The Ravine (2021) User Reviews

Really turns bad...

[danerobb · 4/10 · 6 January 2022]

Watched almost an hour of it, and then it turned silly, a mock-form of wrong Christianity that will not stand test on judgement day. The acting seems good through some credible actors, but soon had me wondering what I was watching.

Quit and do not recommend it unless you like a twisted form of faith that's fairly clueless in many ways.

Do not watch this thing: plot stinks, acting okay until got hammy, nice big houses and jobs and cars but a good story not where this thing is going.

Extremely Depressing

[whymesswithitwhenitworks · 6/10 · 2 January 2022]

The first 15 minutes introduces some the characters. I regard that as a slow start. Then they start to get the bad news and that's where I quit.

I did of course read the blurb about the film but I thought it would be more of a crime investigation story. Perhaps it is, but I guess I'll never know because as I said above, I quit watching. I have no desire to watch a depressing film such as this.

From what I did see, the acting is top notch. The start was a bit confusing, switching from character to character, but I guess if I'd watched further it would have made sense.

Give it a go if you want to be depressed.

Contradictory

[strongtower-12557 · 5/10 · 25 December 2022]

I had no idea that this movie was Christian thematic. I end up as a Christian leader enjoying some Christian movies and yet at the same time am deeply insulted if a movie misrepresents. The description on Amazon made this seem like a suspense movie, it was not.

This movie had potential and if non-Christians see the movie and enjoy it, then it is not an issue. However this movie perverts Christianity in a lot of ways. The Joanna character was seeing a murder in real time, was able to communicate with dead people, and was practically omnipresent. Outside of Jesus, this never happened with Christian people and some would say that communicating with the dead was darkness itself.

Secondly Danny went to hell by Christian guidelines. He may have repented for the murders of his family members which probably would have actually gained him access, like the thief on the cross. However, the act of suicide was his last move of which he did not repent, which earmarks him straight to hell.

Christians in modern society serve people on behalf of God. We pray for those people and show friendship and help them through their problems and issues. We are not bad people and we do not lack intelligence.

The movie did capture forgiveness well. The Kevin character forgiving his assailants was something that commonly brings peace in people's lives. Unforgiveness is a stronghold that will keep people down and hold them back from success in any endeavor.

Love triumphing over hate is real too. Hatred is another thing that really clogs up hard drive space in one's heart. We really should not hate people, it accomplishes nothing.

As for the actual movie. It was hard to tell the connections between the people early enough to care about their pain and suffering. Was Danny a friend of the main guy from just playing basketball, or was he a forced in lawn type of friend, it really did not make too much sense. Wife was crying hysterically over Danny's suicide which also seemed hyper exaggerated.

When you look at the good in the movie, I believe it is the lack of comprehension of heinous crimes committed by someone close enough. We are looking for answers all the time and the guy who lacks seriousness that carries the joyful mask is always enigmatic to us and it was described well in the movie. So there was some intentionality in this movie.

I give it a 5 because it was watchable however had inconsistencies across faith and plot.

No! No! No!

[ednk · 2/10 · 2 January 2022]

The movie starts with a decent story. A guy supposedly kills his wife and one of their sons and commits suicide afterwards. Their other son survives. The movie focusses on the backstory with the family members who are trying to find answers. At first the viewer gets the impression that the story attempts to unravel like a detective movie, but it's not. It is really not.

Without explaining the plot, there is a lot of Christianity involved. Yes, you read it right, God and angels are a part of the story. The ending of the movie is utterly nonsense about Christianity. I hardly could believe my eyes watching the last part of the movie.

Not what I thought

[domialenic · 2/10 · 3 January 2022]

I fully agree with the other comments here. The movie got me intrigued and I thought it was going to develop into a decent plot. It turned out however that it is more intended to spread a message of forgiveness and Christianity. The fact that it claimed to be inspired on real events made it sound even more interesting. The acting was good, but the movie itself turned out to be very disappointing, trying to convey an message which most people will strongly disagree with. If Danny Turner went to heaven, then Hell is empty.

If you like exposition ...

[kayhansen1 · 1/10 · 10 May 2022]

... boy, are you in for a treat! The story is told in a series of stilted, unnatural monologues. It plays more like one of those made-for-TV, crime reenactment shows.

If you like learning midway in that you've rented a faith-based movie ... you'll be as happy as a born-again Christian at a church-basement potluck.

Added bonus: stock-music soundtrack that doesn't quite match the various years the story references. Really groovy.

I paid seven dollars to rent this movie based solely on the IMBD reviews. My guess is the reviews were generated at the church basement potluck right after the coffee cake was served.

I think this is where I'm supposed to forgive everyone involved in this pretentious, badly acted and annoyingly pontifical movie.

I do not forgive. I mean ... seven dollars is seven dollars.

Something is not quite right

[zylstracatherine · 1/10 · 27 May 2022]

It's a movie of slow monologues, and is very strange as the stories don't seem to be a surprise to anyone. There is a lot of crying and emotion from the actors. It never quite fully develops, and it becomes pretty quickly apparent that something is not quite right about this movie and not in a unexpected, good way. I didn't even watch the end. I held out hope too long that the plot would develop past the Christian/ supernatural themes. Wish I had never watched it because it was a waste of time.

Doesn't make sense

[themissyreams · 1/10 · 29 May 2022]

It's like two completely separate movies were cut in half and then just taped together. If they had gone with the whodunit theme, or had gone with the Christianity theme of forgiveness and overcoming evil, either way would've been fine. But the fact that the trailer set it up more as a whodunit,and they didn't finish it in that manner, it just really didn't make any sense.

Not a thriller.

[roddbod · 7/10 · 25 June 2022]

I enjoyed the film - even though the subject matter is not pleasant. Great cast and performances, in my opinion. A film built on spirituality, grief, and redemption. It's a drama, not a whodunit murder mystery. If religious movies turn you off - this won't be your cup of tea.

I Would Like a Refund Please

[dclarkwis · 1/10 · 14 May 2022]

This movie was not a mystery OR a thriller. It was some kind of supernatural-old woman-can-see-things movie. I kept waiting for it to get good or even decent, but it never did.

Another thing this movie isn't is FIVE stars - it's not even TWO stars! The people who made this movie must've coerced everyone they know to get this movie to the 5 star rating on the platform I rented it from - that's the only thing that makes sense.

Please, and what I've said is just my opinion - you may feel differently, but please, don't buy this movie. If you have to waste your money and time on it - maybe because you lost a dare or a bet - rent it, and then try to forget it. Shouldn't be hard.

Different but decent film!

[daddytoth · 8/10 · 17 January 2023]

Unfortunately, all the 1 and 2 category reviews seemed to be off-putting because it had a spiritual message. I thought it was a decent movie that made you think about the struggles of the real world and those that fail to have faith. The 1 and 2 category reviewers fall into that class and bash it just because it's "faith". Belief in God is all too frequently the target of ridicule as can be read in these reviews. Acknowledging that there could be something bigger than our simple lives scares too many in today's society. Decadence has become the norm and it shows in movies and in some peoples response to a movie that even slightly promotes faith. It's a good movie. Period.

It's 2022 and we're still using this trope?

[denisecook-56186 · 1/10 · 30 October 2022]

What a huge disappointment this movie was.

First off, there's no indication in the categorization that it is a CHRISTIAN movie. I had to stop and back out to re-read the description and make sure. It says Mystery, Thriller. But this is definitely a faith-based movie along the lines of God is Dead. I don't appreciate being tricked into watching by dangling the mystery/thriller carrot. If I had paid for this, I'd be asking for a refund.

It teases that there is a mystery to be solved which is a complete lie. There is no mystery, we know immediately who did what because they spend the entire movie hand wringing over how to forgive this evil person who doesn't deserve any sort of grace. But the over-arching message is that if you want to have peace within yourself, you have to forgive them no matter what despicable act they committed.

And I know there's not a lot of great work in H'wood for mature black actresses, but I was even sadder to see the great Leslie Uggams being used in this fashion. Stalking around whispering magical affirmations to the kind non-black folk in town.

This had the makings of a really good thriller but someone came along and layered it with mounds and mounds of christianity and ruined it. I would give it zero stars if I could.

I tried to like this film but ....

[doujyr · 2/10 · 2 January 2022]

.... in the end I didn't. A load of pretentious garbage and a waste of an hour and a half of my precious time on earth. I'm sure those who watch film as some kind of intellectual exercise might appreciate it but I watch films to be entertained, and this did not do that. Sat waiting for the big reveal, but there wasn't one.

Basically just ridiculous

[blueskystyling · 1/10 · 14 December 2022]

Skip this sappy time-waster. Just a bunch of unfounded and illogical "spiritual" claptrap dressed up as a mystery crime drama.

The wise, all-seeing woman appears on the scene bragging she has talked to the dead so she has all the answers for the poor suffering people left behind wondering. She gives no proof of her whole concocted story, and the friends don't know her from Adam (who could have actually answered their questions ) yet just believe every little thing she says.

She even had the nerve to call it The Universe at one point, contradicting even the flawed Christendom stories she had been telling!

Just plain stupid.

No redeeming characteristics at all; even the music is cheesy.

Just don't

[kburns-176-244590 · 1/10 · 12 August 2023]

I have never written a review for a movie before. Yes, that's how bad this one is.

They pulled me in with the "based on a true story", "true crime". But it really was more of a religious propaganda film. Should be listed in the "Christian genre". Pretty deceiving just to get more views, in my humble opinion. I don't know how they got Eric Dane and Teri Polo to agree to be in this movie. Not what I was expecting or what I wanted to watch.

I really wish I would have read these reviews before I decided to watch this. Couldn't agree more with the 1 star ratings. This gets a big thumbs down for me.

religiously curved and incredibly disrespectful

[hilarybreeze-59118 · 1/10 · 8 October 2022]

Totally disrespectful to the families of real life tragedies . When a husband ie. Scott Peterson wipes out his family there is no "evil" or "angel" ! So disgusting this film! Disgusting!

Arrogance, misogyny, entitled, selfishness are what make a father kill his entire family.

This movie plays it off as if it was out of his hands, mysticism evil made him do it, seriously how horrible to represent the murdered this way! Murders his children!!! Oh but the angel stepped in to save the last one? Please!

The acting? Everyone is acting how to act; brutal! Teri Polo tried so hard but she never acts, she just looks like she's on the toilet face in every scene mustarding no emotional response from the audience.

Hard Pass, i do not recommend!

Campy-and mis-shelved

[joshjames669 · 2/10 · 16 July 2022]

First, the "thriller" shelving is all wrong. It's only labeled such as a marketing tactic. At no point is a protagonist in danger. There is some "mystery," but that's hardly the point of the movie. It's a spiritual drama.

Had it been shelved appropriately, I wouldn't have watched it tbh. But since I did, I must admit that I did desire to see the solution. It was a let-down. Even if I was interested in a spiritual drama, I wouldn't have been pleased. The film is almost entirely exposition and artlessly done. It's obvious and it all falls flat.

I gave it a chance because it was on sale on Prime for 99 cents and because I recognized. Teri Polo from earlier work and Eric Dane from Euphoria. As skilled as they are, they couldn't save this project from poor writing and cinematography. A dollars a dollar but that 2 hours (a full 2 hour) would be nice to have back.

WARNING: Sheep in Wolf Clothing "Christian" Propaganda ...Deceptive "Bait & Switch"

[LeonLouisRicci · 1/10 · 12 December 2022]

Promoted as a "Mystery Thriller", with Not Even a Hint of its "True" Nature.

This is What's Categorized in the Sub-Genre of "Christian Movies" Today.

A "False Witness" Exercise in "Sleight of Hand" that Leaves the Majority of Viewers Angry for the "Hoodwink".

What is "Witnessed" by an Unsuspecting Audience is a Confusing Story from the Get-Go with a Motivation for the Killer, who Brutally Murders His Wife and His Son. The Motivation is...

Wait for it...

The "Dark-Side" Made Him Do it, Or so Says a Christian Clairvoyant who Speaks to Heaven's Representative.

Shown in the Form of a Soft-Spoken, Elderly, Black Woman Who Channels Messages from the After-Life...That Accurately Speaks to Her of the Future in Selected People's Lives.

There is Much Sermonizing and Soul Searching, Weeping, Wailing, and Gnashing of Teeth. A Lot of it, and then the "God-Whisperer" Shows Up, Consoles, and Everything's Hunky-Dory.

Exorcised from All the Woo-Woo, there is No Here There and What is There is the Stuff of 'Day-Time" TV.

The Only Mystery Here is Why These Movie-Makers are Afraid and Embarrassed, by the Film's Message and Hide it From the Promotion and Packaging of its Picture.

For Scheming and Underhanded Handling of the Post-Production,

its Penance...

Say 3 "Our Fathers" and 3 "Hail Marys" and Donate All Profits to a Non-Christian Charity and Thank Heaven for Forgiveness,

Also, Should Vow to Not Repeat this Type of Sham Ever Again.

NOT RECOMMENDED.

Drew me in

[tarasenkolisa · 10/10 · 8 May 2022]

I really enjoyed this movie ...it drew me in and kept me there. Not a genre I have seen and very meaningful in todays world. Definitely a good reminder nothing is what it seems and the importance of digging deeper.

Interesting start but disappointing finish

[dawn-59271 · 2/10 · 3 January 2022]

What started as a promising detective story petered out. In the beginning, one brother murders his wife and one of his sons, and then commits suicide Little attention is paid to the remaining son, with the majority of focus on the friends of his parents. The details revealed by the Detective contained several anomalies (two inch bladed knife was at least 4 inches) and much speculation, unsupported by forensic evidence. This was followed by more conjecture shared with the friend, rather than the next of kin. I thought there was such a thing as due process in the US - the lack of said process made the story lose credibility for me - so glad everyone forgave everybody athough, and they all went to heaven. Nice scenerey, some lovely properties - acted well, music a little loud - but otherwise nicely filmed.

Christian propaganda

[frenkrp · 1/10 · 4 January 2022]

Boy, was this bad. I wished somebody would have warned me that i would be spending 2 hours of my life watching shameless Christian propaganda. Angels, heaven, God, lights, demons/darkness, churches ... Yes people, it's all on display here! And in the beginning it's perfectly disguised by an intriguing opening sequence which makes you interested in the story.

That makes the feeling of manipulation even stronger when you start to realize where things are heading and you are presented with sobbing stories about crime, remorse, God and forgiveness. A screenplay that's commited to bringing us children asking cringeworthy questions like "Mom, is there a heaven?"or even worse a line like "You have to understand , we were making minimum wage at the time" as a way of defense by a young (white) male, stealing iventory and selling it. Really??

And if that's not an insult to the viewers intelligence, the fact that the screenplay introduces lead characters in the first half of the movie and completely ignores them in the second half does not exactly help.

What could have been an interesting story about mental health issues like anxiety and depression and also an investigation into the concepts of crime, victims, perpetrators, forgiveness and remorse and especially the area where these concepts and issues collide, is being reduced to a ridiculous line at the end of the film "He fought with darkness and lost, again and again, because he stopped trusting in God". A spit in the face of all people that have been affected by the issues mentioned.

Because of 1 or 2 decent scenes with Teri Polo, one star i will grant. Other than that, trust me and skip this! Awful.

Another bible thumper film with a poor plot

[grandinternationals · 3/10 · 3 January 2022]

I had not read any reviews before starting the film. When a man was asked to drive over and check on Kevin, the change of 3 seasons occurred in a span of 5+ minutes, I knew something was wrong. The man had been called for the wellness check by a friend who was in a snowy background, the man said he would stop by and call him back in 5 minutes, he pulls up to a house in a summer setting with leaves on the trees, flowers on the porch and no snow on the ground. A few minutes later he calls the guy back driving down the the road with an drone shot from above with late autumn trees with no leaves in the background. So this indicated the use of a bad editing and bad directing to let this pass to print, So I paused the video and decided to read some reviews to see if this film was worth the rest of my time. Then gave it 5 more minutes then a few non-related burglaries occurred that didn't carry the story forward and the bible thumping started with the victim praying to the perpetrators. That was enough for me and stopped the film. I wish the born-again Christians would stop pushing their agenda in films that most people do not enjoy with the horrible plots. This move just dragged on. Sorry, but it was a waste of producer's money.

Nope!

[minimikejk · 1/10 · 14 May 2022]

Christian propaganda film! Just like everything else CHRISTIAN, this movie is incredibly manipulative. It started out great with good acting, then went downhill. Good God.

Omg

[larsenvirginia · 3/10 · 9 December 2022]

Great acting, but a bloody awful film. It started like a crime-solving story, and gradually became a pitch for woo-woo religious spiritualism. Complete with the older woman who is "in touch" with god's plan and can communicate with the dead. Save yourself from this waste of time. If this is your bag tune in to the Hallmark Channel or the Christian Broadcasting Network.

It is my moral obligation to discourage this type of zealous superstitious tripe. Nevermind the close-up of a pupa hanging on a tree branch that later appears as a butterfly that discourages the angry survivor just as he's about to grab his gun to get revenge. 🦋

"Based on true events" my *ss

[cableguguy · 1/10 · 26 January 2023]

Typical good versus evil garbage that weak minded people like. Really surprised that Kirk Cameron wasn't the lead in this role. Any "god" that would forgive someone for killing their family, is not a god I would ever worship. The bar for what is deemed to be "based on real events" is so low now that it appears anything in the mind of a religious person is now a reality. I feel ripped off that I wasted 2 hours of my time on this trash. For once, I would just like to see some common sense when it comes to faith based beliefs. "What can be asserted without evidence, can be just as easily dismissed without evidence"... Hitchens razor.