Do You Believe (2015) (Movie Review)



Dir: John Gunn
Starring: Ted McGinley, Mira Sorvino, Andrea Logan White, Lee Majors, Alexa PenaVega, Sean Astin, Madison Pettis, Cybill Shepherd and Brian Botsworth.
Dur: 1 hr 55 mins
Genre: Christian Drama
Rating: 9/10

Do You Believe is a dramatic story about the cross of Christ. It has received negative reviews from a handful of people at Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic one of the probably reasons is because it is overtly evangelical in nature. It spares no pains to ensure that Christ is preached despite the consequences. The very fact that it has received negative reviews is a sign, according to me, of its success. The movie depicts the dilemma of following Christ even though it means personal suffering and film is witness of its own story. It is evidently rejected by those who have reviewed it but for those who are searching it holds great treasure.

The film is actually a follow up on God’s Not Dead which is by far one of the best movies I have ever seen. Do You Believe is another fantastic story. It does throw the Christian message in your face and demand a response from you but I have no reservations about that. The opening scene is the ground-setting one and poses the question which develops and gathers momentum through the film. The film tells the story of a number of individuals who providentially land up at the same place and the same time in a truly cinematic moment, after encountering crosses in their lives. The culmination is a total surrender to the cross and a blissful acceptance of the consequences it entails.

Christians have grown accustomed to hearing about Jesus’ teachings. Very few of them feel challenged to follow it come what may. Films like this urge people to take the Gospel message seriously. They also show in practical ways how the Gospel can be lived and drop hints as to the kind of challenges one will face if one chooses to follow Jesus.

I liked the film very much and I recommend it to every believer out there. The Cross of Christ beckons us. Are we going to let it be turned into a fashion or are we going to take it up and bear it proudly for the sake of Christ? Jesus has said it plainly, “Whoever rejects me before others I will reject before my Father in heaven.”
 

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