Before dispelling my religion-based opinions, it’s pertinent that I make something clear: I don’t consider myself a religious person.
Before dispelling my religion-based opinions, it’s pertinent that I make something clear: I don’t consider myself a religious person, but I also don’t hate religion in any self-satisfied atheistic way either. In my opinion, both sides are equally self-indulgent whenever forcing their two cents down someone else’s throat.
This is also the one and only time I plan to talk about my own personal religious views in a public manner. I was raised with good manners, after all — despite being born Catholic.
That said, most Christian movies suck — hard. In any way you look at them — creatively, politically and morally — they’re all generally cheap (both aesthetically and intentionally,) lack anything new, anything valuable to say and also just don’t, quite frankly, communicate what they want said.
Of late, movies like Heaven is For Real, Son of God and, the most egregious offender, God’s Not Dead are coming out of nowhere recently to multiplexes everywhere. Yet, they still drive masses into them, giving them incredible profits off miniscule budgets. They come and go quicker than autumn leaves, but still cause more people to make these movies as poorly.
The reason why these movies are usually so piss-poor pertain to them failing at adding anything insightful or enlightening to their conversations. The worst thing, though, is that they parade themselves as saying they do so as to create falsely earned sentimentally votes from Catholic households. They are not only patronizing, but downright insulting — especially with God’s Not Dead.
God’s Not Dead attempts to “intellectually debate” why God exists and why atheists/scientists have been misguided for years. A worthy effort, if it can provide solid evidence and make each side equally compelling, that is. But because it’s so one-sided and disgustingly cheap emotionally, it’s not only a terrible argument for its side. It is, more importantly, an essentially useless movie.
For much like the other two movies mentioned, these Catholic productions are mostly just giant circle-jerks, its participants patting themselves on the back for believing in their beliefs and not falling for the “enemy,” without ever considering their arguments. You know, a lot like Fox News.
The sad thing, though, is that when Christian movies do push the boundaries and ask deep, psychological questions relating to faith, they blow them off completely. Case in point, Noah. A well-made, haunting, thoughtful and ballsy movie telling a true Catholic story in unconventional and artistically invigorating ways. So naturally, Catholic audiences said, “oh, it’s just an action movie” because some jackass on conservative news told them that, and skipped it.
That’s the problem: there’s no room for expression, free thought and open-eared creativity in these movies. Which, if you actually read the Bible, is at the heart of the whole Catholic religion. Compassion, understanding intellectual conversations, doubt, look it up sometime. You might learn something.
If you seclude your religion to just repeating the same thing over and over, with no room for honest conversations, then you’re essentially just in a secluded room by yourself, saying how awesome you are over and over. If you’re not hurting anyone, knock yourself out. But don’t call it free expression, and don’t call any movie doing the same good.
Apparently, there’s another new Catholic movie released over the weekend called The Identical, which tanked — hard. I didn’t see it, but if it’s nearly as bad as I think it is, I’m glad nobody paid any mind.
Will Ashton is a senior studying journalism and a writer for The Post. Email him at wa054010@ohio.edu.
