Evan Almighty: Movie Review

Ok, I've never been too fond of Blog Movie Reviews, but because I was invited to a pre-release of this Movie and because of its implications on the church going community, I thought I would grace the readers with a quick review...

First off, I was skeptical if this movie before I saw it. I don't think it will be that big in the theaters because it looks kinda hokey. Also, knowing the story of Noah from the Bible, I was confused on it's premise--Is God going to flood the Earth again after promising not too?

After the movie was over I would give it a Christian B+. I say this because it is not blockbuster quality that would deserve an A, and in the secular world, it will probably get poor reviews just because of its premise. I think, however the Christian market will definitely enjoy this film (except for those Christian film critics who need an extremely intricate plot with very well developed characters and special effects up the wa-zu!) It is EXTREMELY CLEAN! Not a single swear word, and only a few "God" utterances (and sometimes that plays into the whole "God being Morgan Freeman" thing) There is at least one reference to an animals anatomical parts...couldn't have a movie these days without one!

The following might contain spoiler information about the plot, so if you don't want to know don't read any further...

The movie seems to have an undercurrent about "Save the Earth" at times. There are many references to saving wildlife, and "God" even shows Evan what the land looked like before the housing complex went up. I do believe this is a driving theme in the movie, but there was also a theme of God answering prayer and families spending time together-this seems to be the bookends around the story of "Saving the Earth". (Evans wife prayed that their family would grow closer in the very beginning, and "God" explains that Evan building an ark is an opportunity for them to become closer as the movie closes.)

It seems like the writers couldn't agree on Evan's plot, however. Sometimes it was evident Evan was "becoming Noah" by growing a beard, and white hair, and wearing robes (as seen in the picture--kind of upsurd!) Other times it seemed like "God" was using this familiar story to teach Evan, his family, and the community a lesson. The later makes more sense to me, but there are so many attempts at making Evan "become Noah" it is hard to ignore! However, there are 2 major Biblical discrepancies related to this:

1. Noah is the only righteous and blameless man on earth, but Evan is definitely not this character!
2. Noah obeyed God WITHOUT question, but 3/4 of the movie is Evan trying to ignore God.

On the whole, I do think the story redeemed itself by the end. It was funny and heartwarming. There are MANY messages you could pull from the movie--not just about Noah-prayer is a definite theme as well as family togetherness. I would recommend anyone to go and see the movie with your family, enjoy the story, and don't feel like you have to over-analyze it (like I did!)

One final Pet Peeve of mine related to this story: The story that Noah pleeded with his neighbors or that they made fun of him is just Sunday School myth! It is not in the Bible! I have even heard pastors use this "story" in a sermon!!! This is just speculation!