God is not dead

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Movie
German title God is not dead
Original title God's Not Dead
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year March 21, 2014
length 113 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Harold Cronk
script Chuck Konzelman ,
Cary Solomon
production Michael Scott ,
Russell Wolfe ,
Anna Zielinski
music Will Musser
camera Brian Shanley
cut Vance zero
occupation
chronology

Successor  →
God is not dead 2

God is not dead (Original title: God's Not Dead ) is a Christian drama film from the USA directed by Harold Cronk . Itstars Kevin Sorbo , Shane Harper , David AR White and Dean Cain . The film was released by Pure Flix Entertainment on March 21, 2014.

The film was written by Cary Solomon and Chuck Konzelman and is based on Rice Broock's book God's Not Dead: Evidence for God in an Age of Uncertainty (German: God is not dead: proof of God in an age of uncertainty ). It shows a Christian college student whose faith is challenged by a philosophy professor who declares God a pre-scientific fiction. The film received mostly negative reviews but grossed over $ 62 million on a budget of $ 2 million.

2016 was followed by the continuation of God's Not Dead 2 ( God is not dead 2 ) and 2018 God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness ( God is not dead: A light in the dark ).

action

Josh Wheaton, a Protestant college student , is enrolling in a philosophy class taught by Professor Jeffrey Radisson, an atheist who asks his students to sign the statement "God is dead" in order to pass. Josh is the only student who refuses to sign the statement. Radisson asks Josh to discuss the matter with him, but allows the class to decide the winner. Josh's friend Kara asks Josh either to sign the "God is dead" statement or to leave the course because it will endanger her academic future if he faces Radisson. Kara leaves Josh because he insists on professing his faith in God.

Radisson gives Josh twenty minutes at the end of the first three lectures for a proof of God . In the first lesson, Josh presents his proof that God created the universe. In the second lesson, Josh argues that macroevolution is not as solid as it is presented. For the first two hours, Radisson countered some of Josh's arguments. Finally, there is the third and final debate between Radisson and Josh; both have compelling points. Josh then asks Radisson, “Why do you hate God?” After Josh repeats the question twice, Radisson explodes in anger and says that he hates God for his mother's death, who left him alone regardless of his prayers. Afterward, Josh casually asks Radisson how he can hate someone who doesn't exist. In the end, Martin, a student from China, whose father forbade him to speak of God at all in order not to endanger Martin's brother's chance to study abroad, stands up and says: “God is not dead”. Almost the whole class follows Martin's example and Radisson leaves the room.

Radisson dates Mina, a Protestant woman, whom he devalues ​​in front of his atheist colleagues. Her brother Mark, a successful businessman and atheist, refuses to visit his mother, who has dementia. Mark's friend Amy is a leftist blogger who writes critical articles about the Duck Dynasty . When she was diagnosed with cancer, Mark left her. A Muslim student named Ayisha secretly converts to Christianity and is rejected by her father when he finds out.

After the last debate, Josh invites Martin to attend a concert by the Christian pop-rock group Newsboys . Radisson reads a letter from his late mother and wants to reconcile with Mina. Amy confronts the newsboys in her locker room only to ask if they can help her convert to Christianity. On his way to Mina, Radisson is hit by a car and fatally injured. Reverend Dave, waiting at the intersection, helps him become a Christian before he dies.

The main characters in the film all come together at the Newsboys concert, where a video clip of Willie Robertson congratulating Josh is played. The Newsboys play their song "God's Not Dead", which they dedicated to Josh.

production

The film was shot from October to November 2012 in Baton Rouge ( Louisiana ), the concert scene in Houston ( Texas ).

Russell Wolfe, the CEO of Pure Flix Entertainment, stated that:

“The inspiration behind the environment of the film was a few years ago. I was in a meeting at Pinnacle Forum and Alan Sears of Alliance Defending Freedom was speaking. He was talking about a young girl who was asked to do some things that were against her belief and got in trouble if she didn't do them. This story intrigued me and made me wonder how many students go to college as Christians and how few remain Christians after their four years. It was this story that inspired me to shoot the film on college campus. "

The score was released on March 3, 2014 by Inpop Records .

reception

Box office

The film got a surprising success at the box office. The first weekend after its release, the film received $ 8.6 million from 780 theaters, leading Entertainment Weekly's Adam Markovitz to refer to it as "the weekend's biggest surprise." During that week, it ranked third behind Divergent and Muppets Most Wanted in the box office for $ 9.2 million.

The film began its international launch in Mexico on April 4, 2014, where the film grossed $ 89,021 in its first week. God's Not Dead raised $ 60.8 million in North America and $ 3.9 million in other areas for a total of $ 64.7 million against a budget of $ 2 million. At the end of 2014, God's Not Dead was ranked 93rd in terms of global gross domestic product, ending at $ 64.7 million worldwide.

Reviews

On Rotten Tomatoes , the film received a rating of 14% based on 21 reviews, with an average rating of 2.7 / 10. The film scored 16 out of 100 on Metacritic , based on six reviews, including an overwhelming “ Dislike ”. On filmstarts.de, the film received a 2.9 / 5 user rating with 20 ratings and 14 reviews (as of June 2020). The film received 4/5 points for customer reviews on Amazon , with a total of 3,497 ratings (as of June 2020). On IMDb it received ratings 4.7 / 10 with 39,582 votes (as of June 2020).

Todd Van Der Werff, who writes for The AV Club , gave the film a “D–” and said, “Even with rather poor standards in the Christian film industry, God's Not Dead is a disaster.” Variety critic Scott Foundas wrote: “.. . Even with a generous rating, this shrill melodrama about the insidious attempts by the university system of America to silence true believers on campus is as subtle as a pile of Bibles falling on your head ... "Some sources and Blogs cited the film's similarities to a popular metropolitan legend. A Protestant student debating with an atheist professor and winning in front of the class (which then applauds) was the subject of a popular chick tract .

Evangelical and Roman Catholic response

Alliance Defending Freedom , American Heritage Girls , Faith Driven Consumer, Denison Forum on Truth and Culture, Trevecca Nazarene University , The Dove Foundation, and Ratio Christi all supported the film.

On the flip side, the Department of Young Earth Creationism Apologists , Answers in Genesis , would not support the film because of its sponsorship of several elements that they consider unbiblical.

Dave Hartline of The American Catholic gave God's Not Dead a positive review and hoped other films like this would follow suit. Catholic World Report's Nick Olszyk gave it its highest rating, calling the film "an incredibly entertaining film that leads to God, not in addition to its quality but by its quality." The Christian Post's Vincent Funaro praised the film for being "A success for believers and could even appeal to skeptics looking for answers."

Protestant Michael Gerson, however, was very critical of the film and its message, writing: “The main problem with God's Not Dead is not its cosmology or ethics, but its anthropology. It assumes that people are made of clichés. Academics are arrogant and cruel. Liberal bloggers are cocky and snippy. Unbelievers do not believe because of personal demons. It's characterization by caricature. "John Mulderig voiced similar concerns in his review for the Catholic News Service:" It could be the core of a fascinating documentary hidden in Harold Cronk's drama, given the level of actual academic hostility towards religion. But even devout moviegoers will feel the claustrophobia of the echo chamber in which this largely unrealistic picture unfolds. "

Roger Patterson of Answers in Genesis , who wrote for Christian Reviews , gave the film 3½ stars out of 5, noting that "stereotypes die hard," but concluded that "a smart and mature Christian can use film as a teaching tool."

Sequels

Pure Flix Entertainment produced a sequel, God's Not Dead 2 , which was released on April 1, 2016, a few days after Easter. A third God's Not Dead film, God's Not Dead: A light in Darkness , was released on March 30, 2018.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ God's Not Dead (PG) . In: British Board of Film Classification . April 7, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  2. ↑ Release certificate for God is not dead . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , August 2015 (PDF; test number: 153 367 V).
  3. ↑ Stephen Farber: God's Not Dead: Film Review . In: The Hollywood Reporter . March 21, 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
  4. ↑ God's Not Dead (2014) . Box Office Mojo . Amazon.com . Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  5. ↑ GOD'S NOT DEAD - Synopsis . Milk Money Promotions. Archived from the original on July 29, 2015. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  6. ^ Taylor Schoen: Christian movie filming on campus . In: The Daily Reveille . Louisiana State University . November 12, 2012. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
  7. ↑ Exclusive Interview With Pure Flix Entertainment for God's Not Dead Movie . Alliance Defending Freedom . February 14, 2014. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved on April 2, 2014.
  8. ↑ God's Not Dead (The Motion Picture Soundtrack) . iTunes. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  9. ↑ Samantha Highfill: Box office report: 'Divergent' heads straight for $ 56 million win | Inside Movies | EW.com . Insidemovies.ew.com. March 23, 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
  10. ↑ Brad Brevet: Weekend Box Office: Breaking Down 'Divergent' at # 1, 'Muppets 2' is Weak & 'God's Not Dead' Surprises . ComingSoon.net . Retrieved March 23, 2014.
  11. ↑ God's Not Dead (2014) . Box Office Mojo . Amazon.com . Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  12. ↑ 2014 Worldwide Great . Box Office Mojo . 2014.
  13. ↑ God's Not Dead . Retrieved May 27, 2018.
  14. ^ God's Not Dead Reviews . Metacritic. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  15. ↑ God is not dead . filmstarts.de . Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  16. ↑ Customer Reviews on God Is Not Dead by Shane Harper . Amazon. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  17. ↑ God's Not Dead (2014) User Ratings . IMDb. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  18. ↑ Todd Van Der Werff: God's Not Dead is a mess even by Christian film standards . The AV Club . March 24, 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
  19. ↑ Scott Foundas: 'God's Not Dead' Review: A Ham-Fisted Christian Melodrama . Variety . March 22, 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
  20. ↑ Zach Seemayer: 'Noah' Washes Away Competition At The Box Office . In: ETonline.com , March 30, 2014. 
  21. ↑ a b Alan Noble: “God's Not Dead,” But this Trope Is . October 25, 2013.
  22. ↑ Hemant Mehta : If an anti-atheist story on Snopes were made into a film, it'd be this one . September 10, 2013.
  23. ↑ God's Not Dead - Endorsements . Pure Flix Entertainment. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  24. ^ Roger Patterson: God's Not Dead Movie Review . Answers in Genesis. February 25, 2014. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
  25. ↑ God's not dead; There's something happening here . American Catholic. Retrieved on April 2, 2014: "Slowly but surely with movies like God's Not Dead, others will follow, and the old secular guard will not like it and force us to endure some trials and tribulations."
  26. ↑ Nick Olszyk: Crash Meets Mere Christianity . Catholic World Report. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
  27. ↑ Vincent Funaro: 'God's Not Dead' Review: Encouragement for Believers Facing Secular Hostility . The Christian Post. Retrieved August 5, 2014.
  28. ↑ Michael Gerson: Michael Gerson: 'Noah,' 'God's Not Dead' are movies lacking grace . In: The Washington Post . The Washington Post. March 21, 2014. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  29. ↑ John Mulderig: God's Not Dead . Catholic News Service . Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved April 2, 2014. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.catholicnews.com
  30. ↑ Roger Patterson: God's Not Dead (2014) . Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  31. ↑ 'God's Not Dead 2' Getting Ready to Rock Atheists' World . In: Charisma News , October 22, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2015. 
  32. ↑ Jomar Endriga: God's Not Dead 2 Teaser Trailer Released in Time for Woodlawn Movie; NFL Star Tim Tebow Comments on Woodlawn Sneak Peek . In: The Gospel Herald . October 17, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  33. ↑ God's Not Dead 2: Coming April 1, 2016 . In: God's Not Dead Blog . August 25, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  34. ↑ Kenneth R. Morefield: Pureflix Sets Release Date for God's Not Dead 2: He is Surely Alive . In: 1More Film Blog . July 8, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  35. ↑ Mark Judge: Confirmed: There Will be a 'God's Not Dead 3' . In: CNSNews.com , October 27, 2016.  Retrieved November 2016.
  36. ↑ God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness (2018) at Rotten Tomatoes (English) . Retrieved January 14, 2018.Template: Rotten Tomatoes / Maintenance / Various connoisseurs in Wikipedia and WikidataTemplate: Rotten Tomatoes / Maintenance / Wikidata designation different from the set name