First of all, this movie will draw comparisons to Rocky right off the bat. You might even see some familiar camera angles, poses, and scenes. What you will not see is great acting from a great script. But the boxing scenes are surprisingly well done and quite believable. Real punches don't sound like a sledgehammer smashing a tree stump as Conan O'Brien said of Rocky. They sound more like smacks, the harder ones like thuds. The fights are intense and the blood and sweat flows freely. And lo and behold, the fighters actually block some blows. They got that much right.
Christian movies have long held the dubious distinction of being preachy. Not only that, squeezing the "good news" in is often like throwing an iron bar into the gears of Big Ben: it grinds story progress to a halt. But the movie doesn't Bible-bash or get too wishy-washy at any point.
Carman, who also wrote the script, has some cheesy one-liners and clunky dialogue, but has good screen presence and is helped out by a decent supporting cast. The cinematography looks flashy with some nice earthy filters for the outdoor shots.
On the whole, this is one of the better Christian films to date. It's worth a look. 6/10.
Christian movies have long held the dubious distinction of being preachy. Not only that, squeezing the "good news" in is often like throwing an iron bar into the gears of Big Ben: it grinds story progress to a halt. But the movie doesn't Bible-bash or get too wishy-washy at any point.
Carman, who also wrote the script, has some cheesy one-liners and clunky dialogue, but has good screen presence and is helped out by a decent supporting cast. The cinematography looks flashy with some nice earthy filters for the outdoor shots.
On the whole, this is one of the better Christian films to date. It's worth a look. 6/10.