Last week, Affirm Films released Paul, Apostle of Christ to theaters. A seemingly perfect Eastertime flick, the movie tells the story of Paul “going from the most infamous persecutor of Christians to Jesus Christ’s most influential apostle,” according to IMDB. While some “Christian” and Bible-based films range from being low-quality adaptations of the Bible to being simply low-quality films, Paul appears to have hit a sweet spot in both quality and accuracy.
According to Paul Asay at Focus on the Family’s PluggedIn Movie Reviews, Paul, Apostle of Christ is a “good” movie in more than one sense of the word. It’s not only “filled with lots of encouraging Christian content and positive messages,” but it’s also “a well-crafted, moving film with strong performances.”
His primary word of caution regarding the film has to do with the violent content. Thinking of families with younger viewers, Asay points out that the depiction of Roman cruelty could make it tough for some to watch. But the captivating way in which the film brings to life “one of Christendom’s most compelling founders” makes it worthwhile for other moviegoers. You can read Paul Asay’s full review here.
At WORLD Magazine, movie reviewer Megan Basham’s only complaint has to do with the length. In her view, the film just wasn’t long enough to capture the full depth and breadth of the storyline. “You can’t help imagining what the story could have been, had it been told through a long-form medium like television,” she reflects.
Despite the time-constraints, however, Basham summarizes her impressions positively, saying, “Paul’s story, as this film proves, has enough drama, emotion, and spectacle to capture any binge-watcher. I’ll happily take the two hours it offers. But I’d love to have more.” Read Megan Basham’s full review here.
For families and friends seeking an appropriately biblical Eastertime flick, Paul may be just the evening entertainment to help spark further thoughts of the Gospel story in this special season of celebration.
Leah Hickman is a 2017 graduate of Hillsdale College’s English program. She freelances for BreakPoint.org and has written pieces for multiple Hillsdale College campus publications as well as for ChristianAnswers.net/Spotlight and the Discover Laura Blog. Read more by Leah at aworldofgrasspeople.blogspot.com.
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Publication date: March 29, 2018
