Review of War Room (2015) by Thequietgamer — 26 Feb 2016

The Kendrick's are back with another christian drama. The scenario is believable and delivers an effective message about how faith in God will help you through the hardest of times. While this is sure to be a huge hit with Christian audiences it's popularity with non-believers is much less certain. Those who actively have something against religion of any form need not apply.

While believable, the struggling marriage angle has been played many times before. The catch here is the religious angle. If you've watched the Kendrick's "Fireproof" they retread a lot of the same material here. That isn't necessarily a bad thing though. It's just very predictable.

At times my mind would wander for the slower bits just because I knew where those scenes were headed. It's an effective way to get the message across, but one that feels simplistic and easy. Even the characters themselves are stereotypes we've seen time and time again. However the actors portraying them do a great job with the material. They feel natural and real in their roles. It allows for the film's cheesier moments to go down easier.

To help break up the drama the movie has some nice bits of humor interspersed throughout. It's a nice touch and allows the film to have a little bit of everything. Humor, heart, and a good message are all present, but the less than stellar execution and presentation of morals that feels more like a lesson plan than a realistic movie are likely to make this a turn off for most non-believers. It's got so much pandering and stereotypes on display it's almost as if Tyler Perry made a faith-based movie.

If you've got the faith of God in you then it's definitely a movie you'll enjoy. If not, then unless you have an open mind this is one you are better off avoiding. It won't change your mind and you are going to be less likely to put up with it's flaws.

As far as I'm concerned though it's a solid movie. One with issues, but a sweet, harmless message that appeals to the believer in me. I enjoyed it even if it's not something I can rave about. I would most definitely recommend it to my fellow christians and the more tolerant of non-believers.