As with Hollywood films, inspirational films can also have sequels. Certainly Hollywood has cornered the market on sequels, while Inspirational films have entered the sequel realm, but have a long way to go to reach the number of Hollywood sequels. With "God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness", this is a continuation of :God's Not Dead 2" '16. So while this sequel is hoping to make a profit as with all franchises, this certainly has a lot to say to ignite that void in us all.
A church destroyed. A congregation silenced. A relationship shattered. Yet even in life's darkest valleys, a small flame can light the way toward healing and hope. After a deadly fire rips through St. James Church, Pastor Dave Hill (David A.R. White) is devastated and Hadleigh University leaders including Hill's longtime friend, president Thomas Ellsworth (Ted McGinley) use the tragedy to push the congregation off campus, forcing the church to defend its rights and bringing together two estranged brothers Dave Hill and Pearce Hill (John Corbett) for a reunion that opens wounds and forces them to address the issues that pulled them apart. What starts as Pearce, a big-city lawyer coming to help Dave with legal problems, turns out a tense situation for both.
Others to round out the cast are Shane Harper as Josh Wheaton, Jennifer Taylor as Meg Harvey, Tatum O'Neal as Barbara Solomon, Gregory Alan Williams as Pastor Roland Dial, Mike C. Manning as Adam, Samantha Boscarino as Keaton, Shwayze as Mateo, Vaughn Collar as Ed Weis and Jennifer Cipolla as Sydney.
When the original "God's Not Dead" was released in 2014, it never expected to make the profit it did, hence the sequels. the movie-going audiences as were the producers of that film were surprised it was drawing in the money, but considering the brokenness of people out there, it should actually be no shock that it did so well. This was compassionately written and directed by Michael Mason. Interesting that the first two films of this franchise were directed by Harold Cronk and were written by the same writers. I'm not sure why the producers decided to change things up, but even though this was adequately written and directed, it still needed polish. Certainly, considering this film is the only project this filmmaker has to his credit, it was amazingly well done, however it isn't without flaws. It does have a tendency to jump around a bit, and the script does meander to a small degree, but these are minor and the message this story conveys still rings as true as its predecessors. The message is clear: it's about forgiveness, love and redemption centering on Jesus Christ being the healer, and with our society at such a crossroads and in a bevy of problems more than ever, these films should be made more often than they are.
As aforementioned, our society is in a true hurt locker: murder, control, divorce, mass shootings happening practically weekly and terrorism. And with our world being turned upside down, these films are needed more than ever. They have real stories representing real people all with a great message that all should see.
Out of 4 Stars: 3 Rated: PG 106mins.
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