God's Not Dead 2 is a sequel to the first, which wasn't well-received by critics for its preachy tone and others calling it unrealistic. This one is certainly a disappointment-at least, it was for me. The film starts off pretty entertaining at first, but then gets more boring as it goes on.
Several of the courtroom discussion scenes didn't grasp my attention like I wanted them to. I have been riveted by movies where people just talk and that's it (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, 12 Angry Men, Witness for the Prosecution) and this movie still lost my attention.
Even the second time I watched it, I was prepared for the scenes, but again, I lost interest in the discussions. Therefore, the film fails to deliver its message effectively to the audience because it ends up boring the audience, which weakens the impact of the audience.
Now, this film is certainly thoughtful in terms of its themes, and I understand how the themes could provoke some discussion after watching the film, but otherwise, God's Not Dead 2 isn't really worth your time.
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lukecon-6343631 October 2020
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God's Not Dead 2 follows an ensemble cast (some old, some new), all flung into the sticky tendrils of a flimsy courtroom drama surrounding a history teacher and her answer to a contentious classroom question. Because Ms. Wesley (Hart) had the temerity, the gall, nay the malicious, impudent daring to draw parallels to Martin Luther King Jr. and Jesus Christ, the public school, teachers union, local government, and the ACLU are all out for blood. Will Ms. Wesley be able to continue professing her faith? Will she lose her job? Will Reverend Dave (White) finally be able to start his car? And did Tituba really see Goodie Proctor with the devil?
Okay let's dissect this bloated corpse of a movie by first highlighting the good parts. Director Harold Cronk has sure learned a lot since 2014 though some of the elevated crane shots and glossy establishing scenes may have something to do with a bigger budget. His ability to manipulate his audience to well up in a flurry of sanctimonious pride and self-adulation is not to be underestimated. Thankfully, God's Not Dead 2 doesn't outright vilify atheists and doubters like it's prequel; in-fact one of our heroes, scrappy attorney Tom Endler (Metcalfe) is an agnostic who doesn't become a convert by the end credits. Also as far as acting goes, returning cast member Paul Kwo is given much more to do than be a walking Asian stereotype. He exhibits a sincerity we never saw before and one can't help but think if the movie were about him, it'd be a hundred times better. Then there's Melissa Joan Hart who truth be told is a much better central figure than Shane Harper, who's pious college freshman was more weaselly than anything.
Yet what the movie gets wrong, it gets very wrong; starting with it's representation of a legal system gone rogue. While confusing and conflating basic legal concepts like "precedent" and "discovery" and "defendant", the film nevertheless aims its sights on drumming up accusations of religious persecution while playing to the very tired culture war clichés we've gotten sick of twenty years ago. Much like the film's predecessor, God's Not Dead 2 isn't based on any specific case of religious persecution. It's more cobbled together out of a few lower court cases taken out of context and those dubious Facebook posts your angry Uncle from Omaha wishes were true but aren't. In a side story, returning character, actual producer and Keystone Kops impersonator David A.R. White has to turn in three years worth of notes on his sermons to the government because of...reasons. While doing so he confronts a grotesque bureaucratic flunky who warns him in an exchange so over-the-top you'd swear the movie was hinting at a vast Atheistic conspiracy.
In response to the film being called an example of "fake persecution" by an Atheist blogger, White stated, "It's an interesting thing, because, if it wasn't real, why do they get so offended by it...I don't think it would annoy people if it wasn't true." Of course if we followed that logic every teething toddler at a Dennys would be considered a sage. Religious persecution is a big deal worldwide as explicitly stated when Reverend Jude (Onyango) warns Martin of his plan to preach the gospel in Communist China. Despite Christianity being the largest religious doctrine in the world, Christians are harassed, discriminated against and oppressed in many places all over the world. And yes it does sometimes happen in the good 'ol US of A though despite some limitations you can still express your religion at home, school, work, church, billboards, park benches, television, radio, magazines and newspapers. Why cheapen a very real problem with a false conceit? Especially one even committed Atheists and the ACLU would side with the plaintiff.
Thankfully the main takeaway in God's Not Dead 2 is something most people can get behind; we shouldn't stifle religion nor any exchange of ideas or perspectives, even in something as revered (or in this case vilified) as the hallowed halls of a public school. That message is certainly a cut above God's Not Dead's (2014) all Atheists are whining children who never got what they wanted for Christmas. With a door wide open for yet another sequel to this drivel, I honestly would rather hear the rabble in Inherit the Wind (1960) sing "Give Me That Old Time Religion" in a loop for two hours. -
mcnlshn4 April 2016It must greatly frustrate the religious right when they are routinely (and unfairly) portrayed in major films as fanatical, sanctimonious, comical, backwoods hicks. Well, "God's Not Dead 2" is clearly their revenge. In this movie, ACLU lawyers are all sneering, oily, evil Simon Legrees. School board characters are all smug, administrative wonks who readily conspire to persecute the sweet, perky teacher. The faces of anti-religion protesters are contorted into manic, rabid, drooling hatred. And mainstream media are all resolutely against God.
There are only black hats and white hats in this film. (Or should I say halos and horns.) No quarter is given to the many nuances or complexities of this issue. Which is a shame. It's a serious subject and deserves better. But the producer and director had no interest in any of that.
Clearly, this film is unapologetically one-sided. Conservative Christians feel embattled and marginalized in an increasingly secular world in which they are repeatedly losing watershed court cases. They haven't had much to cheer about recently and this film hits back at that "unfair", "Godless" world. Consequently, Evangelicals will absolutely love this film. All others will likely never see it unless they're dragged to the theatre and handcuffed to their seat.
As a Christian, I quite enjoyed the discussion of historical Jesus from the researchers/authors who played themselves in the film. What's more, GND2 is cinematically well crafted. But it take's more than just dreamily uttering the name of "Jesus" to make a good film. GND2 quickly deteriorates into a two hour sermon from the pulpit.
Oh, and BTW, it should come as no surprise that Pat Boone still can't act... and neither can Robin Givens. -
Firstly, I'm an atheist. I was raised a devout Episcopalian but I often refer to myself as a secular humanist & non-believer but raised with culturally Christian views. Having said that, I noticed right away at the scene in the history class that nothing Melissa Hart said actually violated any hard & fast 1stAMD separation issues. She was within her rights to share those historical facts. She responded to a question in a history class about historically specific correlations between traditions in non-violent protest and passive resistance. Maybe she could have omitted the lengthy scripture quote from the Gospel---but a sound argument could be made that even that was academically relevant too. So...IMHO it was quite relevant and legal. Remember...I'm not a "believer". No school board would take this complaint seriously. I actually think that the ACLU might have defended Melissa Hart!!! It's obvious that the movie makers are trying to unfairly demonize the "freedom from religion" crowd (a rapidly growing demographic BTW) as fanatically unreasonable and angry. In fact, I've found that the exact opposite is usually true. Just research the landmark Kitzmiller vs Dover School board case. As to the ongoing portrayal of atheists and liberal religious types throughout the film, it's an inartfully constructed "straw man" set up for the express purpose of getting easily knocked down. Poor Christians! They have a Biblical persecution complex and are happiest when they can imagine being burned at the stake by the ACLU and a shouting, un-Churched mob of pagan non-believers! Wait 'til you see how they depict the ACLU lawyers as basely motivated by notoriety, power politics and publicity. Not very good...and not persuasive. I think most people can see through this bit of evangelical agitprop whether religious or non-religious.
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What drove me into this film? Well, that is hard to describe since in English there apparently doesn't exist an equivalent word for the German term "Schadenfreude". But allow me to elaborate: I am a sucker for bad movies. I love the Ed Wood and Al Adamson flicks, Italian cannibal flicks, German schnitzel-westerns, Ninja flicks from Hong Kong, Greek porn-comedies, etc. I openly admit and repent not. Yes, I do own a copy "Saving Christmas" and watch every Kirk Cameron flick (again: "Schadenfreude"). I only realized that there was a sequel to the original train-wreck when somebody pointed out that "Batman vs. Superman" is only doing so well at the box-office because there was no competition apart from a handful of bible-thumping-flicks. So I took a pilgrimage of-sort (the only cinema that showed it was about an hour's drive away) and to put it into the words of the target-audience, let me now testify to what I hath witnessed and speaketh unto thee: Long story short (remember: this story prattles on for more than two hours, though it actually feels a lot longer): Melissa Joan Hart (best – and ironically – remembered for her lead in the TV-show "Sabrina, the teenage witch"; Catchphrase "Woohoo!") plays a high school teacher, who is suddenly overcome with that ol' itch and begins to sermonize to her students about her believe – in history-class, no less. The logic consequence ensues and she's given the boot, just as a math-teacher would get canned, if he began to preach that one and one is the Holy Trinity. But, unwilling to understand that a school isn't a church, she goes to court and fights for her "god-given" right to preach to children in a class-room.
Now, imagine that scenario: your child comes home from school and, when asked what he/she had learned that day, he/she replies that the god Ganesha has an elephant head (History-class), the basics of L. Ron Hubbard's Dianetics (English-Literature-Class), the basics of Alchemy (Science) and Phrenology-101 (Biology). And that the P.E.-teacher was handing out communion wafers and splashed the students with holy water. I presume that most people would be like "WTF!?" and sue the school for all it's worth. So would any fire-and-brimstone-cussing evangelist. But we're not talking any old heathen religion (Catholicism, Judaism, Hinduism, you name it), we're talking about the "real deal" – which may sound cynical to some readers, but that is exactly the stance this "movie" and its ilk takes.
Sure, we could argue that religion should be taught in school. Plenty of time for the kids to learn about all those countless deities, gods and demi-gods, from Zeus to Odin to Jehovah, and to heck with history, geometry and basic science. I can guarantee you one thing: By the end of the semester, those kids won't even be able to read and write properly, but will be convinced that people once-upon-a-time rode on dinosaurs and slew dragons.
Back to the film: of course "God is not Dead 2" tries to establish itself as some Anti-"Inherit the Wind". All the Christians are portrayed as saints and martyrs, thrown into the lion-pits of a cruel, unjust (and ungodly) world, which wants nothing more than to take away their crutch for reality. "We are the victims and everybody else is the enemy", is the prevailing message, and it makes it very clear, why many Christian fundamentals are considered the American answer to the Taliban. If this sentiment would have been around in the 1940's, surely a Nazi war-criminal would have jumped up at the Nuremberg trials, demanding that the judge "stop oppressing me!" And if you ask me about acting, editing, production-values and everything else that goes with a real movie: well, it's a two-hour-plus sermon, featuring either zealots or washed-up has-beens, happy to see the front of a camera. And sure, there'll be plenty of claqueurs, who'll clap and cheer this flick, calling it the greatest thing since Noah's flood, etc. But don't let yourself be fooled. It's trash, no matter how you look at it. Again, if you have seen "Inherit the Wind", you might remember how that film ended; hence, here goes the mandatory one point out of ten. -
Sequels are the Achilles heel of most movie lovers. Sure the viewer gets to experience the same feeling they had when they watched the first movie, but it almost always never lives up to the potential. God's Not Dead 2 never has that problem because you simply can't get any worse than its first film God's Not Dead. GND2 takes everything that was hated in it from the first film and puts it right back in a second time around. Atheists are viewed as rude, demanding, and willing to go to great links to take away Christians religious freedoms. Christians are seen as innocent, content, and victims of the violent belief that is Atheism. Odds are if you are going into this movie you either wanted to see this train wreck of a film for yourself or being forced to go with your parents/overly-religious friends. If the later is this case try very hard to fight the urge to scream at the movie and run out of the theater because, trust me, it will happen. Overall the plot is incoherent, the characters bland and lifeless, and the overall theme of the movie is a slap right in the face to anyone who doesn't believe in god. You've been warned 1/10
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vapidaphid1 April 2016The entire premise of this movie is when melissa joan heart's character mentions Jesus as an example in class the resulting backlash lands her in court. The reality of the situation is that since she was not leading children in prayer or proselytizing, she is allowed to make references to the bible or it's characters in the classroom as long as it is from a literature-based point of view. Then the school might receive a letter fro the freedom from religion foundation or similar body reminding the that a teacher may not preach or lead students in prayer. She might be punished fro the school board, but it would only be the equivalent to a slap on the wrist, if it even came to that.
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spencerkberry28 April 2016A fascinating sci-fi alternate reality thriller with a fundamental reality twist that would put Hitchcock and the writers of the Twilight Zone to shame. Imagine a world where Christians were victims of oppression and persecution in the United States. As hard as it may have been to conceive of such an outlandish alternate reality (much less make a film about it), the team behind GND2 were Kubrickian in making this film. The idea itself is worth 10/10 stars on its own, all the way to its conclusion of an ordinary schoolteacher besting an Orwellian justice system. It puts everything in perspective, as the oppressors become oppresses (the shoe is on the other foot, so to speak). The film carefully parallels the persecution of non-Christians by seemingly earnest (but deceptive) believers, and completely switches it around! There were some faults, of course. Some of the legal jargon was misused (as it depicts a civil suit, yet the heroine is warned of criminal liability), and the presence of some expert opinions didn't really seem to be relevant to the case. Also, the dialogue did seem, well, unrealistic (but such is to be expected of Sci-Fi films). Overall, however, I felt transported to another dimension at the film's onset, one where Christianity was routinely shunned in the US. I felt as if I were really there. The one thing that stuck out, though was the audience: It didn't seem like a sci-fi prone audience, although the other viewers seemed even more convinced of this truth of this alternate universe than I was. I give it 8/10 stars.
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Just returned from seeing this movie, our family was the only one in the theater.... wonder how much of that is the poor reviews it's receiving... to be honest we put 4 movies in a hat and pulled out which one we were going to see(to appease all the different votes), after reading the views I wasn't looking forward to seeing this movie at all and when we got to the theater and the movie began I thought oh how boring..... but it turned around and I really enjoyed it in fact all of us did.... it even provoked a discussion of how God works in real life. We may not see how we affect others but always seeds are planted and all I can say is WOW!!! Go see it, don't let the negative reviews keep you away!
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dave-mcclain3 April 2016"God's Not Dead 2" (PG, 2:01) is a fantasy – and I am NOT (repeat, NOT) referring to the religious beliefs at the film's core. At the Movie Fan Community Facebook Page, we conscientiously avoid taking sides when it comes to religion, politics, or controversial social issues. We simply evaluate movies on their own individual merits. Before "God's Not Dead 2", we previously reviewed about a dozen faith-based movies since starting this page in January 2015 – and we've reviewed the majority of them positively (e.g. "The Young Messiah", "Risen" and "Do You Believe?") and, although we didn't review it, we also saw the original "God's Not Dead". This sequel stands as one of the most unrealistic faith-based films we have ever seen (and, again, we are not referring to the film's biblical message). Our staff includes a former high school history teacher and an attorney. We think you'll find this review to be an objective and well-informed critique and a fair evaluation of this particular movie's own plusses and minuses.
While certainly very much in the spirit of its predecessor, "God's Not Dead 2" features an entirely new plot, but brings back some of the same characters from the 2014 original. Reverend Dave (David A. R. White) and Reverend Jude (Benjamin Onyango) reunite at Reverend Dave's church, while Chinese college student, Martin Yip (Paul Kwo) and blogger Amy Ryan (Trisha LaFache) each continue the respective faith journeys they began when each became Christians in the first film, plus the Christian rock band "Newsboys" again has a couple scenes. Other minor cast members worthy of note include "Duck Dynasty" cast member Sadie Robertson in her first feature film and the late Fred Thompson in a scene which marks his final on-screen role. Of course, as interesting as all that is, the main point of this movie is a second attempt by Pure Flix Entertainment, their go-to writing team of Chuck Konzelman and Cary Solomon, and returning director Harold Cronk to prove to Movie Fans that God is not dead.
This time around, instead of in a college classroom, issues of faith come up in a high school classroom and the main debate is not between an atheist professor and his student, but between lawyers in an Arkansas courtroom. The trouble starts when public school history student Brooke Thawley (Hayley Orrantia) asks her teacher, committed Christian Grace Wesley (Melissa Joan Hart), a question about Jesus' teachings as they relate to the Civil Rights Movement and Grace answers Brooke by quoting a passage from the New Testament. The phrasing of the question and the answer both sound purely academic in nature, but the principal (Robin Givens) and Brooke's parents (Carey Scott and Maria Canals-Barrera) are very upset and Grace soon finds herself appearing before the local school board.
Grace refuses to apologize for the way she answered Brooke's question, so the board lets the case go to court. Brooke's parents are represented by ACLU attorney Pete Kane (Ray Wise) who professes to hate everything Grace stands for. Grace's attorney, Tom Endler (Jesse Metcalfe) is a non-Christian "low man on the totem pole" provided by Grace's teacher's union. Tom is determined to win his case and Grace's grandfather (Pat Boone), whom she cares for in her home, encourages her, but she's afraid that she'll lose everything is she loses her court case. Reverend Dave ends up on the jury, blogger Amy Ryan's interest is peaked and this situation has a big impact on Brooke's life as well. Plus, the whole nation seems to be watching to see whether the name of Jesus will be barred from the classroom. Tom has to establish that Grace's classroom discussion with Brooke was historical and, therefore, academic in nature. He decides that the best way to prove his case is to prove Jesus' existence as an actual historical figure. As part of his case, he calls witnesses who include famous real-life atheists-turned-Christian authors Lee Strobel and J. Warner Wallace. Then, this young lawyer pulls a couple late trial tricks that are shocking to see the judge (Ernie Hudson) allow and to see opposing counsel not fight against harder.
"God's Not Dead 2" is well-acted and mostly well-directed, but it buries its own message underneath a pile of implausible plot points and dialog. The script imagines a world in which the mere mention of Jesus' name in a public school classroom could get a teacher fired and her teaching certificate revoked. Although some recent court decisions have gone against the Christian perspective on certain issues, the country that this film portrays simply does not exist. Nor does a courtroom exist in which the types of legal arguments and tactics that we see in this film could be employed. This movie furthers its fantasy by filling its world with non-Christians who are always bad people – uncaring parents, angry protesters, stupid judges and evil lawyers – even casting a man who once played the devil in a TV series as the plaintiff's attorney – and having him glower in the courtroom scenes as if he really were Satan himself.
Those stereotypes represent the exception rather than the rule in real life and they're insulting – both to those who aren't Christians, and to those who are, but also have friends and acquaintances beyond the walls of their church. One-dimensional characters do this film no favors, nor does the script jumping back and forth between trying to prove that God is alive and that a teacher should be able to speak Jesus' name in an academic context, but actually proving neither. The more our staff members discussed this movie, the more we became concerned about the blood pressure of the lawyer on our staff. Furthermore, the movie ends with a post-credits scene setting up another sequel. We hope #3 improves on #2's fallacious story. "D" -
irvinetustin13 April 2016I really enjoyed God's Not Dead 2. I enjoyed the first "God's Not Dead" film as well. The God's Not Dead films are similar in that they deal with how God and the Bible are received in the modern academic environment. God's Not Dead 1 dealt with the issue from the perspective of a Christian college student with a professor that is hostile to his faith. God's Not Dead 2 deals with a Christian high school teacher that has to deal with an angry school administration. The acting in both films is good and the story lines are very insightful and creative. I'm very thankful that many different Christian films are making it to the theaters. Other Christian films like War Room, Mom's Night Out and Risen have done well and have shown some diversity in styles of films that are being released in the Christian genre. I hope more films like them are released in the future to continue offering moviegoers more options for what they can see on the big screen.
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abacus4423 February 2018What's really dead are the brain cells of the writer and director of this tripe. I can hardly believe I sat through this garbage till the end, but wanted to see just how far they would go in misrepresenting the views of atheists, non-christians, and any other group they chose to cast in a false light.
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michaelRokeefe13 April 2016There are movies and then there are movies you care enough to talk about for a while. GOD'S NOT DEAD 2 doesn't require you seeing the first one. This faith based movie is directed by Harold Cronk and may take a little time to hook you; or on the other hand release you.
Christian Grace Wesley(Melissa Joan Hart) teaches high school history in the small conservative town of Hope Springs. She finds herself being grilled by the school board after answering a question from a troubled teen, Brooke Thawley (Hayley Orrantia). The question seemed innocent enough at the time; Miss Wesley compared Jesus to historical figures Gahndi and Martin Luther King, Jr. Before long she is fighting to keep her job and her First Amendment rights.
Her case is reluctantly taken by a public defender, Tom Endler (Jesse Metcalfe), who really doesn't believe with her thinking. His research and courtroom savvy will get the attention of a news reporter, Amy Ryan (Trisha LaFache), who was a religious skeptic until her own fight with cancer was won.
Some will find this film hackneyed, while others will feel inspiration. Take into consideration that more and more faith-based movies are being made. Hart plays her role with noticeable conviction. And Miss Orrantia is also notable. Others in the cast: Ernie Hudson, Robin Givens, Maria Canals-Barrera, Benjamin A. Onyango and Pat Boone. -
SnoozieVonSleep25 December 2016This movie shows (on the screen) of atheists and non-Christians as being ridiculous, but it just ends up showing us (off the screen) how ridiculous many Christians in the US are.
This movie doesn't work in many Christian countries except in the US, where Christians are under the illusion that they're being attacked.
This movie comes from the same kind of thinking that using "Xmas" instead of "Christmas" is an attack on Jesus himself. Xmas is used in situations where Christmas is too long (license plates, usernames, hashtags like #xmas2016, etc.). The symbol X for Christ has been in use for 1000 years, this is not a recent thing. Let's not forget another symbol that looks like X that is used for Christ.
This movie ignores facts and realities.
For example, early on the teacher is told that her actions/wrongdoings will be judged in a civil court, but the parents are so outraged that they may up it to the criminal court. Hold on, what? The criminal court is not a degree of civil court. If steal $200 of Snickers you go to the criminal court, you don't go to the Maximum Civil Court. These are different branches of the justice system, they're not degrees. You can't bump up a case to the criminal court with outrage just as you can't send a murderer down to civil court where it's easier to win. This movie pretends that the parent's outrage (they are feeling "yucky" was the quote) can send the case to criminal court, what about if the parents are feeling generous? Can they send it down to family court?
It doesn't work that way.
What Grace did was not a crime. I'm not saying "poor little Gracie is not a criminal," I'm saying that there are no laws in the penal code, state or federal, that she has broken. It doesn't matter how outraged anyone is. The penal code has laws, like murder (1st and 2nd degree) manslaughter, rape, theft, larceny, attempt, conspiracy, accomplice, etc. There is not one single law in the criminal code in the United States that refers to mentioning Jesus in the classroom.
Forget getting to a judge, the police cannot arrest you for that. That would be unlawful arrest. Yes, criminal law means police, it means arrest, it means jail, but it means a lot of forms to fill and in that form you have to specify the crime. It means a bail hearing, a guilty-not-guilty plea. I'm surprised this movie did not bring the FBI into it, maybe a SWAT team storms the school to seize bibles,
This movie pretends that the state can just make up laws on the fly and arrest Grace and charge her with laws that don't exist.
The bad guys are people that say "We want to prove once and for all that God's dead." They hit her with injunctions, lawyer's fees, trying to bankrupt her. The bad guys also reject a juror (in jury selection) because he's a marine. Apparently atheists hate America too.
As a Christian, I see this movie has succeeded in inflaming negative feelings against Christianity. It makes it look as if secularists are anti-Christian and anti- God. Many actual Christians don't want to send their kids to school that mix things up. Science class is for science, English class is for English, math for math and religion is for religion. I don't want my kids going to a school where random teachers waste my children's team. My kids already go to teachers (bible class) who know what they're teaching, not some random unqualified hack giving their personal interpretation of the bible. But this movie would put me on the side of those who want to kill God or prove that he's dead.
This movie is a success in getting people to have more hatred for Christians. Just reading the review section of this movie is enough. This is another version of Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas. -
niluferplum19 May 2019Is there going to be another sequel? Yes, please! The reviews are very entertaining! :D
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Wasn't the last film all about the christian guy being oppresed by the views of his teacher? But now the teacher wants to do the same. This film plays to conservative christians as a propaganda film to say that christians are persecuted horribly for the "evil" liberals and generally speaking that's the general message in all the films of this company. Heaven is only for right wingers fellows. A false idea of persecution while also saying that if you're atheist or left winger a really bad person. Way to go, conservative christians, that's the true message of love of Jesus
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Some propaganda movies are valid pieces of cinema in spite of their propaganda due to groundbreaking advances in the art of cinema. That is why I can watch battleship Potemkin without sharpening my pitchfork and setting fire to the master copy. This movie... does not have any groundbreaking advancements of cinema, a story based on falsies and so much political baggage weighing it down so that if it jumped it would level Huston. Do yourself a favor and avoid at all costs, and if you see the DVD release... do the shop-keep a favor and snap the disk in half, as the movie in any watchable format would technically make the disk a defective product. If anything, if you know this movie is worthless, it could get a cult status as the room of propaganda movies. Probably not what the filmmakers thought but at least we would get a textbook on NOT to tell a story out of it.
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corvo-500492 April 2016This movie is simply a piece of propaganda for "religion" that leaves God shaking His Head and muttering, "Oh maaaaaan?!?!?!?!".
These issues have way more complexity to them than this simple minded presentation. The fact non-believers are made into these authoritarian, fascist- lite officials is beyond suspended disbelief. That believers are somehow the kind and open-minded ones is also incredibly shallow. One reviewer wrote about the persecution she's suffered at the hands of atheists, but might I would like to see the evidence. I seem to remember historically the KKK has referred to itself as Christian.
This movie is a shallow and blatant attempt to stir up the worst in people for the simple purpose of making a buck. A complete slap in the face of true religious belief and God. -
metaick5 January 2021Another excellent example of the State vs. Church/Religion/God based faith. I have always been spiritual myself, believer of God and Jesus Christ. I have recently whole heartedly devoted myself to Christianity and the persecution prophesied by Jesus Christ for being his follower is all too real. The 40 years I have been alive I have seen the ever growing seperation of State and God occuring in the U.S. I am a patriot and decorated combat veteran, and this seperation has me sickened. This movie is an excellent sequel that outlines this issue, and restores hope and faith to those in the darkness. It also strengthens hope in faith in those who follow Jesus Christ. I thought it was very well delivered and if it seems directionally in favor of Jesus Christ, that's because it is and rightfully so. After all, that is the basis and theme of the movie and it's predecessor.
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God's Not Dead 2 provided excellent support for the existence of Jesus.
Proof for the Historical Jesus was offered by two experts in the field, Lee Strobel ("The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus") and J. Warner Wallace ("Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels").
The acting was quite variable. Standouts included Jesse Metcalfe as the defense attorney Tom Endler, who pointed out that the separation of Church and State is not in the Constitution or the Bill or Rights, but was a phrase by Thomas Jefferson to reassure the Danbury Baptists that the government would not interfere with their faith. Hayley Orranta as Brooke Thawley held her own as the daughter whose parents ignored her. Ray Wise as the ruthless prosecuting attorney was superb. He made the point that he did not want to appeal the case because it would establish legal precedence for the historical existence of Jesus.
The barrage of Christian movies is quite interesting. Perhaps Hollywood wants to cash in and have you go to movies rather than Church to nourish your faith! -
Tinmancr15 October 2016This is actually a well acted drama basically a court room drama. For parents this movies is pretty much harmless nothing bad or crude. If you like little guy against the system or court dramas try it out. For the folks who don't want to hear about God well duh don't watch it. This movie will be very faith oriented movie but not completely there are good story elements. There are not many mainstream actors but they get the job done. You will also feel some rather musical elements so be warned of that. Not sure how this movie is rated so bad but it is 100% bias. Just watch it or don't 2 hours inspirational feel good movie. Like seabiscuit without the cursing and drinking. I am not a church going and force an agenda down your throat person, just a movie watcher.
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hhcosmin16 October 2016first i want to mention i'm an orthodox and that i could not bear to see the movie more than 30 minutes.
the good guys in this move have a very puritanical presence. they seem so very calm and also seem a bit retarded. dialogues are very limited, predictable. they want to sound deep but end up laughable.
i believe this movie does a great disservice to Christians. the dialogues sound like members of a sect are talking. it makes faith look very shallow and almost weird. it makes the believers look very dumb and narrow minded.
lee me distill it a bit further. if i would not be a Christian i would think that Christians are a dubious sect, a little slow in the head and would look at it with doubt. -
subatomicthreat21 August 2016"God's Not Dead 2" is a film that is a continuation of its 2014 prequel "God's Not Dead". A welcome and fresh departure from other religious movies that have been seen as slow-moving and one-sided, "God's Not Dead 2" maintains a brisk pace with plot twists that are energizing and persuasive. The writing is decent; and the directing and editing are very well done. The story keeps one enjoyably engaged; and the acting, while not stellar, is believable and for the most part nicely performed.
The film is based on true stories, history, and court cases (cited in the credits) with the premise that freedom to exercise religion and the freedom of speech in the United States is being challenged with bias and unconstitutionally. Most of the negative and foul reviews of the movie bring the self-actualizing point that "God's Not Dead 2" is a revealing movie. It would be reckless for any movie-goer to expect not to hear Biblical and historical accounts of the Christian faith and Jesus. In addition, while controversial, the film correctly states that the phrase "separation of church and state" is not in the United States Constitution, nor in the Bill of Rights.
On its own, "God's Not Dead 2" is a satisfying movie that brings good talent to the screen. -
Java_Joe4 October 2017You know what's worse than a preachy movie that preaches to the already converted? A preachy movie that deliberately paints the opposition in a bad light to sell their narrative.
The first God's Not Dead was a stupid movie about a atheist strawman disguised as a philosophy professor. There was nothing there of merit and it was only there as an echo chamber for those that believed as the movie makers did. This one however takes the persecution a step further into an America that never actually existed.
Melissa Joan Hart plays a teacher who one day mentions Jesus in a historical context while in class. For this she's sanctioned, everybody loses their minds and the evil ACLU steps in to prosecute her. The fact that they got Ray Wise to play the lead prosecutor and had him play it as devilishly as possible I'm sure was just a stylistic choice and not a way of trying to paint the ACLU as a bunch of satanists. If you've actually checked the facts you'd see that the ACLU has actually defended Christians when their rights were trampled upon. But that's not good story telling for these people so they leave that out and hope you don't check.
What follows is a standard courtroom drama which should never have gone as far as it did in the first place. There's no statute or law that states that you can't mention the name of Jesus in a classroom. What you can't do is read from a bible or teach Christianity unless the class calls for it like in a comparative religion class.
There's also a subplot where Pastor Dave from the previous movie is on the jury and later on is taken into custody for not providing the transcripts for his sermons. This is the plot for the upcoming "God's Not Dead 3". Again this isn't a bad thing as it's there to make sure churches don't lose their tax exempt status by promoting a political candidate which they're not supposed to do.
In the end it's a predictable movie with a predictable ending that will have the Christians feeling good and everybody else wondering why they wasted money on this. -
1)As a believer I really didn't enjoy the movie. First it takes place in Arkansas which legal age is 16 and Brooke is 16 so go figure. 2)I am not saying teachers shouldn't talk about God in school but the donations part is illegal i believe. 3)This film is just pushing Christianity and trying to shove it down people's throats. Let people choose their path. 4)Not everyone involved in a case like.this will be evil and try to destroy you with their mind.