"That's the problem with atheism - it doesn't take away the pain, it only takes away the hope". There are a lot of really good quotes like this in this movie, but, this second instalment of the GOD'S NOT DEAD themed movies falls short of the original (which I really liked) and falls back into the trap of too many Christian movies. Full disclosure - I am a Christian (a full time follower of Jesus) and a media follower and fan(atic) but I am often embarrassed by Christian movies. Like this one, they present life in stark black and white (ie. really good people vs. really evil people; saints and villains; simple decisions vs. evil choices) when life is much more complex than this because people are much more complex than these movies present them to be and life presents situations that don't always have obvious moral delineation. Life (and people) are messy. So, I challenge Christian movie makers, decide who your audience is, and if you decide it is a starving world that needs to know the radical power of Jesus to be their hope, then write about a world they will recognize and then show them Jesus. The best thing about this movie was the testimony to the overwhelming evidence that lead skeptics to affirm a historical Jesus (some of those skeptics then accepted Jesus as their Saviour and Lord, some did not). I give this movie a 6.5 (a hesitant good) out of 10. [Drama]
It is not often that the sequel is better than the original, but this is the case with this movie. The main plot involves a teacher who gets sued by the ACLU for mentioning Jesus at a public school history class in response to a question by one of her students. The school district cooperates with the ACLU's lawsuit in order to find a reason to fire her. At stake is the real issue of whether a public school teacher may even mention the historical facts about Jesus even in the context of history without being accused of proselytizing. The sequel is better than the original because the stakes are higher. And I do not think that the "enemies" are grotesquely exaggerated as in the first movie: because there really are powerful forces out there (the ACLU being one of them) whose view of the Constitution demands that Christians in particular hide their faith from public, lest someone out there be offended.
Along the way some minor characters who appeared in the first movie make some cameos: the pastor, the blogger journalist, and the son of the communist official. The were minor characters in the first movie, and they remain minor characters in this one as well.
God's not dead. He's surely alive!!
Hilariously bad propaganda. But just as the first movie, fun to watch with a friend and laugh at it together.
Undercut by its poor writing and weak performances, God’s Not Dead 2 is a rather cheesy religious drama. When a high school history teacher is suspended for talking about Jesus Christ in the classroom a legal battle ensues, with the teacher trying to be true to her faith and the ACLU trying to destroy her career and make an example out of her. There are a couple of decent actors in the cast, such as Melissa Joan Hart, Ray Wise, Jesse Metcalfe, and Ernie Hudson, but their performances are hampered by a bad script. At times it plays like a second-rate infomercial promoting the various Christian books and musicians that are worked into the film. Yet there are some compelling moments in the courtroom drama, and an earnestness to some of the characters and the message about religious freedom. Its heart is in the right place, but God’s Not Dead 2 is just too plot heavy and melodramatic.
Can't wait till it comes out!
Shout by Marc FriedolinVIP 6BlockedParentSpoilers2016-08-07T17:22:22Z
This movie is just awful (but well made).
A teacher comments on Jesus in a History class - not even in a faith-based context and is prosecuted for violating guidelines prohibiting discussing faith in school.
Even I as an atheist could have made that comment.
It makes no sense, that they prosecute her that hard.
This is a religion-commercial, pure and simple...