I was pretty confused as to what was
Joseph Jeavons
I was pretty confused as to what was going on, and I wasn’t vibing with the movie very much at the start. But then, out of nowhere, one of the best cinematic…
I was pretty confused as to what was going on, and I wasn’t vibing with the movie very much at the start. But then, out of nowhere, one of the best cinematic scenes in history played on the screen. Kevin denied the devil, and it was absolutely insane. I was sucked in. From there, I had fun trying to decipher the metaphors and plot they had written and ended up loving the film.
**4.5/5**
Read full review
★ 7 / 10
**_Highbrow multiverse Sci-Fi with elements of the book
Wuchak
**_Highbrow multiverse Sci-Fi with elements of the book of Job_** The milieu is mostly of the dystopian variety with Kristoffer Polaha starring as the…
**_Highbrow multiverse Sci-Fi with elements of the book of Job_**
The milieu is mostly of the dystopian variety with Kristoffer Polaha starring as the protagonist and Neal McDonough playing the mysterious The Benefactor. Sean Astin is also on hand in a peripheral role. While the relationship between the protagonist and his romantic interest (Elizabeth Tabish) is effectively established, the first half is bewildering with constant shifts from one reality to another. Thankfully, you start to catch a grip in the second half, and the film delivers some powerful food for thought, such as: You Are Not Your Worst Moment.
This was the writer/director’s debut feature film after releasing a few shorts from 2016-2019, one of which was also called “The Shift” and the foundation for this. The filmmaking is topnotch for an indie highlighted by quality actors who rise to the challenge.
I would compare it to “The Shack” (2017), which also tackles the tough questions of life, like how can a good God allow evil and suffering? Both films are full of meaty material on which to reflect, but this one’s more sci-fi oriented. It’s also overly convoluted, similar to “Beyond the Darkness,” aka “Heaven’s War.” The writer/director of each flick respects the intelligence of the viewer to put the pieces together, assuming they’re interested.
It runs 1h 54m and was shot in the late winter of 2023 in Birmingham, Alabama.
GRADE: B/B-
Read full review
★ 7 / 10
Something is missing
MickyG333
6.6 stars.I waited a bit over a year to watch this, because I really wanted to see it, but not until after the hype wore off. So I finally bit the bullet, and…
6.6 stars.I waited a bit over a year to watch this, because I really wanted to see it, but not until after the hype wore off. So I finally bit the bullet, and these are my unbiased opinions.First of all, there was too much hype surrounding this film and I have no idea why. The story is splintered into three or four different themes and unfortunately none of them are impactful. Let me explain. The first aspect is multiverse. Ok, well, if you want to combine a multiverse with Christianity, you really need to sell it much better. Instead, they offer us a gimmick in the form of a borderline low-budget atmosphere. Now, don't get me wrong, you can tell this is not low-budget, but the script and pace make it seem that way, which is unfortunate. What we have are a crew of filmmakers who know sci-fi, but they don't have a grasp on high quality scriptwriting and flow (probably the director's fault). It's obvious that amateurs who specialize in decent sci-fi, decided to add a Christian twist, or maybe it's the other way around. The special effects were good, but for some reason the religious parts were lost in the mix. You can't have a man running around in an alternate universe accomplishing nothing for a full hour and expect us to come away satisfied, or fulfilled. His good works were not very convincing and seemed lost in the setting. We weren't getting the message.The devil aspect is acted well and seems ominous enough, however it's cliche, cheesy at times, and doesn't make sense. Benefactor gets angry at a stubborn man, and supposedly this stubborn man isn't supposed to be so disagreeable, he's supposed to be one of the "good guys". It's a fragment that we never see the solution to.And what's the point of the blinking back and forth between universes? You will see there is absolutely no point to it. What's gained, what's lost? What agenda does Satan have with it? It is for display only with no endgame. And the part where the main character can view different things in a movie theater (don't want to spoil it, so I'll be vague with this). There is no point to that part of the plot.The best part is when he makes a couple of good decisions, and that's when you see a bit of good vs evil that makes sense.The music sold the experience, but it's the only redeeming aspect of the whole film.And to touch on the good vs evil stuff a bit more, it would be nice if life really was like that. And the sprinkling of little miracles here and there was a good addition, but it also gets lost in the utter nonsense of their attempt to allegorize the book of Job from the Bible. Honestly, I don't think it's anything like the book of Job and I'm pretty certain the writers didn't intend it to be. And also, Job from the Bible did not lose his wife.If I had never of this film previously, I'd not hesitate to say it's a fragmented failure, B-rated at best. But I had some expectations (because Polaha is a beloved Hallmark male lead regular), so I'll say it's not a B-rated failure, but more of a religious/sci-fi fusion failure.
Read full review
30%
TOMATOMETER
· 30 reviews
87%
AUDIENCE
· 1K ratings
5.6/10
6.7K
•••
"Ultrahumanite April 01, 2025 at 04:59 pm 'Tyrannical liberal world' LOL Christians want to be oppressed SO DESPERATELY" Leftists are the perpetual victims. Always complaining. And now, since Donald won the popular vote (which we've never elected potus by) they are in the minority and need to understand that!