Disciples in the Moonlight

I liked this movie so much more than I was expecting--beautifully shot, likable characters, and lots of surprises! I saw some say that this is an anti-american film and that couldn't be further from the truth. It's a What If scenario of events that are actually happening in other countries right now. People need to wake up and stop thinking "oh that would never happen in America." The film is asking "what would YOU do IF this was happening?" I get it, it makes people uncomfortable but not all Faith based films are "feel good" films, they're about asking hard questions about ourselves. See it before you judge it!

This is a film about hating America. The filmmakers imagine a future that is entirely fictional and unrealistic. Then they frame themselves as saviors who protect Americans by risking their lives to bring the word of 'god' to churches, mostly back east.

I don't know what they are drinking, or smoking, but there is little recognizable in this film- little Christianity, nothing ecumenical, and nothing of any redeeming social value. This is fantasy fodder for 'in-cels.'

Save your money and buy a Bible and read it for yourself. The recent trend for poorly educated people with poor critical thinking skills and dumb-enough-to-believe-anything personalities trying to frame themselves as hero's is ridiculous!

Barring The Emoji Movie, this is the worst thing I've seen in a theater.

Brett Varvel cannot act, always making the same constipated expression regardless of the emotion he's supposed to convey. The directing feels like a sitcom, with repetitive shot reverse shots and the same establishing shots used repeatedly across four bland, suburban sets. Occasionally, when the Christians are evading the evil secular government, we're treated to shadowy shots of forests and fields so dark you can't tell who's who or where they're going. The editing is a mix of mind-numbingly simple sequencing and incoherent transitions, all overseen by the leading actor himself, which at least makes it clear who to laugh at. Even if you believe being an American Christian makes you an oppressed minority, you'll have a hard time taking any of this corny film seriously.

Disciples In The Moonlight (2024) is a cinematic fever dream, a glimpse into a bizarre alternate reality where conservatives' persecution fantasies run wild. It seems the only oppression they can find is in the realm of shoddy fiction, a world where their fervent desire to be silenced and marginalized finally comes true. This film is a testament to that yearning, a desperate cry for victimhood that echoes through a right-wing funhouse mirror in the Twilight Zone.

The plot is as predictable as it is ludicrous, with cardboard cutout characters spouting tired clichés about religious freedom under attack. The acting is uniformly awful, with each performer seemingly vying for the title of "Most Melodramatic Martyr." The cinematography is dull and lifeless, mirroring the film's intellectual vacuity.

Disciples In The Moonlight is not just a bad film; it's a window into a distorted worldview where reality is twisted to fit a pre-determined narrative. It's a film that thrives on fear and resentment, preying on the anxieties of those who feel threatened by a changing world. If you're looking for a thought-provoking and nuanced exploration of faith and freedom, look elsewhere. This film offers nothing but cheap thrills and hollow propaganda.

The same people who like to censor, ban, and burn all kinds of books they don't like are now producing self-indulgent fantasy propaganda where they are the victims of actions they do to others in real life. And while it promotes itself as a "Christian story," this doesn't have anything to do with Christianity or the actual teachings of Jesus. This was made following a twisted idea of religiosity tied to political groups that continues to sell the idea to evangelicals that they are persecuted martyrs in order to create among them this sense of fear and entitlement to discriminate and persecute others that are not evangelicals, the same way they think they are treated. The hypocrisy is astounding.

As for the technical aspect, the "movie" is laughable but without being funny. It looks horrible, as if it was made by people who knew nothing about directing, lighting, acting, or editing and only had the concern, not to make anything of artistic value, but to spread their intended propaganda to justify the money they received from their donor and to grift a few bucks from a few evangelicals.