Movie Review: "God's Not Dead 2"

Rated: PG for some thematic elements
Starring: Melissa Joan Hart, David A.R. White, and Ernie Hudson
Released: April 1, 2016

Synopsis: Grace Wesley (Melissa Joan Hart, Sabrina the Teenage Witch) is different from the other teachers at her high school; her Christian faith makes her more optimistic than her peers.  During one of Grace's history classes, a student (Hayley Orrantia) who has been studying the Bible compares the words of Gandhi and Martin Luther King to those of Jesus; Grace responds by quoting Scripture, which gets her in big trouble with the school board.  Taken to court, her accusers are bent on proving that God is dead.  When things take a turn for the worse, will Grace prevail?
Also starring Ernie Hudson (The Word of Promise), Maria Canals-Barrera (Wizards of Waverly Place), David A.R. White (Revelation Road), and Sadie Robertson (Duck Dynasty).  Features appearances by Mike Huckabee, the Newsboys, author Lee Strobel, and the late Fred Thompson as themselves.

The Good: When this sequel was announced, fans of the first film likely wondered: Could it measure up to the original? The answer is--in my opinion, anyway--a resounding yes! Amazing performances from everyone in the cast, especially former teen star Melissa Joan Hart as the lead; a wonderful soundtrack, featuring Audio Adrenaline's "Sound of the Saints"; great sets; an involving plot; an all-too-true message...seriously, what's not to like? With the state of our country and our planet, this is one message that we all need to hear...and this film definitely delivers it!

The Bad: Two minor downsides: One, though the plot was involving, there was a pokey moment or two.  Two, the fashion sense of the female characters was a bit immodest, especially for a Christian film; when one of them first appeared, a friend I was watching the film with said, "Can her skirt get any shorter?" Those, however, were not a big deal.

Content Concerns: I won't do my usual listing, but I will say that, alongside the wardrobe issues--see above--emotional intensity is present throughout, and some people may take offense to a anti-Christian protester using a classic rock reference on his sign.

Score: 4.5/5