Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

What If... Blu-ray Movie Review

A good question...

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 6, 2015

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.

Ben Walker (Kevin Sorbo) is walking away from the woman who loves him, the woman willing to give her heart fully to him. Wendy (Kristy Swanson) leaves him with an inscribed Bible and begs him to reconsider, to continue down their path together. He refuses, however, and leaves her behind to become a wealthy entrepreneur who, years later, is worth many millions of dollars and is set to marry a high maintenance trophy wife named Cynthia (Kristin Minter). After he closes a huge deal, he buys himself a new Mercedes that breaks down on the side of the road. His tow truck driver, a man named Mike (John Ratzenberger), claims he's an angel sent from Heaven to help Ben reconsider his life. He's suddenly back in his old hometown and finds himself unexpectedly married to Wendy and father to two daughters, Kimberly (Debby Ryan) and Megan (Taylor Groothuis). He's also the pastor at a small church. He blows his first sermon, struggles to council a young couple contemplating marriage, and makes a mess of his home life. But he slowly comes to appreciate what he has with Wendy, his daughters, and the church, and must decide if that's the life for him or if he'd rather go back to fast cars, slick suits, big money deals, and a woman who loves his bank account but not him.

What If... makes two particular verses of scripture its center, citing, at several key junctures, 1 Corinthians 13 and the passages that begin with "love is patient, love is kind..." and Joshua 24:15, which says "...but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." These serve as a base foundation for the film's parallel story lines, Ben's realization that he loves Wendy and his family more than he loves his career and the material things that have come to define him (including his aloof trophy wife-to-be) and his other realization that his call is to God, not to man and self. There are two other scriptures that spring to mind that also seem relevant to the film. First is Matthew 19:24, to which the film alludes in one comical scene near the end, and says that "again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God," and Jeremiah 29:11, which reads "'for I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" What If... essentially takes both verses and puts them into practice as major drivers of the core plot, with the latter in particular serving as a key cog that essentially defines God's sending of an angel to Ben to set him straight and show him the Biblical definition of intimate, God- and family-centered prosperity rather than the earthly definition of financial wealth.

What If... manages to find a delicate balance whereby its message is always obvious but never feels like it's dominating the movie. It's woven in a way that accentuates characters and emotions rather than play like a sermon, key if the movie wants to avoid "preaching to the choir" and instead reach a wider audience. Certainly, the film never lets the audience forget that God is central to the story and that Ben's burgeoning understanding of the contrasts between what he has and what he could have are all guided by a higher power. Yet even as the film builds through the large prism of heavenly influence, it manages to feel intimate and comfortable, sincere in its pursuits and welcoming to audiences. Of immense help to the movie is the familiar face of Kevin Sorbo, the former Hercules star who has found a home in Christian cinema (including an excellent portrayal of a jaded, spiritually lost college professor in God's Not Dead). He's great in this part, too, both as a cutthroat businessman and as a person who slowly comes to understand the value of a simpler life defined by family and guided by the heart rather than defined by money and guided by the markets. The character is simply constructed but Sorbo brings a good bit of depth, emotion, and even humor to the part, finding a tangible chemistry with co-star John Ratzenberger who plays the angel sent from Heaven to guide him back onto the right path.

What If... Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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... Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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... Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

What If... contains several supplements, notably a director's commentary and actor interviews.

• Audio Commentary: Director Dallas Jenkins fulfills a dream of recording a commentary and discusses shooting locations and anecdotes, casting, plot details and themes, technical structure, score, how the film offers a Christian message without resorting to black-and-white characters and scenarios, and more. Jenkins proves to be a well-spoken commentator and offers plenty of strong insights into the film. Fans are encouraged to listen.
• Actor Interviews (480i windowbox): Kevin Sorbo (2:06), Kristy Swanson (2:48), John Ratzenberger (4:05), and Debby Ryan (3:06) cover the basics: plot details, the script's strengths, casting, characters, Director Dallas Jenkins' work and style, and more.
• Bloopers (720p, 4:35).
• Post-Production Blogs (480i, 22:48): A series of seven shorts that show in some detail the process of editing the film together on the computer. Also included is a peek into a test screening.
• Pure Flix Trailers (1080p): Jerusalem Countdown, Christmas with a Capital C, Me Again, The Encounter, Johnny, and What If...

What If... Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.