The Book of Esther

Seeing that this movie was made by Pure Flix Entertainment, a Christian movie production company, we thought we would see an accurate portrayal of this story. At the beginning of the movie, a disclaimer was shown stating that the producers have changed some details of events for dramatic purposes, which is understandable. Unfortunately, they lied. They didn't change SOME details - they changed almost ALL the details. The only similarity this movie has to the Biblical record is the names of the principal characters.

I'm extremely disappointed in David A.R. White as the director and writer Timothy Ratajczak (who has written many excellent Pure Flix movies) who are responsible for this piece of trash. I've always held White and his company Pure Flix in high regard. To see a Christian production company, who one would expect to be Biblically true to actual events chronicled in the Bible, produce a movie about Biblical events and completely change the details is inexcusable.

With their "dramatic license," this movie is completely unrecognizable as the story of Esther. The Veggie Tales episode on Esther is more accurate than this movie can ever pretend to be. I'd recommend watching that instead.

I gave this one star, because you can't give less than one star. Attempted to watch this on one of the streaming services. Making it less than half the way through, had to watch something else. The writing, continuity; everything about this "movie" makes watching paint dry more appealing and worthwhile of my time.

Because of this, I asked myself who would dare to put out something this bad for a very small fringe of viewers? Doing some research, found out the same company who released "God is not Dead" is the culprit. Refusing to see this pile of garbage as well because of the same "fine" concern for detail, I fail understood how the audience for "God" and "Esther" is would find any of their movies "entertainment".

My advice for anyone who wasted your time on this or any film from this company, the producers of these movies should give you an apology and refund.

Some of the actors are good...some are terrible...but overall it is just like watching a student film by a Game of Thrones fan filmed with people who are taking an acting class at their local community college. The lighting isn't bad. I spent a lot of time watching it trying to decipher whether or not it was just the budget that was making it bad and I really think that is nothing to do with it (although some of the costumes were like something ordered off of Amazon.) However it was really just the writing and the acting that ruined it. For example the lady that played Esther...are you kidding me? Just awful. And the guy that played the eunuch proved the makers of this movie watch a lot of Game of Thrones. Obviously some of these people got their parts because they knew the people making the film.

The general story is the same but so many details are changed or left out that this did not give a good account of the book of Esther. It seems like every aspect of the story was changed in some way so that the true account wouldn't be the same. Part of the significance of the real story, in my opinion, is the hardship that Esther and her family experienced. Persia was full of corrupt practices, conniving actions, and utter extravagance but this movie portrayed none of that. I must say that any movie made by Christians to reach those who are unfamiliar is worth the effort but staying closer to the story would have increased the quality. If you want a great version to better depicts the story, watch "One Night with the King." Though it also changes a few details, it portrays the story in a better way.

This entire movie could be summed up as someone who doesn't like, or understand, the book of Esther; so they decide they will plug their own invented story into the backdrop of a Biblical setting. I might expect this from a secular movie company that arrogantly thinks their storytelling is more relevant and interesting than a Biblical account that has stood for thousands of years; but to see a supposedly Christian movie making company do this is mind-boggling. They are suppose to have respect for the source material, but so far they have been the ones to butcher it more than any other Esther movie I've come across.

The production values are rock bottom. The acting is terrible. That would be forgivable if they actually made an effort to faithfully convey the account of Esther based on the Bible and history.

They've tried to invent a story they probably think is more relevant to a modern American audience. The entire point of the Biblical story is lost, and it's full of anachronisms from modern American culture and values.

Rather than an accurate picture of ancient middle eastern culture where Esther could be killed for entering into the presence of the king uninvited, we see a modern American woman who suggests that things are going to have to change once they are married to be more of an equal partnership; to which the king aquieseced somewhat meekly.

Rather than an accurate story about a woman who is taken to be a concubine for a despotic king, in which they may only have on sexual encounter with her never seeing the king again unless he decides to marry her; it is replaced with a modern American tale of a woman who is getting older wondering when she will meet the right man, and involves her insisting to the king that they will have to wait before they are married before they will have any kind of physical romance.

If you want to make up your own story, with it's own values and message, then go do so - just don't force this pablum into a setting that claim to be based on the Biblical book of Esther. Although they do have a disclaimer about some things being changed, what they don't tell you is that nothing of significance about the original story has been retained aside from names.