Pure Flix CEO Michael Scott says he's heard the frequent criticism of Christian movies as being "cheesy."
"Especially years ago, I'd hear it even more and more – 'Oh, it's cheesy, it's not that good, the acting is terrible,'" Scott told Christian Headlines.
Scott, though, believes Christian movies have improved dramatically over the years. His company, available at PureFlix.com, offers a family-friendly Netflix-style streaming service with titles that are void of the sex, violence and coarse language that litter mainstream content.
Christian movies and entertainment, he said, have "radically changed."
"We're getting great storytelling, great acting – all that," Scott said.
He attributes the improvement to better cast and crew. Just as significantly, more money is available.
"The more people that come out and watch this content ... that means [studios] say, 'Oh, there's an audience here.' And more filmmakers, more actors, and more money flows into this to make better content. And I think that's what you're seeing now, even on the Pure Flix service – we've got incredible content from TV shows to movies. And my prayer is that it continues. And I think as long as the audience wants it and supports us, it will continue to get better and better."
Last year, Pure Flix debuted an original movie, Legacy Peak, featuring Lucas Black of NCIS: New Orleans and the Fast and Furious series. Another movie, Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters, included Carrie Alexander of ABC's The Goldbergs.
Asked how he would reply to someone who labels Christian films "cheesy," Scott answered, "I would say first off, which films have you seen, and let me give you three or four to go watch."
"And then let's talk about them," he said. "Sometimes when a film's got a message or a point of view in it, people automatically can be put off by it. But I always believe the gospel draws people in. So the themes that are in the Bible will draw people in. ... They can say they don't like what they saw, but they can't say it was a bad film, or they can't say it was cheesy. And so I think that we're going to continue to press in and hopefully be able to make films that have touched people's lives."
Meanwhile, Scott said PureFlix.com has benefitted from the various controversies at Netflix and Disney Plus, both of which have received pushback from Christian families.
"I think anytime you see major controversies, it definitely drives people to our platform because we're the opposite," Scott said. "People ask, 'Why do you exist?' I say we exist to be a light in the darkness through the power of storytelling. … Our stories are about hope, forgiveness, redemption, inspiration. I think those things are so important in our divided society today. And if we can draw people closer to God versus further away, then I think we've really done something that's special."
Photo courtesy: ©Pure Flix, used with permission.
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
