Post by StevePulaski on Sept 25, 2013 18:12:31 GMT -5
Online (2013)
Directed by: Kevan Otto
Directed by: Kevan Otto
Rating: ★★
Christian cinema is the most prominent species of religious cinema and, from what I've seen, it's also the most emotionally dictative. Granted some films can find ways to provide themes and humanistic portraits of specific characters, however, many others can provide little to no substance and wind up being overlong, condescending lectures that either come gift-wrapped in their own self-indulgence or their own personal patriotism. Consider last year's Last Ounce of Courage, a film that I was indirectly referring in the previous sentence. The film was incredibly tedious and overly-sentimental, as it tried to hammer in emotions with the tool of incredibly contrived drama, a lackluster plot about saving the prominence and "restoring" the importance of "Christmas" by forcing it on everyone in a town, and attaching an American flag in almost every scene.
Kevan Otto's Online isn't that visually and thematically bombastic, but it's boringly wooden and forced. It is a religious film that will preach to its respective choir. and to that I say keep preaching. The story concerns John Wilde (Morgan Ayres), a happily married man who decides to venture onto a social networking site one night to see if he could find an old high school flame. Possessing a listless agenda upon discovering her, he makes a pivotal attempt at reconnecting with her, and soon finds himself giving in to temptation more than he could've imagined. He begins to neglect his wife Mary (Kelsey Sanders) and his work duties because of this particular woman.
But even then his relationship doesn't go very far, albeit for a couple of random meetings and a few instances where John is clearly showing emotion. However, according to the Bible, John has already committed sin and is told that if he looks to Jesus Christ for guidance that he'll be saved, his sins forgiven, and his life restored.
This is exactly the kind of religious/spiritual propaganda we don't need, didn't ask for, and the kind that is unhealthier than a large fast food order. It shows the incredibly oversimplifying scenario of a man committing sin without having any Christian faith in his life, but as soon as he adopts the belief in God, Jesus, and the Bible, his life becomes repaired and functional once more. This kind of thinking only creates delusion and preaches the disgustingly simple message to people that it doesn't matter your actions so long as you redeem them by grabbing the nearest Bible.
It's hard to critique the acting because, from the start, we can see writing team Christopher James Miller, Kevan Otto, and Sean Stearley are more concerned with creating vessels for philosophy and personal religious beliefs rather than characters we can sympathize or maybe even empathize with. This and Otto's basic, surface direction make Online a challenge to watch just for its artificiality alone.
A quick glance at Otto's previous filmography shows bluntly-titled films such as What Would Jesus Do? and Decision, both of which further emphasizing his involvement with Christian cinema. To that I say more power to him; he has found a successful vehicle to not only communicate his beliefs but give people theatrical companion-pieces to their Bible. Online caters to an audience I find almost as difficult to be involved with as the fantasy audience.
Starring: Morgan Ayres and Kelsey Sanders. Directed by: Kevan Otto.