Rated PG
Starring Shane Harper, Kevin Sorbo, David A.R. White, Dean Cain
Directed by Harold Cronk
The Story:
Josh (Harper) is getting ready to take a philosophy class with Professor Radisson (Sorbo). The Professor employs a means to skip over the discussion of religion by having all of his students do the following: Write on a piece of paper "God Is Dead" and sign it. Josh can't bring himself to do it, and the battle lines are drawn.
So that's the main story going on here.
There are a few others that all intermingle during the course of the film.
That said, the underlying story is a pretty solid one.
Granted, the way that the story is told, and the way characters are utilized, they go full-on stereotype mode, and ratchet the character to an "11". Dean Cain, in particular, is given some laughingly bad (and evil) dialogue to make us certain that he has zero redeeming qualities.
That makes for a few weak chinks in the characterizations, but again, most of that takes place in the sub-stories that are happening on the screen.
The battle of wits between Josh and the Professor is the real story, and Josh has to simply argue for 20 minutes during 3 different classes that God is NOT dead.
If he can convince his peers that maybe, just maybe, the Professor is wrong.
The arguments made are pretty good ones also, probably the same ones we've all heard regardless of which side you take in the debate. This is the meat and bulk of the movie, and these parts do not disappoint.
The final act is a bit too contrived in the way that all the characters seemingly must run into each other one more time, but so be it.
The story, while fictional, is based in part, as you'll see as the credits roll, on the dozens of similar attacks on students of faith on campuses all across America.
Pretty sad, but not surprising.
Final Grade: I'm going B+ on here.
Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I'm going with a strong thumbs up on here. The good far outweighed the bad. I'd get it.
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