Checkmate

First off, this is a Christian film. So if you have problems with such films, bag this one. It's less heavy than "Soul Surfer" but the element is still there. I never felt they were preaching to me though. Just tossing it into the salad, so to speak.

I have to admit, I never finished this film. I spent an hour or so on it because I was compelled to see how it all would turn out, and the father was a bit of a mystery. But... The acting was horrible. The dialogue was horrible The staging and sets were horrible. Even the chess, on which the premise of this film is based, was horrible. I would rate it one star except the premise of the film was interesting enough to keep me watching, hoping for a payoff. Maybe one came. I don't know. After an hour, it just wasn't worth the trade to sit through the lousy acting and painful script.

But in the right hands, with a decent cast, director and budget, this film would hold some promise. I would watch it.

As it was, you're going to end up watching some Youth Ministry Group put on a show. They either needed to pray more for some talent or just give Kirk Cameron a call.

Directors who cannot fact check simple things like what is checkmate in scenes, who cannot insist on basic standards don't deserve their movie to be watched.