Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

I Still Believe Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 8, 2020

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.

It’s probably salient to note that some of that same marketing material that kind of gives away the plot also isn’t shy about pointing out that this film is from some of the same creative staff that gave the world I Can Only Imagine a couple of years ago. And in fact for anyone who has seen I Can Only Imagine, this film follows at least something like the same emotional path, with a wounded Contemporary Christian star in the making at the center of the story having to overcome some personal issues and faith questioning. I Still Believe works in more of a love story element (in more ways than one), having Jeremy meet a girl named Melissa Henning (Britt Robertson), who later becomes his wife.

Since at least some of the names in this film have not been changed to protect the innocent and/or guilty (in a metaphysical sense), I'm assuming that much of I Still Believe resides in at least some semblance of the truth, however "dramatized" it may be. That extends to the film's depiction of a kind of quasi ménage à trois that develops between Jeremy, Melissa, and the guy who actually introduces the two of them to each other, real life musician Jean-Luc Lajoie (Nathan Parsons). However contrived it may seem, that aspect provides a bit of a detour before "true love" finally wins the day, albeit already under precarious circumstances.

The fact that I Still Believe has been tugging pretty forcefully on the heartstrings long before that tragic element shows up may indicate that this film is undeniably emotionally effective a lot of the time, even if some of that emotion can seem at least somewhat manipulative. Early scenes document Jeremy's solid home life, where he's obviously loved by his minister father Tom (Gary Sinise) and mother Terry (Shania Twain), as well as his brothers (one of whom is disabled). The film starts with Jeremy taking off for college, with a brand, spanking new guitar in tow his parents have bought for him, despite being ill equipped to afford it.

Kind of hilariously, for those who like to track subtext, for a film supposedly espousing Christian values, Jeremy exhibits a hat trick of (minor) "sins" (or at least peccadilloes) during this opening sequence. A quasi-montage shows him strumming that guitar furiously on the bus to the school, which made me wonder what the other passengers may have been thinking, but then two actual commandments are broken when Jeremy pilfers a concert poster off of a dorm corkboard of announcements (presumably to remember the address), and then, once he's at the concert, he actually lies to a security guy to get backstage and meet Jean-Luc, who is performing with his band The Kry. (The foregoing is said with tongue planted firmly in cheek, in case that's not clear.)

Those passing qualms aside, I Still Believe mimics I Can Only Imagine in another way as well, since Jean-Luc’s help gets Jeremy on the road (again, in more ways than one) to a successful career (much as Amy Grant’s help got Bart Millard on his way in that film), something that removes any even potential angst from a making a living or even basic acceptance standpoint (as if the real life Camp’s stardom didn’t do that already). That means that the “turmoil” in this case takes over at about the one hour mark, after it turns out that Melissa, who has already gone through an on again—off again relationship with Jeremy, has (to be as discursive as possible about it) health issues.

I think it’s because of how personal and, frankly, tragic that story turns out to be that I Still Believe arguably outdoes I Can Only Imagine in emotional impact, and the film certainly goes for the gusto in that regard. Still, the co-directing Erwin Brothers don’t exactly shy away from cliché here, and the film may well strike even “true believers” as too maudlin by half. In fact, in that regard, the most moving material here may actually be the final few minutes which feature the real life Camp and his second wife Adrienne (who is briefly introduced as a character at the end of the narrative portion of the film).

I Still Believe Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

I Still Believe Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Director Andy Erwin, Writer / Director Jon Erwin, Writer Jon Gunn and Producer Kevin Downes


• The Origin of I Still Believe (1080p; 9:51) features interviews with the Erwin Brothers, along with Jeremy and Adrienne Camp.


• The Casting of I Still Believe (1080p; 9:15) features the Erwin Brothers again, discussing their needs for various roles.


• The Music of I Still Believe (1080p; 6:39) once again features the Erwins, here talking about making a quasi-musical.


• Bart & Jeremy (1080p; 10:40) is a fun sit down with the two real life people the Erwin Brothers have based movies on.


• Deleted Scenes (1080p; 11:27)

A Digital Copy is also included.

I Still Believe Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.