OPINION:
In Season Four of “ The Chosen,” the cost of following Jesus begins to become clearer. “Argylle” is restrained compared to some of its cinematic brethren. But the content might still have families reach for the ejector seat. “Orion and the Dark” comes with some positive messages about not allowing our fears to prevent us from living our lives, but the film’s darker issues cast a shadow.
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The Chosen – Season 4, Episodes 1, 2, 3 In Theaters
“The Chosen’s” creators hope for a seven-season run, which might strike some as a challenge: Movies that follow a given Gospel word-for-word run long, but there’s not enough in the text to stretch the story out for a “Game of Thrones”-like run.
So the show’s producers have shifted away from strict fidelity to the text and into a more imaginative, extrapolated, extra-biblical narrative. It’s fiction, in other words – fiction that was inspired by and embraces Scripture, but fiction that nonetheless feels free to remove and (mostly) add elements as the story — not theology — demands.
The show’s makers clearly wanted this story to be a cut above your typical Christian passion play. They seem to be gunning for The Chosen almost to be a biblical “Breaking Bad.”
I mean that in the best of ways, incidentally. For viewers who approach Christian entertainment with a jaundiced eye, “The Chosen” gives us something different: a gritty, grimy, problematic Palestine filled with the unwashed and impure, giving the production a flavor of authenticity.
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The episodes thus far hone tightly in on its ancillary characters — infusing them with dimension the Gospels just didn’t give. And while the Season One showed Jesus gathering some of His more prominent followers, Season Two reveals some friction and jealousies developing among them. Just because they’re chosen, after all, doesn’t mean they stop being human. Dallas Jenkins and Co. have made the brave and, I think, smart move to dole out Jesus over time — to let these very real subplots begin to emerge before these characters’ realities are completely upended. In Season Three, the 12 have been gathered, the word about Jesus is beginning to spread, and He sends them out to further His kingdom purposes — despite much fear and uncertainty on the part of His fledgling followers.
In Season Four, the cost of following Jesus begins to become clearer. The Pharisees and Sanhedrin are increasingly desperate to end Jesus’ ministry, so much so that they’re willing to conspire with the hated Romans to make that happen. The result is a tinderbox of conflict, the fuse of which is perhaps lit by Jesus Himself as he boldly confronts the religious leaders’ hypocrisy. Accordingly, Episode Three comes with a parental discretion warning at the outset due to one particularly violent scene.
The result? A show that’s more show than sermon, one that feels strangely taut and engrossing — even for those of us who know its ultimate end.
But naturally, “The Chosen” comes with a few caveats.
Again, the world given to us here isn’t the sanctified version we see in stained glass or many a movie about Jesus. While the content isn’t gratuitous, exactly, people step in dung, long to get drunk and engage in fistfights. Characters get hurt and sometimes die. The streets of Palestine can practically reek of sin. It all feels germane: Jesus came to save such a world as this, after all. But it can be a bit graphic.
The ambitions of “The Chosen” require a great deal of poetic license, shall we say — again, a work of fiction in service of this age-old tale. And especially as Season Four unfolds with an ever-growing ensemble of characters, fans might be having conversations about plot points and characters that aren’t actually found in the New Testament narrative.
But for TV fans spoiled by today’s rich, complex television landscape but tired of its salaciousness; for viewers who love Jesus (or who just want to know more about Him) but are turned off by what they might see as shallow, saccharine piety; “The Chosen” might just scratch an itch they never even knew they had.
[Editor’s Note: Season Four of “The Chosen” will debut in theaters via Fathom Events in three separate releases. Episodes 1-3 will screen together in theaters, with a brief intermission, from Feb. 1-14; Episodes 4-6 will screen Feb. 15-28; and Episodes 7-8 will screen Feb. 29 through March 10. Following that theatrical release, Season Four will be available to stream on The Chosen App later this spring, with a release date that has not yet been announced. Plugged In will continue to review the episodes individually in our standard TV review format at the end of our overarching series review.]
Read the rest of the review here. Watch the trailer here.
Orion and the Dark – Streaming on Netflix
Emma Yarlett’s children’s book “Orion and the Dark” is a rather easy read.
It, like the Netflix movie, tells the tale of a young boy named Orion who has so many fears that the darkness itself comes down to reassure the boy; to teach Orion that the places and sounds he’s so afraid of aren’t as bad as he thinks they are.
Unfortunately for Netflix’s adaptation of the tale, it’s not exactly enough content to fill a whole film. That’s probably why its movie counterpart has a more extensive plotline — one that includes other supernatural entities, too.
“Orion and the Dark” doesn’t go beyond its TV-Y7 rating, but parents will want to consider a few issues before watching, especially the film’s occasional spiritual themes: namely, that Orion espouses an atheistic worldview — and his story about night entities may put a pause on things, too.
What’s more, the film includes a couple moments of peril (and Sleep’s rather violent ways of knocking people out), and it has a surprising number of misuses of God’s name, too.
“Orion and the Dark” comes with some positive messages about not allowing our fears to prevent us from living our lives. It talks about our inherent value, too — a message that may certainly stick with children and resonate with adults. But the film’s darker issues cast a shadow on “Orion and the Dark.”
Read the rest of the review here. Watch the trailer here.
Argylle – In Theaters
With some notable exceptions, spy movies aren’t known for their gritty realism. James Bond drives invisible cars and hurtles off cliffs with a Union Jack parachute. “Mission: Impossible’s” Ethan Hunt wears rubber masks and repels down mile-high buildings in Dubai.
In some ways, “Argylle” makes these studies in escapism feel more akin to PBS docs.
“Argylle” is directed by Matthew Vaughn, the same guy behind the slick, silly and wildly problematic ‘Kingsman” movies. And like those “Kingsman” flicks, “Argylle” is — well, kind of ridiculous. But this review is remarkably spoiler free, given “Argylle’s” outlandish twists and turns.
“Argylle” doesn’t worry too much about its own outlandish plot, of course. It’s meant to be silly, and it proudly wears that silliness like a 6-year-old girl might wear unicorn-themed footie pajamas. It can be unhinged, and delightfully so. And unlike the hard R-rated “Kingsman” movies, “Argylle” shows at least a hint of decorum. The violence is unremitting but mostly bloodless. The clothes may be tight, but at least they stay on.
But really, that hardly counts as a seal of approval for “Argylle.” The body count would be enough to depopulate a European micronation. The language tiptoes up to the brink of an R rating without falling over.
“Argylle” may be restrained compared to some of its cinematic brethren. But the content found here might be enough to make some families long for an ejector seat.
Read the rest of the review here. Watch the trailer here.
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Plugged In is a Focus on the Family publication designed to shine a light on the world of popular entertainment while giving families the essential tools they need to understand, navigate, and impact the culture in which they live. Through our reviews, articles and discussions, we hope to spark intellectual thought, spiritual growth and a desire to follow the command of Colossians 2:8: “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.”
Reviews written by Paul Asay, Adam R. Holz, and Kennedy Unthank.
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