THE MOST RELUCTANT CONVERT - 2021
Tagline: The Untold Story Of C. S. Lewis
Note - This movie wasn't given an MPAA rating, but it is definitely suitable for all audiences.
This is the dramatic retelling of the true story of C. S. Lewis from his youth to his unlikely conversion to Christianity. It covers his traumatic childhood facing his mother's death at an earlier age, his distant father, his experience in The Great War, his friendship with J. R. R. Tolkien and Hugo Dyson and more.
First off this movie just covers a ton of stuff I never knew about C. S. Lewis and its 93 minute running time left me wanting to find out more. I mean millions have read and been both moved and entertained by C. S. Lewis who is essentially a crossover legend for both Christian and secular fans of fantasy and theology. His books are both wildly entertaining and challenging without exception. So to see something like this that deals completely with his early life and really doesn't broach his writing excellence at all was pretty fascinating.
If you read my reviews a lot you know I don't just go running to bibliographies with open arms. I actually run from them a lot like C. S. Lewis did the concept of anything outside the material world. I for one am fairly skeptical of most "faith based" films. Sadly the production and quality acting in one is about like trying to find a real needle in a stack of fake ones. I wish this wasn't the case because the messages are almost always mind-blowing or at the very least inspiring. This is not to say there are not a handful of newer productions and even some older ones that seem to fly well above the production subfloor. This is one of those films.
I loved how this thing was put together and the storytelling method was extremely engaging. It was almost like having C. S. Lewis telling you all this and you are standing right there with him in the movie. Max McLean plays the elder version of C. S. Lewis like someone who has been in Hollywood for decades. His performance is superb and unforgettable. Turns out he has only done a small batch of faith based films, but wow. I would love to see more of McLean's productions. Just his acting alone is worth seeing this movie, but the width and breadth of the script is rich and thought provoking in regards to value, purpose, and pondering your own place in the universe as anything you will see on screen in the next decade or more. I also really liked Nicholas Ralph as kind of the "college age" C. S. Lewis, but he wasn't as funny as the elder C. S. Lewis who did all the narration, often along-side the other versions of himself, but never interacting. Eddie Ray Martin is also very solid as the younger C. S. Lewis in the film. Tom Glenister is brilliant as J. R. R. Tolkien and gets more screen time than David Shields who played Hugo Dyson. David Shields has been acting for a while and was even in an episode of "Doctor Who". I should also note that Amy Alexander (who plays C. S. Lewis's mom) stands out in this but her time on screen is extremely brief.
Execution wise and in regards to the pacing, this movie is near perfect. I really didn't feel there were any lulls and the injections of humor at just the right time helped lighten up some of the struggles we see Lewis face in this film. If you have never seen the stage play, all I can say is expect the unexpected. I can't say enough how much I love this thing and how it brought out the very real challenges of meticulously and fervently combating the obvious truth of Jesus Christ and the ultimate acceptance that the I AM is the I AM.
My only critique of this thing is that I wanted a longer movie. I really just wanted to know more. Actually I do have a second thing to point out, we also get a bit of a "making of" this movie before the movie. I felt that was oddly placed. If you want to tell us how you made it and what went into it, do that afterwards. I can't wait to get the DVD or BLU RAY of this thing. It's something I see myself watching often.
Overall this is a very powerful film aimed at everyone. It is full of inspiration and honesty and I can't give it anything less than a 10 out of 10.
