Pilgrim's Progress

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 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.

Paul Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress is a masterpiece not only Christian literature, but of the English language. It's allegorical format coupled with a plethora of Bible quotes make it a powerful tool for the conviction of sin, the warning of the wrath of God, the grace He cleanses our sin away with, and the need to "run as though to win the prize". A truly awesome and inspired book.

This movie, however, does a poor service to that classic. As I have said of other Christian films, one does not expect or even desire big budget extravagance. But one does expect a producer to find good Christian actors and finance a good script. Pilgrim's Progress the book is written like a play, so one would think the script would be a piece of cake, right? Wrong! Someone somewhere must have looked at the book and said, "Duh...this prose is too hard to understand. People won't get it. Let's slang it up with today's talk! Uh...yeah...huh huh!" It amounts to a rape of the book. Producers, people are not stupid. They can "get it" if you give the old English prose a chance. Another better option would have been to completely re- modify the book setting and place it totally in modern surroundings, instead of this hybrid treatment we got here. Go totally like the book, or go totally modern, don't go in-between.

The acting, while not the worst I have seen, leaves much to be desired. It is all surface. The tears flow on the surface but communicate nothing of the personal struggles within. The vocal work is flat. There is no gesture and posture work that makes anyone distinctive. The characters all melt together, not leaving you remembering anyone clearly. In a word, it doesn't ring true.

The special effects and music, while not so important to me, are negligible.

There is one good result of my seeing this film. It made me want to read the book and relish John Bunyan's God inspired genius. And to think he was basically an uneducated man when he wrote this! Me thinkst our English is getting more and more simplified and dumbed down at the passing of every generation.

I had read the book prior to watching this movie, so I had an idea of what to expect coming into this. Considering Bunyon wrote this in the 1600s, trying to write a screenplay so that today's society can follow can be a bit daunting. Even the Left Behind series would run parallel with this in how it was made; I liked both! While I also recognize that this is a low budget film, we (moviegoers) have been spoiled with the progress in cinematic technology and expect everything to be along the lines of LOTR, NARNIA, MATRIX, and such movies. Some would call this a cheesy, poorly made movie... I say this was well done, and I'm thoroughly satisfied with purchasing this DVD and look forward to sharing it with others. It still conveyed Bunyon's and, more importantly, God's message.

In peace, with hope through Christ...

This is an excellent adaptation of Pilgrim's Progress. Very true to the book, but with a modern twist. I showed it to my 4th graders after having read the book and they loved it! They even applauded the movie, something I have never seen before. The acting was good and there was enough action without being over done or tacky. Even the 'scary' scenes with Apollyon were not too scary, or too trite. This is the best movie for Pilgrim's Progress that I have ever seen. I loved it and it is also a great choice for families. The movie really portrays the meaning and message of the book. I would definitely recommend this movie, it is a great choice!