Movie Reviews
Since Gibson unleashed �The Passion of the Christ,� make-shift Christian filmmakers everywhere suddenly got inspired. Was it because that movie touched so many people�s lives, or because so many people saw it that it became one of the ten highest grossing films of all time? Hopefully (and more than likely) it�s the former, because 1.) Christian filmmakers wouldn�t dare let other Christians think it�s about the money, and 2.) most films made by Christians either never make it to theatres or are massacred by critics.
That said, �The Chronicles of Narnia� out-grossed �King Kong� last year. But, then again, Andrew Adamson is not a self-proclaimed Christian.
With �End of the Spear,� Christian filmmaker Jim Hanan and his writers have adapted the undeniably extraordinary true story of Nate Saint (real last name) for the screen. In the 1950s, a group of missionaries, including Saint, traveled to Ecuador in hopes of reaching out to a tribe that was known to be the most violent tribe on the continent. The Waodonis would kill each other at the drop of a loin cloth.
When the Americans arrive to meet the Waodonis, they are mistaken for cannibals and all of them are speared to death. In a feat of unbelievable strength and faith, Nate�s wife, Rachel, takes her son and fellow widows to the tribe�s doorstep where years of discourse give way to compassion. Eventually the Waodonis � specifically a man named Mincayani � are converted. Most of the movie chronicles how the events affected Nate�s son, Steve.
Is it successful? Well, sadly, the movie didn�t have a chance. It wasn�t even screened for critics � and the ones who saw it didn�t like it.
Is that because the film is preachy and critics don�t have morals, or is it because �End of the Spear� is simply not a very good film? As a Christian, I�m inclined to believe the first one, but as a critic, the second one isn�t so far from the truth. Maybe it�s both.
I went to a youth conference one summer, and they showed a series of short films by a very talented Christian filmmaker named M.D. Neely. I e-mailed M.D., and in his response he said: �There is a lot of hypocrisy among Christians when it comes to movies.... All I know is we need more Christians making movies that don�t suck.� That�s truer than any movie you�ll ever see.
Now, �End of the Spear� doesn�t �suck;� far from it. Some scenes in particular are very memorable � like when the missionaries make first contact with the Waodonis. And when they are speared to death, the cinematography, the score, and the framing is impeccable. But there is not a thorough connection between the audience and Steve as a little boy. The ending � which takes place in 1994 when Steve is an adult � fully relies on our care for Steve, and we�re left hanging.
Speaking of the ending, it�s awkward. Not in terms of the context of it, but the timing of it. It�s not short enough � or long enough. By the time we get to the end, the movie has climaxed. One of two things should�ve happened: Either acts two and three should have been shortened and combined so that the ending could�ve become a third act all itself, or the end should�ve been shortened into a sort of epilogue.
Despite these flaws, �End of the Spear� is a surprisingly well-made film. ** �