10 Worst Religion-Primarily based Films, Ranked

Faith-based films have a unique niche in cinema, aiming to encourage and join with audiences by means of tales of perception, perseverance, and redemption. This subgenre appears to be rising in recognition, given the success of movies like The Sound of Freedom and The Blind. Whereas there is definitely nothing unsuitable with telling spiritual tales in movie, the subgenre is infamous for being preachy and amateurish, in addition to subordinating its narrative to its message. For that reason, there are various terrible faith-based films on the market.

With this in thoughts, this record considers a number of the most egregious offenders. From overly simplistic narratives to questionable artistic selections, these films fail to do justice to the themes they goal to discover. Whereas the intention behind them could also be real, their lack of nuance and high quality will alienate all however probably the most religious viewers.

10 ‘Christian Mingle: The Film’ (2014)

Directed by Corbin Bernsen

“I’m in search of somebody who loves me for me—and possibly additionally loves the Lord.” One would not count on a lot from a film based mostly on a courting app, however even by that low customary Christian Mingle: The Film is lame. It facilities on Gwyneth Hayden (Lacey Chabert), who indicators up for the Christian Mingle courting web site regardless of not being spiritual. There, she meets and falls for Paul (Jonathan Patrick Moore), a sort and devoted man. Nonetheless, as their relationship develops, Gwyneth’s lack of real religion turns into a supply of battle.

Regardless of healthful intentions, this film is an train in tonal confusion, teetering precariously between earnest romantic comedy and inadvertent satire. Chabert’s appeal is likely one of the few highlights, however even her efficiency can’t salvage a narrative that lacks depth or authenticity. In the end, it comes throughout like precisely what it’s: a soulless prolonged industrial, designed to reel in additional customers fairly than entertain viewers.

9 ‘Final Ounce of Braveness’ (2012)

Directed by Darrel Campbell and Kevin McAfee

“Freedom isn’t free—it’s paid for by the courageous.” Final Ounce of Braveness facilities on Bob Revere (Marshall Teague), a small-town mayor and Vietnam veteran who fights to revive public expressions of Christianity within the face of perceived authorities suppression. The movie positions itself as a patriotic name to motion however is hampered by a heavy-handed script and one-dimensional characters.

The movie depends on sentimentality and melodrama, with dialogue that feels extra suited to a political rally than a characteristic movie. It struggles to rise above novice ranges, laden with stiff performances, ham-fisted dialogue, and unintentional comedy. Worst of all, the rhetoric in Final Ounce of Braveness is continuously divisive, pandering to a selected viewers whereas alienating others. It performs much less like a celebration of cherished beliefs than a parade of self-congratulatory platitudes. The film additionally winded up mired in authorized troubles, with its robocall advertising marketing campaign sparking a class action lawsuit.

8 ‘God’s Not Useless’ (2014)

Directed by Harold Cronk

“God’s not lifeless—He’s certainly alive!” One of many extra well-known faith-based films of the final decade, God’s Not Useless follows Josh Wheaton (Shane Harper), a university freshman who takes a stand for his religion when his philosophy professor, Radisson (Kevin Sorbo), calls for that college students declare “God is lifeless” to move the category. Refusing to compromise his beliefs, Josh debates the existence of God in entrance of his friends, difficult Radisson’s atheism.

Merely put, this film has all of the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Regardless of its earnest performances, notably from Harper, God’s Not Useless annoys with its black-and-white ethical outlook. Additionally tiresome is its tone – aggrieved, defensive, self-righteous. Even on an instructional stage, its arguments in favor of theism are a lot weaker and fewer attention-grabbing than they may have been. The filmmaking is competent, however the lame narrative and apparent propaganda imply it is unlikely to enchantment to anybody apart from those that already agree with its premises.

7 ‘Jerusalem Countdown’ (2011)

Directed by Harold Cronk

“The clock is ticking towards the final word battle.” Jerusalem Countdown is an apocalyptic thriller about FBI agent Shane Daughtry (David A.R. White), who uncovers a nuclear plot tied to biblical prophecy. The movie combines parts of motion, espionage, and scripture, aiming to ship a high-stakes narrative about religion and international battle. Nonetheless, its low-budget manufacturing and convoluted plot (the writing is especially weak) end in a disjointed and unconvincing story.

This catastrophe appears like an try to leap on the ‘finish of the world’ development within the years main as much as 2012, however it lacks the particular results wanted to be entertaining. Plus, it performs the “America: the guardians of world peace” trope with such simplicity and conviction that it borders on Team America-esque parody. What’s maybe most disappointing is seeing somebody as proficient as Stacy Keach wasted on this mess. Keach, identified for his gravitas, is burdened with materials so woefully insufficient that not even his ability can elevate it.

6 ‘Religion of Our Fathers’ (2015)

Directed by Carey Scott

“Religion is the best present a father may give.” Religion of Our Fathers follows John Paul George (Kevin Downes), his title making up 75% of The Beatles, and Wayne Adams (David A.R. White), two males who embark on a highway journey to uncover the legacy of their fathers, who each served within the Vietnam Battle. The story alternates between their journey within the current and flashbacks to their fathers’ wartime experiences, emphasizing themes of sacrifice, religion, and forgiveness.

It’s a heartfelt premise predictably undermined by clichéd dialogue, flat characters, and a plodding narrative that fails to attach emotionally. Director Carey Scott lacks the mastery of pacing wanted to steadiness the twin timelines, with the wartime scenes feeling melodrama and the modern-day storyline struggling to construct real chemistry between the leads. Lastly, the climactic monologue in entrance of an American flag, imploring the characters (and the viewers) to simply accept Jesus as their savior, goes past dramatic to manipulative.

5 ‘The Reliant’ (2019)

Directed by Paul Munger

“In a world with out regulation, religion is the one factor that survives.” This motion thriller takes place in a dystopian America the place an financial collapse results in widespread violence and chaos. On the middle of the narrative is a religious Christian household making an attempt to outlive whereas grappling with questions of morality, religion, and self-defense. The ‘drawback of evil’ musings about how a loving God would enable this to occur are mildly attention-grabbing, however the film finally makes use of them as an argument in favor of gun rights.

On the storytelling aspect, Paul Munger’s route prioritizes motion sequences over character improvement, leading to a movie that feels extra like a low-budget survival flick than a heartfelt exploration of spirituality. This method might need labored had the motion scenes been entertaining, however they’re laughably unhealthy, with martial arts choreography that appears prefer it was staged 5 minutes earlier than taking pictures. Most viewers will in all probability additionally lose persistence with the heroine who insists that trusting Jesus is the answer to each instant, life-threatening drawback.

4 ‘Murderer 33 A.D.’ (2020)

Directed by Jim Carroll

“What should you may change historical past… and cease a miracle?” The zaniest film on this record is Murderer 33 A.D., an bold mixture of time journey, sci-fi, and spiritual themes. It is a couple of group of scientists who invent a time machine, solely to have their venture hijacked by terrorists who plan to journey again to the time of Christ and assassinate him earlier than the Resurrection. The narrative rapidly descends into chaos, with an absurd plot, poorly executed results, and over-the-top performances.

This madcap outing manages to show considered one of historical past’s most sacred narratives right into a fever-dream escapade of sci-fi tropes and campy motion. A lot of it’s simply jaw-dropping ranges of absurd, from scientists combating Roman legionaries with sticks to supposed time journey “science” that makes Back to the Future seem like Interstellar. It could not fairly rise to the degrees of ‘so unhealthy it is good’ cinema, however Murderer 33 A.D. is unquestionably extra memorable than most of its friends.

3 ‘Left Behind’ (2014)

Directed by Vic Armstrong

“That is the start of the tip.” Nicolas Cage proves his ‘hit or miss’ credentials together with his scenery-chewing lead efficiency on this adaptation of the bestselling ebook sequence. He performs Rayford Steele, an airline pilot caught within the chaos of the Rapture, the place tens of millions of individuals instantly vanish, leaving the world in turmoil. The lackluster dialogue and horrible particular results in some way make the apocalypse boring.

Cage’s efficiency, whereas entertaining in its personal manner, does little to floor the story, and the supporting solid struggles to make their characters compelling. The performances vary from wood to excessively melodramatic, making it troublesome to care about anybody’s destiny. Even the moments meant to tug on the heartstrings are undermined by the sheer absurdity of the eventualities they’re in. Unsurprisingly, critics panned Left Behind; it at the moment holds a 0% score on Rotten Tomatoes and is commonly ranked among the many worst catastrophe films of the 2010s.

2 ‘Sunday College Musical’ (2008)

Directed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg

“Reward Him with music and dance!” Sunday College Musical is a faith-based twist on the High School Musical components, following a bunch of youngsters who should band collectively to save lots of their church’s neighborhood middle by means of a singing competitors. This movie is meant partly as a parody, so a few of its silliness is ostensibly by design, however it fails each as an earnest film and as a spoof.

The script is riddled with cheesiness, with dialogue that alternates between eye-roll-inducing and painfully banal. The music, often the saving grave in this type of venture, is equally underwhelming. The songs lack memorable melodies or significant lyrics, feeling generic and uninspired. The lifeless choreography and half-hearted vocal performances solely exacerbate the issue. Then there’s the distractingly unhealthy cinematography, extra like one thing out of a low-budget horror. Whereas it is maybe not irredeemably terrible, Sunday College Musical finally struggles to rise above mediocrity, which is sort of worse. It is merely boring.

1 ‘Saving Christmas’ (2014)

Directed by Darren Doane

“Christmas isn’t underneath assault—it’s underappreciated.” In relation to the very worst faith-based film ever made, it is exhausting to prime the abysmal Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas. Cameron stars a fictionalized model of himself, making an attempt to defend the vacation in opposition to fashionable criticisms and secularization. Framed as a dialogue between Cameron and his fictional brother-in-law, (Darren Doane, who additionally directs) the movie mixes monologues in regards to the historical past of Christmas with melodramatic household scenes and cringe-inducing hip-hop dance numbers.

The film is tremendous preachy, shockingly unfunny, and boasts a number of the worst performing of this century to date. For good cause, evaluations had been overwhelmingly detrimental, sending Saving Christmas to the depths of the IMDb backside 100 and incomes it a number of Razzies. Cameron was angered by this reception, blaming the poor evaluations on “haters and atheists” and posting on Fb, “Assist me storm the gates of Rotten Tomatoes.” Not precisely a shining instance of Christmas spirit.

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