Movie Review: "War Room"

Rated: PG for thematic elements throughout
Starring: Priscilla Shirer, T.C. Stallings, and Karen Abercrombie
Released: August 28, 2015

Synopsis: Elizabeth "Liz" Jordan (Priscilla Shirer) is having serious marital trouble, and just can't seem to make her marriage work.  One day, she meets Miss Clara (Karen Abercrombie), an older lady who fully believes in the power of prayer.  Liz attends church sometimes, but, her prayer life is not all it should be...so, Miss Clara teaches her the art of spiritual warfare.  Will Liz's prayers be enough to save both her husband (T.C. Stallings) and her marriage from a terrible fate?
From the Kendrick Brothers, makers of Flywheel, Facing the Giants. Fireproof, and Courageous.

The Good: It's hard to think of something I didn't like about this movie.  The performances were excellent, especially from the little girls; the Double Dutch routines were choreographed nicely; the story is one we all need, especially with our nation and our planet the way it is; it isn't one of those "follow Jesus and everything automatically goes right" movies that we've seen far too often; the soundtrack features a nice TobyMac remix; and, all in all, it was great stuff.  There was even a reference to Flywheel; look for it when you watch this film.

The Bad: Well, maybe I do have one complaint: It did run a little long.  Then again, I don't normally watch movies in one sitting, and I saw this at the cinema.

Content Concerns: I won't do my usual assessment, since this is a Christian movie, but I will say this: The "thematic elements" the MPAA mentioned include an extramarital affair, a robbery attempt, and right much emotional intensity.  Also, quite a few girls are seen wearing short shorts; a bit too often for my tastes.

Conclusion: The Kendricks have become one of the biggest names in Christian cinema; they're right up there with David A.R. White and Kirk Cameron.  While some of their early movies were a bit rough around the edges--especially Flywheel--this is easily the most polished film they've ever done.  It'll be hard for them to top this one, but, they may surprise us again with their next flick.  Fans of Christian movies should definitely check this one out.

Score: 4.5/5