Not bad but not great

Rating: 6/10 (26 April 2015)

I saw it today and it was not a bad movie but I was a tad disappointed. The trailer had me thinking that it would be Big Fish-like. The trailer made it look like a fantasy drama that would be "instant classic" material but it's really a religious film. It's beautifully shot and I liked the symbolism, and it was quite emotional. However, The film has problems. For instance, Pepper doesn't even really have powers. He only just has "faith" and a to-do list, which (for me) was quite disappointing. Another thing is that our protagonist Pepper, while not unlikeable, is quite annoying at times. Like when he does that pose thing, he makes those grunt sounds which went out of hand and started to get on my nerves. Also, there is the ending. Like, for a second I was like "Oh, so they're going the "tragic" route". Then it got all "happily ever after". How Original. I also thought it was a bit too melodramatic at times and quite (I don't usually like this word but it's true here) pretentious. Like on the previews, they make it out to be so "amazing" and "uplifting", when in reality, it's just a mediocre religious film. I am not trolling. I did not hate the film but I don't really recommend it either. For what it is, it's not a bad film. It has it's qualities. The acting is decent, it has a bit of heart, and it has a pretty accurate depiction of the true events that the film is inspired by. I can see some people enjoying it, but in the end, I can't say I was impressed with it. I'd say give it a go. You might like it but you might not be impressed. If you're a "Jesus freak", you may as well enjoy it. Overall, I thought this film was a little on the okay/mediocre side.