Pilgrim's Progress

This is a great rendition of John Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress"... this book was written in the late 1600's... during a tumultous time in Christian history... This book is the result of years of telling stories to his children when they would come and visit him in prison... he was imprisoned for preaching without a license... you had to be licensed by the Anglican church, yet Bunyan's beliefs were not in line with that church, and he wanted to preach... many of his fellow Puritans fled to America for religious freedom... yes, I'm talking about the Pilgrims... Yet Bunyan felt like his calling was there in England, preaching to the people... so he stayed... he was imprisoned for 12 years... he would have been released at any time, if he'd promised to NOT preach the Gospel... he would not do that... During his time in prison he supported his family by writing books... He wrote 59 books... The Pilgrim's Progress was an allegory of the trials, tribulations, and temptations that come against Christians on their quest to "endure to the end"... Its a really neat book, and very relevant to today...

The concept for this adaptation, namely re-imagining "The Pilgrim's Progress" in a contemporary setting, is intriguing and has the potential to be a good film. What was presumably the movie's selling point is actually its main weakness.

This isn't so much a modern pilgrim's progress, it's a modern pilgrim in a medieval/fantasy setting. If they had excelled in every other area of production I might cut them some slack but they simply did not compensate. So, how did they fail to execute the concept?

For one thing, clothing. I'm not sure which 21st century these people live in but no one in the 21st century that I live in and that I know go walking through the woods in dress khakis and a button down dress shirt, albeit un-tucked. Visuals, including wardrobe, are important aspects of any movie but especially here. If the point is "It's a modern pilgrim's progress" then the visuals have to tell me this. You can get a cheap pair of blue jeans at Wal- Mart for nine bucks. The budget was clearly not the issue, but a simple lack of thinking things through.

Another area is the awkward and failed attempt at blending modern and medieval. Go all the way- make the world of the journey match the character.

There are other complaints I have, but that's my main one. I'm still waiting for a good cinematic version of Bunyan's famous story.

This is a very poor adaptation of a Christian analogy (and classic English literature) about the journey of a man from destruction to salvation. Written in the late 1600s, it was written by an ordinary man for ordinary people. The names of people and lessons learnt were blatantly obvious to help ordinary people understand the underlying message of John Bunyon. This version seems to have been "dumbed down" even more so, with Bible passages directly quoted. This causes a problem as God and "The King" are actually one in the same person in the book, but their names are mixed, so separating them. By doing this, it's more of a turn-off than an attraction. Although the acting is okay, the poor script and setting makes it difficult to watch. I have to recognise that, because of the analogy style of the book, it is hard to adapt such a book without it coming off a little awkward.

If you are a fan of the original Pilgrim's Progress book then you may find this movie to be one of the best film adaptations of the book. Books use different methods to tell a story than films do. So, you will find small differences between the two but it is very true to the original story. The director does a great job of allowing you to experience the story from the book in the form of a film. I wouldn't say this film competes with the book but rather that it is a companion to it.

I'm done with the review but since I must write 10 sentences, let me offer a warning about people that seem to enjoy being critical of other people's work. The negative nature of such reviews should cause one to question the maturity of the people submitting a review as well as the quality of their work (don't think that doesn't matter - it always matters).

A great filmmaker was once asked who his favorite filmmaker was to which he responded "anyone that finishes a film." Those are words from a person who truly knows what he is talking about.

The book "Pilgrim's Progress" was first printed in the late 1600's and has been published ever since. That in itself tells you a lot about it's value as perceived by multitudes throughout the ages. Paul Bunyan, the author of the book this movie is based on, could be considered a modern day Martin Luther. The 1979 version is rated by IMDb even lower than this one. It's true the graphics are far from "Star Wars" or "Avatar" but the content for believers is encouraging and strengthening. I have not shared this movie with anyone who has not appreciated the depth of life's struggle, value of life and an understanding that we will all stand before God. I find the 1979 version more comprehensive and truer to form. Look this title up for a lot more detail. One of the best family movies I have seen over and over again.