6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
The true-life story of Christian music star Jeremy Camp and his journey of love and loss that looks to prove there is always hope.
Starring: K.J. Apa, Britt Robertson, Nathan Parsons, Gary Sinise, Shania TwainRomance | 100% |
Music | 44% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English SDH, French SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Note: It's well nigh impossible to discuss I Still Believe without at least hinting at a major plot point which I guess some
may find spoiler material, even if it may well be generally well known. In any case, those wishing to avoid such revelations are encouraged to jump
down to the technical portion of the review, below.
As some of you may have experienced if you have a church life, there can sometimes be disagreements among congregants about styles of music
at
services (I say this as someone who has been a Music Director for any number of “flavors” of denominations and who has had to arbitrate such
disputes). My hunch is if you’re a fan of what is colloquially called Contemporary Christian music, you’ll probably be able to look past some
of
I Still Believe’s more treacly aspects. Those without a real love of that particular kind of music, but who still profess a strong faith that
may have
helped them through some kind of trial and tribulations will also probably find a lot about I Still Believe to recommend it. On the other
hand, those who may
have a more jaded eye toward “spiritually” inclined movies, and probably especially those who for one reason or another can’t stand Contemporary
Christian music, had most likely stay far, far away from I Still Believe, since it’s ostensibly the true life story of Contemporary Christian
music
star Jeremy Camp (portrayed by KJ Apa), documenting his nascent career and a marriage that (again, potential spoiler alert, though I frankly can’t
imagine
anyone coming to
this film doesn’t already know this, especially since it is in fact divulged in all sorts of marketing material for the film) ends in tragedy. That of
course puts
Jeremy’s faith to the test, but I Still Believe kind of gives away the ultimate resolution of that doubt in its very title, just one way that this
film may
come off as overly predictable.
I Still Believe is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.40:1. The IMDb lists Arri Alexa Mini cameras as having been utilized, but fails to detail the DI resolution (I'm assuming 2K). This is a very sharp and nicely delinated looking presentation, especially in some bright outdoor scenes where the palette pops with some authority and fine detail levels can be quite impressive even in midrange shots, let alone close-ups. Some of the concert material is intentionally "arty", with lens flare and some severe lighting and/or grading choices tending to detract just slightly from detail levels. Aside from some recurrent but minor banding I noticed in some of these same concert sequences, there were no other compression anomalies.
I Still Believe features an enjoyable Dolby Atmos track that comes alive most noticeably in the concert scenes, where both crowd noise and the music in general attains some verticality. That said, while this track is regularly immersive in terms of both the musical scenes as well as a lot of ambient environmental sounds (there are several notable scenes by roaring bodies of water), it's not the most "aggressive" Atmos track I've experienced, in terms of providing consistent "over the top" (literally and figuratively) sonics. Fidelity is excellent throughout, easily supporting both the musical performances as well as the dialogue.
One of things that I appreciated about I Still Believe is how it at least brings up questions of faith, kind of like another Christian film Breakthrough, though I have to say that, unlike an element I discussed in my review Breakthrough, this film does address those whose prayers seem unanswered when they're begging for a miracle and how therefore some questions just seem unanswerable. This is a film that wears its heart on it sleeve, but which is elevated by sincere performances (Robertson and Sinise are especially effective), something that also helps the film to elide some almost inherent mawkishness. Technical merits are solid, and I Still Believe comes Recommended.
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