What can I say? It is a great Christian movie, made by secular people. It is indeed surprising how a director, who promotes artwork on his very own website which is clearly satanic, has the motivation for such a movie.
Does a director of a Christian movie need to be Christian? No, he doesn't, but it is hypocrisy to do something just for the money.
Should a director of a Christian movie be a Christian? Yes, that is what makes sense.
Can a director of a Christian movie promote the other side while doing this and several other popular Christian movies? Only in America ...
PROS
+ Great depictions of an extra-biblical story, which tells in parts biblical elements. Obviously, a great creative license is taken, but the movie does not equal to an apocryphal book which someone wants to insert into the Bible.
+ It is beautiful how they portrayed Peter, without the least of fear before his death.
+ Beautiful end with the conversion of two soldiers and one's wife.
CONS
- The movie tries hard to impress through extreme tonality in voices and by excessive music.
- The satan character is certainly not what the Bible describes as a wolf in sheep's clothing. He does not come anywhere close to a 'sheep' in human terms, but is the typical Hollywood scheme to make things appear more extreme ...
- It would have been nice if they would have made at least for some scenes their way out of the LA studios and filmed in an actual setting - be it in Israel or similar.
- The prayer 'you sanctified us with your commandments' shows a fundamental lack of Bible knowledge. We might walk on the road of sanctification while obeying commandments, but we are not sanctified with commandments ...
- When the two Roman soldiers become Christians under Peter's hand (which is beautiful), smoke comes up and eastern meditation music is played. It looks and sounds more like a conversion to Buddhism, if the words would not have been different.
- Peter could have only died in Rome long after the conversion of Saul to Paul. Nevertheless the movie states at the end that they have to empty the cell for a certain 'Saul of Tarsus'. That's why unbelievers should never do a Christian movie.
