Christian films get a bad rep. It seems no matter what, many attempts either turn out laughable or contemptible, from ultra low budgets to terrible ways of communicating a message, and not helping is the likes of Pure Flix poisoning the well. In the past, you had stuff like the Omega Code, Left Behind and Apocalypse, back when Kirk Cameron still had some dignity, and while those films have little to write home about, they have some appeal, B-movies that can switch things up from what is usually associated with films in those camps.
When it comes to Christian movies that can actually rise above and be considered good, some may immediately turn to The Passion of the Christ, which for the record was helmed by Mel Gibson, a religious man. However, I'm not gonna talk about that movie. Instead, I'm going to discuss a Christian film that's not only enjoyable, but also not incredibly condescending.
2002's Joshua.
Personal Background
As a kid, I went to what amounts to a Christian night school at my old local church, for some reason. It was mostly fun and games, and we even got to watch movies, but no Veggie Tails. I got to watch some weird 90s video I'm currently trying to find the name of, I watched Beginners Bible, which was made by the same company behind Doug, and I watched Joshua.
Clips of this movie are relatively scarce, but thanks to the nature of its release it made it easier to find on streaming, and by that I mean it's on Tubi.
Film Background
Joshua was a 2002 film directed by Jon Purdy, a man whose resume is rather dry, yet interesting. Prior to this he directed two sci-fi horror films. I say that to bring up some irony that has befell the independent film community. In the past we had some awkward family films helmed by directors who were prevalent in the horror and action community, no doubt due to money. I'm not saying Joshua is a victim of this, but I just find it funny how they got a man who worked on genres that are otherwise deemed reprehensible by non-seculars.
I'll give it this, a horror film where Jesus Christ comes down to smite sinners may be a beautiful disaster in the making.
The film was produced by Howard and Karen Baldwin, no relation to Adam Baldwin or the Baldwins. They were the founders of Crusader Entertainment, the film's principal production company and this being their first production. However, weirdly enough their first film would be produced under a non-secular subsidiary. Crusader would rebrand as Bristol Bay Productions in 2003, with their most notable production under that being a Ray Charles biopic, though technically Crusader's last film under that such name was 2005's A Sound of Thunder, and that was only because it was in production before the name change.
Joshua managed to bring in some decent star power. They landed actors like Tony Goldwyn and F. Murray Abraham. Goldywn isn't a major Christian, but ironically he is the president of The Samuel Goldywn Company, they released Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas for the record. F. Murray Abraham however is a relatively devout follower of Christ so I imagine he took immediate interest in the script. Abraham is perhaps known nowadays for appearing in Mythic Quest, only to get fired for sexual misconduct.
Say what you will about Kirk Cameron, at least sexual misconduct isn't a black mark on an already questionable rep.
As for other actors, we have Kurt Fuller, who was in quite a lot of stuff including Ghostbusters II, Wayne's World, Scary Movie, among a hell of a lot of others. There's also Colleen Camp because of her prevalence in a lot of films, those not necessarily Christian. Lastly, I bring up Giancarlo Giannini because they went the extra effort to have most scenes filmed in Rome and have an authentic Italian actor.
The Film
Joshua follows this basic principle. What if Jesus walked amongst the mortals? The titular Joshua arrives in Auburn, a wood-working artist who would slowly integrate with the others through no divine intervention of his own. This is a display of how kindness and faith can help people through their lives, a simple principle of faith otherwise lost through more devout teachings that would otherwise make people fear god, and that is actually something addressed in this film.
Simply for being a big help to the people, Joshua begins to have a metaphorical hold on the people, best shown when he begins to try and reconstruct a church destroyed in a storm, and gets others to help. Of course there'd be no point without any conflict.
So take a guess, who do you think the villain is gonna be in this? A raging atheist straw-manned to hell and back? A misguided preacher who thinks wrong of Joshua for some reason? Or just someone who sees the worst based on some alarming coincidences?
In this case, it's one Father Tordone. He initially commissions Joshua to craft a wooden carving of St. Peter out of ash, but begins to feel alarmed when he sees that the townsfolk are gathering together to construct the church at Joshua's request, when there wasn't one. Something for nothing. What begins as suspicion, turns to fear as Joshua confronts a conman preacher and restores sight to a blind woman.
I'd like to take a moment to say how much I love this scene, rather than punish the conman, it's done in a compelling way to show what true faith is, and give us a sense of people seeking faith, which is why these cons tend to get good attendance, and of course it's not just a "Preacher man bad" thing like most stabs at religion.
Compounding Tordone's conundrum is a personal conflict with Father Pat, a rather eccentric priest who enjoys fishing and feels he could never live up to his role. He's an all-round likable character, not overdone to the point it feels like scenes with him take you out of anything. Pat begins to identify more with Joshua, and it culminates in him abandoning his role as Tordone holds an intervention against Joshua.
One thing about this intervention is that it shows Tordone's philosophy on god, that he is one to be feared on the grounds of sin. Whereas Joshua presents a more lax perspective, honing in on faith and kindness, and welcoming the spirit, basically saying there is little to fear, though it's something to be seen for itself.
Joshua is also not one to just immediately let dying souls go free, and perhaps this is a way to keep viewers from realizing he is meant to represent Jesus. This is shown when he revives a man whom he befriended earlier on after falling from 40 feet. Although this may also serve as a reason to have Joshua sent to the Vatican, which is what all of this would culminate in.
Tordone would realize that Joshua may in fact be Jesus, and is thus clear to meet the pope, moving him to tears in memories only Jesus may recount, Father Pat has finally earned the confidence he needed to engage with the church-goers, among other happy endings made possible with faith.
What Makes This Great?
The problem with Christian films is that they wear their messages on the sleeve. Many of them seek to paint non-believers as cartoonishly evil, be lazily done or incorporate sermons that more often than not deliberately try to drive people to a certain belief. It's clear these films only have one audience in mind, and they deliver to them for better or worse.
Joshua rises above those films through its simplicity. Referring back to the thesis, what if Jesus walked amongst the mortals? It doesn't seek to portray Jesus as absolutely perfect, but human, and just eager to help people through their problems. He doesn't actively punish or chastise people for how they practice their faith, at most being blunt about not knowing how.
I can understand people taking issue with the performance of miracles, but the point behind that is that those people have strong faith, and Joshua sees it within them, hence why he helps a blind woman visiting a conman's revival tent hoping to be relieved, and why he helps Theo, guy who fell, as he wanted to have the courage to act as a pastor, a good heart preaching the principles Joshua adheres to.
Many Christian films or ideologies portray God as someone or something to be feared, but Joshua believes that God should not be feared, for their hearts and kindness would make all the difference.
If that isn't your speed, we're left with a wholesome story that isn't as saccharine as others. Without the credits this is about less than 90 minutes so it doesn't overstay its welcome. There're some clever lines that aren't painful to listen, the characters, at least the main ones, are well realized and there is a true pay-off to everything.
Also we get a free performance from Third Day, Christian band.
If you have a good story to tell you can forgive the over Christian elements, and I feel this does a good job at that.
Final Thoughts
As a kid I didn't really understand this film, either that or I have to leave the room during more important scenes, but as an adult, I've grown to appreciate this film more and more. There was some genuine effort put into it, for sure.
If you're looking for a Christian film that isn't cheap garbage or by Pure Flix, I think Joshua will be a nice breath of fresh air for you.
It's on Tubi, so check it out while you can: https://tubitv.com/movies/304779/joshua
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