Review of Samson (2018) by Thequietgamer — 24 May 2018

The first ever biblical B-movie. Even by Pure Flix standards this was cheaply made. The costumes look like they were picked up from a Halloween store, the beards are ridiculous, and the acting never rises above amateur level. The directorial work is strong however and the whole thing calls to mind fantasy-adventure films from the '80s. You can see the inspiration from the likes of Conan the Barbarian, Hercules, and Clash of the Titans. It also isn't afraid to deliver some of that Old Testament violence.

The action scenes are quite entertaining. The movie is at it's best when it's focused on displaying Samson's feats of strength. It is in those moments that it almost becomes the Christian epic it's striving so hard to be. Things a noticeable turn for the worse when the romance and drama take center stage. The performances are simply too weak and the writing to cheesy to really hold one's attention for too long. Things like watching Samson ogle village girls and the dialog are quite silly. Unfortunately it's this kind of stuff that makes up the majority of the movie.

Watching the growth take place in the title character's life was actually something they did very well. It definitely made it feel like he went through a real adventure. Just one that wasn't always interesting to watch. The low production values, over-dramatic performances, and all around cheesiness aren't going to win it many supporters outside of the religious target audience. It was nice to see a faith-based take inspiration from the fantasy epics of the past. It's a shame the overall final product wasn't more respectable. Samson has some entertaining qualities, but it won't exactly convert any non-believers. At the end of the day though I don't see anything wrong with preaching to the choir.