PureFlix – the studio known for
making faith-based films like God’s Not
Dead and The Case for Christ – is
seemingly attempting to make its own “cinematic universe” featuring Bible characters,
and the first movie is apparently Samson.
If you are unfamiliar with your
Bible, here’s a spoiler-y summary: Samson lived during the era of the Judges of
Israel (hence, his story is found in Judges chapters 13 to 16). Whenever the Spirit of the Lord came upon
him, he manifested superhuman strength – basically, he was a real-life Hercules or Hulk. With this power, he was able to
single-handedly slaughter many Philistines (the Israelites’ enemies) and served
as his people’s leader for 20 years. His
downfall came at the hands of Delilah the prostitute, whose seduction, nagging,
and trickery compelled him to divulge the secret source of his super strength:
his hair, which he vowed not to cut (technically, his power comes from
God). While Samson was sleeping, Delilah
let his enemies in to shave his head and subdue him. The Spirit of the Lord left Samson, and he
was left powerless as the Philistines gouge out his eyes and bound him. He was sent to prison where he was put to
work as a grinder. But as time passed,
his hair began to grow back. One day, he
was called to entertain the Philistines who were celebrating their god
Dagon. He asked to be put where the
pillars were so he could lean on them. But
after praying for help from God, his super strength returned and he broke
the pillars, causing the temple to crumble down on himself and all the people
there. The amount of Philistines that
was killed that day was more than the total amount that he had ever killed in
his lifetime.
So did the movie faithfully
follow this story? Well, for the most
part. It does have to make a couple of
creative liberties here and there. Some were necessary. If the script just
exclusively relied on what Judges 13 to 16 provides, then it would have been a
short film. I’m generally okay with
Bible-based movies exercising some artistic license as long as it doesn’t
contradict or dilute its Scriptural source material. Example, it’s okay to give made-up names or
backstories to side characters, or even add completely fictional characters
exclusive to that adaptation, as long as they fit logically to the narrative
and don’t clash with the information established by Scripture. In the movie, there’s a character named
Caleb, Samson’s brother. Now, there’s no
mention of a Caleb in the Bible story of Samson, but Judges 16:31 does mention he
had brothers (though the word “brothers” there could also translate to
relatives). Such creative liberty is
acceptable, in my opinion.
However, the movie also makes a couple of unnecessary and awkward creative liberties, like letting an evil prince character be the one to give
Samson’s wife away to a new husband (or was it, if I remember correctly, that evil prince himself
married her) when, in the Bible, it is clear
that it was the father who gave her away.
Though this doesn’t radically alter the story, changing a particular detail
that is blatantly stated in the Bible is very off-putting. And considering that this is the Word of God
we’re talking about, even such small change could possibly be sacrilegious.
The creative liberties in this
movie also play a part in the watered down characterization of Samson. The movie portrays him as a “good person” –
like he’s this well-meaning, honorable pacifist. He’s often asking God to give him strength,
and at one point, he prays that God will send him a sign to know His will. However, in the Bible, he wasn’t exactly the “faithful
hero”-type. He was more of a vain, hedonistic,
hot-tempered rogue. He didn’t really seek God’s will. He was impulsive with
his actions, doing whatever he pleased.
I guess the filmmakers “reimagined” him so that he could be a legitimate
hero that the audience can cheer for. But
by doing so, it actually ruined the beauty and layers of Samson’s story. For isn’t the real main character of his
story, as well as other Bible stories, God himself?
Amid Samson’s unfaithfulness, God
remained faithful. And even when Samson did
what was right in his eyes instead of what was right in God’s eyes (Judges
14:3), God was nevertheless in control (Judges 14:4). After all, even over sin, God is sovereign. What He purposes will never be thwarted
(Isaiah 14:27). He purposed Samson’s
strength to be used against His people’s enemies, the Philistines. But even though Samson never sought out God’s
will and instead pursued whatever he wished, God’s decree was nevertheless
carried out. That was the story of
Samson – God’s stunning, absolute sovereignty displayed.
Nevertheless, though it’s not
explicitly stated in the Bible, I think Samson nevertheless gained redemption. After all, wasn’t he one of the Old Testament
heroes of faith listed in Hebrews 11? I
like to imagine that Samson’s arc is similar to those of King Manasseh (read 2
Chronicles 33:1-20) and King Nebuchadnezzar (read Daniel 4:28-37). So, maybe, the blindness, imprisonment, and servitude
humbled Samson. And by the grace of God,
through this humiliating circumstance, he got to repent, reflect, and realize
the truth stated in the previous paragraph.
Thus, in that final moment of his life at Dagon’s temple, for the first
time ever, he desired to finally honor God by consciously acting in accordance
to what God had set him apart for. Even
though God’s decree had always been carried out (i.e. destruction of the
Philistines) through him, it was only the first time he would be part of its implementation
out of obedience and love for God. This
theory further holds water when we consider that this moment was actually the
first time the Bible recorded Samson praying to God for strength, addressing
Him as “Sovereign Lord” in the process.
So, yeah, I wish the movie went
this route. If that had been the case, the
result would have been a more compelling, profound narrative. What it has instead is some unremarkable, standard storytelling
– nothing that can make an impact.
Aside from that, particular
events in Samson’s life would make for some really exciting cinematic
spectacles. This is, after all, the
Bible character that killed a thousand Philistine soldiers in battle armed with
just a donkey’s jawbone. That should be
a ten-minute 300-style set piece
right there. Unfortunately, this is PureFlix’s movie. It doesn’t want to
have an “R” rating even though Biblical Samson is pretty much an “R” story. Thus, its show of violence is pretty restrained,
and the fight scenes are unimaginative and amateurish.
As for the technical aspects, Samson’s
laughably fake beard notwithstanding, it looked decent enough. I didn’t expect much in the first place since I know it’s a low-budget
production.
The performances are okay – either because they are serviceable (Taylor James as Samson, a total beefcake) or are so hammy that they’re entertaining (Billy Zane as King Balek, and Jackson Rathbone as Prince Rallah).
The performances are okay – either because they are serviceable (Taylor James as Samson, a total beefcake) or are so hammy that they’re entertaining (Billy Zane as King Balek, and Jackson Rathbone as Prince Rallah).
In the end, this movie is quite bland. And its failing can be boiled down to one
thing: it lacks boldness. It’s more concerned of being “family friendly”
than making a movie that will give Samson justice. Thus, it loses much of the thoughtfulness and
thrill that can be mined from the Biblical account. But, again, this can’t be helped since it’s under
the PureFlix brand. And that ideal Samson film? It can only be done if the filmmakers are
willing to go full Game of Thrones
with it.
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