Double feature: the good news, the bad news

First the good news:

This has been in the theater for several weeks now, and some of you may have already seen it. It’s an uplifting true story about the number one Christian song of all time, and how it came to be written. Prior to seeing this I had never heard of Bart Millard, the singing group Mercy Me, or the song “I Can Only Imagine.” Wow, where have I been?

J. Michael Finley makes his film debut in this story playing Millard, who composed and recorded the original version of this absolutely inspiring piece of music. How he got to that point is the essence of his life story, which you must see to understand. Suffice it to say he came from a severely broken home, forced to leave in his teens. He eventually crossed paths with the musical group Mercy Me, who were struggling to survive. He became their lead singer only by accident, but after watching the story, it’s obvious it was meant to be.

We are treated to a number of great musical performances as the story progress, but the highlight of the film is when Millard performs the song for the first time anywhere in front of a roaring crowd of 20,000 at the Grand Ole Opry. If that scene doesn’t give you “goose bumps,” nothing will.

Finley is ably supported by a fine cast including Dennis Quaid, Trace Adkins, Cloris Leachman, and Madeline Carroll among others. Millard’s life story alone is inspiration enough, but composing and performing that incredible song takes the cake.

Now for the bad news:

I have to confess, I walked out of this movie after 45 minutes of mind numbing visuals, and I’m not sure why I stayed that long. I was looking forward to seeing Steven Spielberg’s latest, after all how can you go wrong with the man who has directed so many incredible films? Well in this case you can. The film has received plenty of plaudits from the paid pundits, (sorry about that), but I found it a total waste of time.

The story is set in the year 2045, in Columbus, Ohio of all places, and we’re told it is the fastest growing city in the world. The lead character is a young man known as Wade in real life, and Parzival in the world of virtual reality, where he spends most of his time. In fact, nearly everyone around the world spends their time with their headsets on living a fantasy life, where they can be who they want, where they want and when they want. When the glasses are donned, the story becomes animated and special effects galore take over.

I will admit the first few minutes were interesting, almost fun. After ten minutes it became wearing, after twenty minutes overbearing, and after forty minutes my mind practically exploded watching the monotonous, hum drum, violence and a story devoid of anything resembling a meaningful plot. Ergo, I left.

I am certain you grandkids will love this one, but if somehow you can avoid going with them, you will be better off.

tsansom2002@gmail.com

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