9 Best Faith-Based Films That Could Strengthen Your Christian Beliefs
Moviegoers flock to the cinemas to unwind. Some even choose to watch a movie to forget about their daily struggles whenever they are down and going through several difficulties in life.
However, it would be hard to escape one's struggles in the film that they are about to watch would remind them about problems in the society such as war, poverty, and family drama.
That is why there are several faith-based films that aim to inspire and give hope to its viewers.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
But these films, whether made by big film production studios or produced independently, were often the last option of moviegoers whenever they were pitted against other movies in the box office. That is why some of them were often overlooked and forgotten.
However, the recent success of Roadside Attraction's biographical Christian drama movie "I Can Only Imagine" in the box office took Hollywood by storm, after it managed to surpass the $55 million mark in its third week in theaters.
The faith-based biopic, based on the story of the MercyMe lead singer Bart Millard and his father Arthur Millard, managed to surpass the sales of the new "Tomb Raider" movie starring Alicia Vikander, which only earned $51 million at the moment, according to a report from Box Office Mojo.
Another faith-based film titled "God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness" from Pure Flix also debuted during the Easter weekend. But it only managed to land in the top 12 slot of the box office.
Although, aside from the two latest Christian movies in the big screen, moviegoers still has a lot of faith-based films that they can revisit to get motivation and restore their faith during the dark moments in their lives.
Here are nine of the best faith-based films in history in no particular order:
1. "The Ten Commandments" (1956) — Cecil B. De Mille's classic film always find itself on television every year, especially during the Catholic Church's commemoration of the Holy Week.
Aside from the stellar performance of Charlton Heston as Moses, moviegoers during the 1950s were amazed at how DeMille managed to push the cinematic boundaries by showcasing exceptional visual effects that were not yet used during that time.
The movie reminds viewers to come up with moral choices based on the teachings of the Bible.
2. "The Passion of the Christ" (2004) — The highly talked-about film that was directed by Hollywood actor Mel Gibson reshaped the way the movie industry thought about faith-based movies during the time when film studios were convinced that the audience is no longer interested in such films anymore.
The independently-produced movie showcased a beautiful retelling of Jesus Christ's crucifixion. It was very painful to watch Jim Caviezel as he displayed all the pain and struggle that Jesus Christ had to endure during his crucifixion, which made a lot of moviegoers realize all the suffering that the Lord took for humanity.
The film may only have a $30 million production budget, but it managed to gross more than $600 million worldwide.
3. "Ben-Hur" (1959) — The remake that was produced by Mark Burnett and Roma Downey reminded everyone about the universal story of a person's quest for revenge and how his anger was healed by forgiveness.
Charlton Heston also starred in the film that is now considered as one of the best movies of all time because of its exceptional visuals that were untouched by contemporary visual effects.
4. "Heaven Is for Real" (2014) — Considered as one of the highest-grossing faith-based movies of all time, the movie adaptation of the book written by Pastor Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent about the former's son Colton's near-death experience earned an astounding $101.3 million worldwide, with $91.4 million earned in the US alone.
The film that was helmed by "Braveheart" director Randall Wallace managed to impress both the religious and the non-believers alike. It teaches moviegoers to believe that God is real and that there is life waiting after death.
The cast, including Greg Kinnear as Pastor Burpo, managed to thug the hearts of moviegoers with their stellar performances.
5. "Hacksaw Ridge" (2016) — After the critical and commercial success of "The Passion of the Christ," Mel Gibson returned in the director's chair for another inspiring movie about the real-life story of Medal of Honor awardee Desmond Doss, who saved the lives of a lot of people during the World War II without killing anyone during one of the biggest wars on Earth.
The thought-provoking film is also considered as one of the most intricately-made war dramas that were released in the previous years.
6. "Miracles from Heaven" (2016) — The near-death encounter of a young girl who thought to have an incurable ailment offered another heartwarming tale about sticking to one's faith.
The film reportedly managed to earn over $73 million dollars at the box office.
7. "Soul Surfer" (2011) — The film based on the life of professional surfer Bethany Hamilton whose up-and-coming career was almost cut short when she lost her arm in a shark attack. Bethany was portrayed by Anna Sophia Robb, with Helen Hunt, Dennis Quaid, and Carrie Underwood joining the star-studded cast.
Sean McNamara's movie inspires those who were going through a major difficulty in life and encourages them to bounce back.
8. "The Nativity Story" (2006) — The Biblical drama movie that showcased the story of Jesus' nativity as the first ever movie that held its world premiere in Vatican City.
The movie was directed by Catherine Hardwicke and earned relatively positive reviews for its realistic portrayal of the iconic story of Jesus Christ's birth.
9. "Son of God" (2014) — The epic Biblical drama movie that was produced by Mark Burnett and Roma Downey offered to retell the life of Jesus based on the 10-hour miniseries of the History Channel titled "The Bible."
Aside from its commercial success, the movie got mixed reviews from critics because of its lecture-like feel.
With all these films in mind, Christian believers and non-believers alike will be able to get inspirations for their everyday lives and lift up their mood because of the moral lessons that they partake.
