Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

I Can Only Imagine Blu-ray Movie Review

Behind the Music, Contemporary Christian style.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 12, 2018

Christian Copyright Licensing Incorporated will probably be a recognizable name to anyone who has spent any time in a so-called “music ministry”, as indeed I have in various guises for much of my adult life. It actually struck me as kind of funny that two huge religiously oriented publishing or publishing related entities are housed either in or near my hometown of Portland (ironically, a place known for people claiming to be "spiritual but not religious"), namely CCLI (as the aforementioned group is commonly known around the globe) and the probably less widely known company that handles a lot of the music publishing for Pacific Northwest (and beyond) Catholics and Episcopals, Oregon Catholic Press (or OCP for the acryonym inclined). CCLI has a huge online component for churches who subscribe, including a kind of cool feature called SongSelect that offers Music Ministers or other interested musicians the chance to download charts or leadsheets to what many would call “Contemporary Christian” tunes, kind of like mainstream websites like Sheet Music Plus. When “I Can Only Imagine” hit to the top of the Contemporary Christian charts (not to mention some more “ecumenical” charts like the Billboard Hot 100, where it made it to 71, a relatively rare feat for a religiously themed tune), one of the singers at whatever church I was working for at the time asked me to print out a copy, and I literally thought the church printer spool had repeated itself somehow when the music that emerged went on for pages — and pages — and pages. But, no, that was simply how much space it took to tell the “story” that “I Can Only Imagine” told, a saga about a man standing before Divine judgment and feeling a rush of grace of salvation. As the inimitable Paul Harvey used to state, this new film bearing the same title as the song purports to tell “the rest of the story”, dealing with the real life tale of songwriter Bart Millard (played by Brody Rose as a young boy, and then J. Michael Finley for the bulk of the film), whose family dysfunctions play at least a tangential role in sparking the inspiration for the song.

I had a really interesting chat years ago with a Priest at an Episcopal parish where I worked for several years. This guy was rather young, urbane and decidedly on the liberal side, and yet he could not abide the Contemporary Christian idiom, not because of its musical content, but because he said the lyrics often promoted “I” and “me” formulations over the more communal togetherness that many hymns of yore tend to enforce. It probably goes without saying that “I Can Only Imagine” obviously falls within that perceived category of egotism, but what I think managed to touch so many people about the tune when it was first released was its earnest description of a man coming to terms with what an afterlife encounter with the Divine might be like. When combined with the kind of stunning octave leaps that Millard’s vocal takes as the song progresses, it may indeed be a lyric which focuses pretty specifically on “I” and/or “me”, but which attains a rare universality nonetheless.

I Can Only Imagine is undeniably heartfelt, if perhaps only slightly less earnest than the song for which it culls its name, but it suffers from perhaps an unavoidable “issue”: as obviously distraught as Bart’s home life is with his martinet father Arthur (Dennis Quaid, sporting a kind of weird prosthetic on his nose), it’s hard to get too worked up over a kid who goes on to untold riches and celebrity as a top ranked songwriter and musician. Even the film’s depiction of the “showbiz” rags to riches angle seems almost sanguine, with stars like Amy Grant (Nicole DuPort) acting more or less as a Deus ex Machina to make struggles for the brass ring a reality.

The film does benefit from some really nice performances, and without sounding too “image” oriented, it’s absolutely great to see a film centered on a guy who isn’t exactly “matinee idol” material, and who in fact is a bit on the “husky” side (to utilize a term that was frequently applied to boys back in the day). The histrionics surrounding Bart and Arthur frankly descend to Lifetime made for television movies levels, especially after a “disease of the week” angle intrudes, but Finley and Quaid bring the characters alive, and there is indeed a palpable feeling of catharsis when Bart reaches a breakthrough, ultimately penning one of the most iconic songs of the entire Contemporary Christian movement.

I Can Only Imagine Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

I Can Only Imagine is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.38:1. Cinematographer Kristopher Kimlin comes in for some early props in the commentary included on this Blu-ray as a supplement, and indeed there's some beautiful imagery scattered throughout this film, perhaps surprisingly not relegated solely to "Norman Rockwell" scenes of American landscapes. Even some interior scenes of performance venues or even close-ups of hands striking piano keys have a certain luster and an almost burnished palette at times. Detail levels are typically excellent throughout the feature, though a few shots, including some arguably "overly meaningful" shots filled with effulgent lighting (and often graded toward blue) have less fulsome fine detail levels. There are no issues with compression anomalies.

I Can Only Imagine Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Perhaps surprisingly for a film which features so much music so prominently, I Can Only Imagine's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix, while perfectly fine, can sound just a trifle restrained at times. The music, including the title song, certainly nicely fills the surround channels, and some scenes which feature live audiences have the hustle and bustle of a crowd, but a lot of this film plays out in quieter dialogue scenes, and in many of these surround activity is relatively minimal. Fidelity is fine throughout this presentation, offering excellent support for both music and dialogue.

I Can Only Imagine Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Imagine Forgiveness with Bart Millard (1080p; 12:40) has Millard ruminating about some of the childhood traumas he experienced and he how learned to find forgiveness. This is evidently part of a series of such "Bart Talks" that are available on Millard's website.


• MercyMe: The Early Days (1080p; 7:25) looks back on the beginnings of one of the more popular Contemporary Christian outfits, with both film performers and actual band members.


• Casting I Can Only Imagine (1080p; 7:23) is a pretty by the numbers piece featuring snippets from most of the principal cast.


• The Power of the Song (1080p; 7:43) looks at the impact the title song has had.


• Creating Imagine (1080p; 14:03) is a set of three EPKs that look at things like visual effects and score.


• The Music of Imagine (1080p; 6:48) features things like recording sessions for the film.


• Dennis Quaid: "On My Way to Heaven" (1080p; 8:25) really is a kind of Behind the Music featurette about the song.


• Deleted Scenes (1080p; 16:40) also feature some on screen comments from the co-directors.


• Audio Commentary features co-directors Andy Erwin and John Erwin, Brent McCorkle, Bart Millard and Kevin Downes.

I Can Only Imagine Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

MercyMe fans or those who may have come to love "I Can Only Imagine" even if they don't care one whit for Contemporary Christian music as a genre will probably find a lot to like in this film, though as with many faith based enterprises, it may be too treacly for "outsiders". Honest performances help to elevate this story, even if a lot of it plays a bit on the melodramatic side. Technical merits are solid for those considering a purchase.