to reason things out beyond what an authority figure, a respected intellect, or even a lifetime's worth of experiences or a single defining moment have to say on the subject. For faith by proxy -- a belief in God or a disbelief in God, or anything else in life, for that matter -- is not faith at all but rather trust, the difference being a deeply held personal belief in something larger than can be explained versus a knowledge of something in the here and now. Faith in God to save the soul isn't the same as a trust that the medicine will do away with the headache. Faith is built through questioning, reasoning, believing a guiding voice inside, learning from experience and evolving with understanding. That's what the film does, traveling down that path of back-and-forth philosophical and spiritual reasoning and, through that, building an idea of the existence of something greater than the tangible and how a belief, or disbelief, in that can and often does have a profound impact on one's own life, in the lives of those around them, and maybe even throughout the larger world in which they exist.

Obviously, the film champions the existence of God -- it's called God's Not Dead rather than God Is Dead or Is God Dead? -- but audiences shouldn't let its slant dissuade them from seeing it. Aside from a few problems in the first act -- it feels a little over the top that, for example, before anything happens, Josh is wearing a shirt that says "God's Not Dead" on the bottom (sometimes hidden from view by his open over shirt) -- the film tightens up beautifully through its character-defining second and into the spiritually centered third. It's never much of a secret where it will all go, even as the opening act introduces what appears to be a lot of character clutter and drama excess that's at best tangentially, or not at all, related to the primary dynamic, yet a few things play out in ways that fulfill expectations but do so in a radically different way than the audience will expect, particularly as it pertains to the fate of one primary character. Further, the inclusion of the Duck Dynasty stars serves no real plot purpose beyond developing one of the side characters whose story in many ways parallels other happenings in the film and supports the larger narrative in a somewhat more "real life" or "in the trenches of the battle for the soul" way than the ground covered in the classroom debates. Additionally, the subplot involving Josh's girlfriend feels far too one-dimensional and convenient, serving, in essence, as a secondary source of temptation to keep Josh from doing what he grows to believe is his Christian duty. As with a few other points in the film, it works in theory and even in context but feels a little sloppy in execution, particularly when one stops to wonder how a six-year relationship built on Christian faith could end when one of them is not even tempted but rather tested in terms of how much faith really means, if standing up for one's beliefs is worth the risk of a grade letter on a piece of paper. The character seems only to reinforce a lot of negative Christian stereotypes, but in that way it also seems to add a flavor of realism to the piece.

Nevertheless, the core story works very well. It's dramatically satisfying and frequently intense in those "courtroom" scenes in which Josh presents his case, particularly on his third go when Professor Radisson joins him at the front of the class and directly engages him rather than remain largely invisible in a seat or lurking in the back of the classroom. Regardless of one's firm opinion either as a Christian or as an atheist or one's wavering stance that flips like a needle as evidence is presented and the debate rages in the quality back-and-forths, the film presents a dynamic, engaging series of lectures and exchanges that are smartly written and beautifully performed. In a perfect world, Kevin Sorbo would be at the center of buzz for an Oscar nomination. He's that good as a quick, strongly convicted, well spoken, and antagonistic professor who can be a sycophantic student's best friend or an antagonistic student's worst nightmare. He commands the classroom and also dominates a few one-on-ones with Josh in addition to several scenes with his girlfriend and guests. Shane Harper is solid as the film's protagonist, gaining confidence with every decision and classroom presentation only to be further beaten down by an increasingly inwardly frazzled yet externally stalwart Professor Radisson. High marks also go to David A.R. White as a local pastor, Paul Kwo as a Chinese student who drifts towards Josh's side of the argument, and Benjamin Ochieng as the simple and ofttimes lightly humorous voice of basic spiritual reason, simple faith, and a cheerful spirit who sees the best in life's worst throughout the course of the film.

God's Not Dead Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

God's Not Dead arrives on Blu-ray with an upper-end 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer. Though the image occasionally yields some mildly irritating banding effects across several backgrounds and includes some light, scattered noise, it's otherwise clearly defined and digitally pristine. It rarely looks too glossy or flat in the modern HD style, instead favoring a more balanced appearance that produces pinpoint details and bold colors. Textures are frequently terrific, particularly with regard to skin intricacies visible in close-up shots. Clothing is naturally complex, grasses and vegetation are well-defined even at some distance, and building façades around campus look great, clearly defined and naturally sharp. Colors are impressively even. Whether bright natural greens, marker strokes on a classroom white board, clothing colors, or hues appearing on background detail objects, every shade is presented with natural radiance and stability. Black levels are never problematic, and skin tones appear to maintain a commendably natural accuracy. All around, this is a terrific high definition Blu-ray presentation from Pure Flix.

God's Not Dead Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

God's Not Dead features a passable, but somewhat disappointing, Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. The track produces the film's many Christian Pop and Rock songs with commendable vigor and spacing, the tracks pouring energetically into the stage with a healthy front and surround spacing quality. Clarity is never much of an issue here, either, with notes well defined and instruments and vocals both nicely balanced. The track offers good, space-defining dialogue reverberation in several instances, including a scene inside a cavernous church in chapter five and in various classroom segments throughout the film. General exterior college din, however, is never quite as pronounced as listeners might expect. General dialogue is usually firm and clearly delivered, but it does struggle in a few spots; it's somewhat muddled and lost under the background cafeteria din in chapter four. Additionally, a light hiss underscores a few stretches, notably during an exterior dialogue scene in chapter six. Beyond dialogue, the music is the most prominent piece to this film's sonic puzzle. It's delivered well, making the absence of a lossless track only disappointing but not debilitating. Overall, this is a good track, one that could stand a little tightening up but that otherwise gets the job done.

God's Not Dead Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

God's Not Dead contains two music videos, a short making-of featurette, and a short piece on the challenge of Christian students on today's college campuses. Commentary tracks from atheists and believers alike would have likely made for some of the finest supplements on the market.

• Behind the Scenes (1080p, 8:44): A piece that features a few off-the-cuff cast and crew interview clips but primarily offers a number of raw behind-the-scenes clips from the shoot.
• Music Video (1080p, 3:41): Chasing the Sun by Safe Haven.
• Music Video (1080p, 4:03):What I Know by Tricia Brock.
• Student Rights on University Campuses (1080p, 4:40): A look at the place and struggle of Christian students on modern college campuses. A few examples of Christian students reprimanded for their beliefs are included.
• Previews (1080p): Additional Pure Flix titles.

God's Not Dead Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

God's Not Dead is probably destined to preach to the choir, as the old saying goes. There exists such a schism in the world that there doesn't often seem to be many gray areas left, with people of this persuasion on one side and those of the opposite on the other -- be those matters of faith, politics, film versus digital, vinyl versus MP3, Marvel vs. DC, Coke vs. Pepsi, Red Sox vs. Yankees -- with only a few lost souls wandering around the middle ground, either too uniformed to make a choice or too lost in the daily minutia to realize there's something vying for their all-important vote. While the film doesn't step too far out of the comfort zone of its side, it does allow some hostile opinions into its arena and challenges them to satisfaction, perhaps more on individual levels than on larger universal levels. Then again, being that faith is such an intimate thing -- something inwardly felt and understood and experienced rather than blasting out of the sky or embodied in plagues of locust or burning bushes -- perhaps the film has it right, that faith is something greater than what man can explain through scientific observation and philosophical debate and is instead better explored and shared on a more personal level, through the prism of one's own life- and faith-shaping experiences, either to the "pro God" or "anti God" side of the debate. No matter one's persuasion, and despite some structural nitpicks with the film, God's Not Dead presents a powerfully performed debate over the oldest question in the world and one that may very well never be answered to satisfaction for every one of the billions of souls wandering this amazing world in search of answers. But, just maybe, God's Not Dead can, for a few of them willing to give it a chance, serve as a starting point towards finding that very personal answer. Pure Flix Entertainment's Blu-ray release of God's Not Dead delvers high-end 1080p video, a passable but slightly flawed lossy surround sound audio track, and a few supplements that could have been so much more. Very highly recommended.