Heaven's War

A title such that "Beyond the Darkness" with a covering image from what looks like a star-war movie are nothing but a trap. The story tried to go through some of the debate going on between religious people and atheists and could have been much better if it was written more carefully, but it wasn't. Maybe the original story is good, but this movie definitely says otherwise. Was it due to acting or directing faults? After watching about an hour of it, I just don't care. Images are so dull and made without professionality, made with like an amateur with the 1950's visions, and the music is really good in inspiring all the 209 sleeping ideas - or were they 208?... So BORING.

Let me address the elephant in the room. Yes, this is a religious movie. Before you decide not to watch the movie let me encourage you to let go of your stereotypes and consider this one. If you are a person of faith you will definitely enjoy watching the movie and the struggles the protagonist deals with. If you aren't a person of faith have you ever had that little voice in your head guide you or tell you something and followed or ignored that little voice. Our protagonist ignored the voice and Gabriel was sent to slap some sense into him and get him to listen to the voice. His failure to listen to the voice adds conflict to the story line and pulls you in emotionally.

Yes, this is about good and evil and the filmmaker doesn't hide the fact that he is a believer. Having said all that, I am a novice screenwriter and there are so many nuggets about storytelling in this film that it should be required watching for all film students. The use of cutting from one scene to another builds excitement and anticipation. The use of CGI adds to the story but doesn't make the story about CGI. Dialogue was realistic and there are some very emotional scenes.

Again, if you are a person of faith you will enjoy it. If you aren't consider this a love story on several different levels. If you are trying to get into the business watch and learn how to put all the pieces together to create a great story with conflict that has emotional impact.

If you didnt already guess by the fantastic image and the even greater trailer, this movie is a cringefest. i spent good 5 minutes laughing on this picture that kinda looks like star wars. the longer you look, the funnier it gets. who the heck thought it would be a good idea to produce this movie?

This film is based on sound Biblical Christian doctrine dealing with spiritual warfare and the condition of the human soul. The acting, special effects and scriptwriting blend together very well. It is apparent that a lot of hard work went into this project. The director did an amazing job in bringing out the vision he had for this movie! If you are a person who enjoys watching faith based family oriented films than this is definitely for you. If you are a skeptic than perhaps not. With that said I will recommend this film to anyone who is willing to see things from a Christ centered perspective.

A person's world view affects how they rate this film. Believers are glad to find a fast-pace, engaging story, with a decent plot and a biblical world view. However, non-believers tend to be offended by the blatant Christian message and less forgiving of the low-budget CGI. Basically, the ratings are pretty much driven by each reviewer's worldview.

My two cents' worth? As a Christian screenwriter, I tend to be more objective than the average Christian viewer. Basically, going to film school took away a lot of the fun I used to have watching ANY film. Now I notice all the plot holes, pay-offs without set-ups, on-the-nose dialogue, character arcs that do not grow organically from the plotline, and a thousand other things that can go amiss in any poorly-crafted film. So, for me to rate this film a "6" is my way of saying, "Wow. Pretty good job!"

I don't know if this film will help anyone make a decision for Christ - wish I could know that. But as a Christian and a filmmaker, I found this fun to watch and uplifting. Not the best film ever made, but definitely not the worst! And that, I think, is the closest this film will ever get to having an honest review. IMHO, that is.