6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 3.2 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.2 |
15 years ago, Ben Walker left his girlfriend and his ministry calling for a business opportunity. Now with a high-paying career and a trophy fiancé, he is visited by an angel, who gives him a glimpse into what his life would look like had he followed his calling.
Starring: Kevin Sorbo, Kristy Swanson, John Ratzenberger, Debby Ryan, Kristin MinterDrama | Insignificant |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-2
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
English SDH
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Director Dallas Jenkins' What If... offers the Christian perspective of, essentially, the same story that's told in the Nicholas Cage film The Family Man in which a man who has left his past behind is suddenly thrust into a parallel universe in which he didn't leave it at all and comes to learn that he made some wrong choices down the line of his life. These are, in many ways, nearly identical films in terms of pure plot structure, but Christian studio Pure Flix's take offers a more soulful, spiritually grounded interpretation, making the focus God's plan, one man's straying from it, and his realization that a better life awaits when he's walking along the path God has laid out for him. The movie is predictable but at the same time immensely charming, heartfelt, and uplifting as it champions not the things money can buy but rather life's simple pleasures and heeding a call to Godly pursuits.
Out of place, out of time.
What If...'s high definition transfer is a classic case of "looks good on the surface." Generally, the HD video-sourced image impresses with good, stable clarity, well-rounded colors, and strong detailing. Faces and clothes are satisfyingly crisp and precise down even at the more intimate level. Rusty tow truck accents, odds and ends around the Walker home, and storefront details around town are richly appointed and strongly defined on the Blu-ray. Image clarity allows even distant cityscape shots to showcase precise definition and detail even at some distance away from the camera. Colors are cheery if not a little warm, with varied attire, storefronts, and signs enjoying rich, natural coloring. Black levels are healthy and skin tones only push slightly warm. But the image has some warts underneath. Jittering, compression artifacts, aliasing, and noise are all-too-regular guests throughout the film. None of these are absolutely detrimental to a casual watch, but more demanding videophiles will likely be turned off by the irritations that creep up from start to finish.
What If... features a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack that satisfies the movie's core requirements. Lighter music enjoys easy flow across the front and into the back with fine general clarity but not to the exacting level often found on larger productions with lossless tracks. More aggressive Rock music, by comparison, plays with a stifled, shallow feel that lacks the necessary aggression it demands. Basic ambient sound effects are sometimes limited to the front, such as public address announcements at a train station, while others are incorporated into the rears, such as light winds, honking horns, or mild applause inside a church. Basic dialogue is handled efficiently in the center but can come through as sharp and/or shallow in a few spots.
What If... contains several supplements, notably a director's commentary and actor interviews.
What If... ends with a beautiful little twist that perfectly accentuates all of the themes, embodies the core ideas, and puts a nice little ribbon on its story of the burgeoning realization of wrong paths walked and right paths suddenly presented for a second chance at the perfect life. This is one of the better Pure Flix/Christian movies on the market, even if it is, essentially, just new skin on The Family Man and, to a lesser extent, the stories in films like It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol. It's well made, strongly acted, highly approachable, and always agreeable. If nothing else, the films asks audience to consider what matters most in life and pursue those things which will bring true, deep, forever happiness rather than momentary contentment. Pure Flix's Blu-ray release of What If... offers a fair selection of extras but video and audio are of midlevel quality. Recommended largely on the strength of the film.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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