User reviews

'WAR ROOM': Two and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

Another Christian drama flick, from the 'Kendrick Brothers'; the team that's also responsible for such previous 'worship-themed' films as 'FIREPROOF' and 'COURAGEOUS'. Alex Kendrick directed and co-wrote the movie, and Stephen Kendrick co-wrote and co-produced it. The story revolves around a couple, that turns to God; to fix their struggling marriage, with the help of an older, wiser, woman (named Miss Clara). The film was made on a budget of just $3 million, and it stars a cast of mostly unknown actors. I think it's a fairly decent Christian movie; compared to other, much worse, ones (I've seen recently).

Tony (T.C. Starling) and Elizabeth Jordan (Priscilla Shirer) seem to have it all; a nice house, two great jobs, and a polite young daughter (Alena Pitts). The couple are not happily married though, and their daughter feels resented. When Elizabeth, a realtor, attempts to sell a house, for a nice (older) lady, named Miss Clara (Karen Ambercrombie), she's inspired to renew her faith again. By doing so, Elizabeth also finds the courage to fix her troubled marriage; and save her struggling family.

The movie is filled with some cheesy dialogue, and bad acting (at times); but it also has a few good performances, and some inspiring moments (especially for those of faith). The low-budget shows, and it does feel (a lot) like a TV movie; but the film is still better than other Christian-themed flicks (that I've seen, in the past few years). It has a good message, and it's at least somewhat inspiring. Probably not something that will interest non-believers (at all); but it's target audience, should be more than pleased.

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The Kendrick brothers' movies get better each time and it has been fun to watch them progress. I'll admit I've gone and seen these movies because I could see the potential in their film making and I wanted to support the genre. I was not expecting too much progression, but I was very pleasantly surprised. This is their best film so far.

The production value, writing, and acting are better as a whole. The comedic lines were delivered well and got loud chuckles from the audience. There were a couples scenes that were a bit "off." One scene really didn't work (husband's dream sequence) and could have been cut, and the other (mugging) needed to be reworked as it turned out looking cheesy, but these two scenes accounted for about 2 minutes of the entire film. The audience clapped and added their "amens" throughout the movie.

This is a movie by Christians who pull no punches in sharing their faith and beliefs. Christians will love the movie, and hopefully non-Christians will consider the message. I applaud the Kendrick brothers' evolution and am looking forward to their next movies.

This movie came out at the right moment. When the trailer first came out you could see and feel the presence of the Lord on it. This movie has been a blessing. I was so happy to see this the #1 movie out after it opened. And at the time I'm writing this movie theaters are being added! This movie is about prayer as it says in the trailer and it makes sure you know it is. There are many precious moments. Some will make you cry, laugh, and then think. It will make you re-evaluate your life. Every couple, dating or married; child and friend, Black, White, Asian, Hispanic and any other race should see this movie. It is helpful on so many levels. Those who are not Christian might not like this, but some might. So check it out while you can. There truly is power in prayer.

This movie is powerful. It made me laugh. It made me cry hard. It made me think. And it reminded me of the grace and mercy that the Lord gives me.

I'm convinced many reviewed this movie without even seeing it. IMDB should not allow people to attack a movie because of it's message. This is a Christian movie, made by Christians. WHAT WERE YOU EXPECTING?! An even better question is, why did you bother wasting your time watching a movie that you knew you were not going to agree with? I would not watch a movie glorifying atheism. So, if you're reading this, just ignore all of the whining about the message of this movie, because obviously an atheist/non-believer is going to give it a low rating. I'm an intelligent and wise adult, so I am, of course, a devout Christian. But I don't get on here and look for movies about things that I don't like or don't believe in the message and attack the movies message. I'm almost sure that's NOT what the folks that run this website want. I'm not sure really why they even allow it. But anyway....even putting the movie's Christian message aside, the movie great. The acting will not win an Oscars, but it's dramatic and uplifting and Christians will love it. Non-believers probably will not, so if you are an atheist, why bother watching something you know you're not going to agree with or like?

War Room is a pretty good Christian movie, which is extremely hard to find! My god just watch gods not dead and you shall see. But anyways, War Room actually has good actors in it and the actors give, for the most part, good performances. The old lady in the movie delivers some absolutely hilarious lines of smart dialogue which I enjoyed. That was my favorite part of the film. The script was alright, pretty good, nothing to really brag about though. You can enjoy this movie even if you are not a religious person, you really can. Obviously religious people will probably get more out of it, but you can like it and be a non-religious person. 1 or 2 smaller actors here gave some corny performances, but the Main actors did well. 7/10 for war room, pretty good Christian film, probably the only one I know of.

The movie is unrealistic as it assumes that most marriages that are in trouble are ones that can be saved. Sometimes, when you pray, and let God work, He will tear down structures that are evil in your life. God values souls over institutions - ask Jesus, who healed on a Sabbath, breaking an Old Testament command. If the movie didn't mean to portray that, then it is misleading because it doesn't contain clear caveats that this message is not generalizable to abusive marriages, where the lives of family members, particularly children, should be prioritized and safety sought. Lives have been lost due to this type of message, that victims of chronic maltreatment should pray harder.

EDITED TO ADD: I just came across an abusive victim who was introduced to this movie last week and thought all she had to was to pray. What she needs is guidance on how to leave, stay safe and protect her kids. Instead, she is confused and thinks that praying her heart out will change things, when it hasn't for decades.

It seems odd to me that this movie would have received such a low rating so far. Unlike many Christian themed movies on television, which are lacking in many ways, this movie is well worth watching. The production, story and acting are all as good, if not better than, any other movie you'd expect to see in the theaters. Without giving away any real details, the movie follows a family that seems to be falling apart and realizes they need a higher power than they can find in themselves to stay together. I don't know if I could say that there are any real mind shattering revelations in this movie, but it is truly thought provoking none the less. Obviously, people who refuse to believe in God and feel no need for faith aren't going to like this move, they don't want to be preached to. But I would highly recommend this movie to any one who does believe in God, and even to those who are open to believing.

This is a very uplifting film about a wife who learns how to use prayer and faith from an older prayed up woman to put her family back together. Like most films of this genre the lesson and what a person can take from it is what the main focus is. The story line and the plot of this film are simple but the message is powerful, and I'm not saying that just because I'm a Christian. This film also illustrates how Christians are to lift up and encourage others and teach them how to have faith in GOD no matter what kind of situation that person might be going through. I encourage anyone with questionable faith to see this film. In general, even if you're not watching it for the powerful message, this is a good film to watch, simple but good.

What is this movie's message? Pray for what you want, and you'll get it? That sounds more like The Secret than The Bible.

A comfortable middle-class black family have some first world problems, and turn to the Bible-belt version of Christianity to solve them. If they spent less time saying "Hallelujah" and more time reading the actual Bible, they would see Jesus saying "sell what you have and give to the poor". I'm not a Christian, but if you're going to call yourself a Christian, then be one.

There is something very suspicious about the reviews so far (up to September 2015). Forty-three reviews, three of them negative and 40 overwhelmingly positive, but a score of 5.5. If you pardon the pun, there's something fishy going on.

Absolutely the whole counsel of God is shared in this movie. Nothing was left out, not the reality of Satan and his intentions, not the existence of sin, not the truth that all we like sheep have gone astray, not that our righteousness, apart from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, is as filthy rags. It is all there, the truth shared with a pure heart fervently.

Finally, the Church can watch a movie that speaks faith and shows the hand of God in the lives of His people. Taking the Lord at His Word, living it, loving it, breathing it, memorizing it. Such is the bread of life!

For man shall not live by a baker's loaf alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. The message of this movie is exactly that. Man must decide today, "Whom shall ye serve? God or mammon?" Choose this day. Don't wait. Now is the day of salvation, now is the accepted time.

If this country will, with a contrite heart, bow to the King of Kings and repent, and turn from their wicked ways, then will He hear from heaven and heal our families and our land!

I'm a conservative evangelical Christian, and I can see that this movie has a really good message. For that reason, it can be inspirational and even powerful. It will certainly enhance some people's lives, maybe even in a major way. I guarantee that many people will love this movie, and not without a good reason. If you're a Christian and have liked this kind of movie in the past, I definitely recommend it!

That being said...I can't bring myself to give this movie more than six stars. I just can't. I should be able to; this movie certainly succeeds in doing what it sets out to do, and it's certain to appeal to its intended audience by and large. The thing is, for all this movie's very legitimate strengths in being moving and inspirational and whatnot, I just don't consider it to be a "good movie", by the expected definition of that term.

The characters and storyline feel really, REALLY generic. I watched the movie a few hours ago and it feels like they're already fading from my memory. It's just all so forgettable. In a sense, I feel like I still have no idea who most of the main characters are as people or what their motivations were or why they were the way they were or anything. This is especially true of the father/husband, who is a bad father/husband, but WHY? WHY does he not like his wife anymore? Why does he not pay attention to the kid? Why is he so wrapped up in this job? Why does he make all the questionable decisions he makes? This movie would've been so much better, felt so much more real, if they had actually developed who these characters ARE, WHY they got to the place they got. In addition, it feels to me that the transformation that comes into their lives when they start praying better is a bit abrupt and not very naturally developed.

I'm not saying making major spiritual changes in your life can't yield extremely powerful, and on occasions almost instantaneous results. But here it just didn't feel too real to me, probably because I couldn't really get a feel for the characters and their motivations, and how exactly God brought them to do an entire 180. It also sort of feels like this movie teaches that if you're a spiritual person, you just won't care what happens to you or take action to address it. I mean, even if prayer is an extremely important way to address your marital issues, that doesn't mean there shouldn't be steps that you yourself take, but this seemed greatly de-emphasized by this movie. Prayer isn't always about not taking action or taking less action, it's often more about being empowered to take the right actions, while at the same time not being anxious because you're ultimately leaving things in God's hands. I don't feel like the movie did a very good job conveying this point.

Another thing that bugged me is that, toward the end of the movie, one character is shown to have committed a serious crime, and another character is sorta made to look like the "bad guy" for basically acting like you would expect a person to act when confronted with this information. It just felt really skewed to me.

This movie had some good ideas for how to make its characters real and balanced, but the implementation was pretty far off-target. I guess I should give them props for sort-of trying, but I don't think they tried nearly hard enough.

The acting in the movie was generally fairly mediocre, but it wasn't horrendous, so um, props for that.

Overall, nothing in this movie feels particularly natural or real. There's nothing mind-blowingly unrealistic, it just feels like the movie is so, SOOOO focused on delivering its message that it can't develop its own identity or grow into its own thing. It did have some good humor, and the old woman character was entertaining I s'pose, but other than that, I dunno.

For me, this movie isn't "bad" so much as it is frustrating. I guess I feel like, if the movie had tried to actually BE a movie, with characters and storyline developed well, it could've given its message even stronger, maybe a LOT stronger. If that had happened, it wouldn't feel like the movie was preaching at you visually, it would feel like the movie was showing, demonstrating, proclaiming the truth of something and bringing you into agreement with it.

I love the idea of a movie giving a message like this, but why does giving a good message release a movie from the responsibility to have natural, compelling, REAL character depth and development and well-constructed story lines? If this movie had both, its already strong message would be strengthened. The answer to this question is that, when Christians watch this sort of movie, they're so amazed and compelled by the message that nothing else matters to them.

This movie is good for what it is, really. But it could've been so much more. The only reason I'm being critical is because I want to raise the bar, REALLY raise the bar, for Christian media. There is absolutely no reason why Christians shouldn't be able to excel at writing good characters and stories. I want us to rise up and meet the challenge. But we're not going to as long as people just don't care. Even now, I'm afraid of raining on everyone's parade and dampening a perfectly inspirational experience. But I don't know what else to do. We're never going to get any better as storytellers if we never subject our stories to critical analysis.

One final note, though: This movie is billions of times better than God's Not Dead. Just sayin'.

Me and my two kids love all the Kendrick brother films, we own most of them all, so we knew this one wouldn't disappoint. God really has his hands on their company... Anyway on to my review.. I enjoyed every part of this film, mainly because it was mature enough, and spiritual enough for adults, as well as humorous and appropriate enough for children. Plus the kids in this movie had a large part to play in the film. Without giving away any spoilers I will say that whether you are a Christian or not, if you love prayer, or just want to know/learn more about it please give this movie a chance and go check it out. I'm definitely spreading the Word.

Thanks Kandis

This movie is POWERFUL and life changing. Why is that? Because it does not compromise the Word of God and it is so real. The bible tells us the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. And again, this movie gives you the Word of God straight up which for true Christians who love the Word of God is PERFECT. I highly recommend this movie for everyone but especially those who are looking to grow up in Christ and are ready to receive the full benefits that come from a powerful prayer life. Husbands and wives, mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, families, church groups, get out together to see this movie then go home to make your own War Rooms. More prayer, more power!

He makes good faith-based films that are not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ!

My favorite Christian films are: 1) God's Not Dead; 2) Passion of the Christ; 3) Gospel of John; 4) David and Goliath; 5) Do You Believe; 6) Secrets of Jonathan Sperry; 7) Son of God; 8) Left Behind (with Kirk Cameron); 9) The Climb; 10) End of the Spear

Christianity has become such a popularity contest. Who cares about the quotes of Franklin Graham who makes $900,000 a year. I would see the movie anyway just on Kendrick's name - but Christian PR (as horrible as it is) persists.

My prayer is the films will bring people to Christ

War Room is a movie about prayer in people's lives. The Trailers don't really do this movie justice, I didn't feel excited by them. The movie is well produced and the cinematography is well done. Christian and/or faith based films have had the stigma of being poorly made (TV drama story, unfocused camera, bad acting, pushy message, etc) but War Room actually does all these things right. The brothers who directed this movie and others have vastly improved over the previous films. The actors portray people that the audience can relate with and situations that people face in everyday life. The sharp cinematography was more akin to Downton Abbey than some Hallmark Channel or Lifetime Movie. This film was only slightly cheesy a times, but given it's PG rating this may have been to add humor or some element the whole family could react to in some sections. War Room is definitely worth the price of admission and entertaining throughout.

It wasn't until near the end of this movie that my movie theatre-working friend realized the people who made Courageous also made this one as many of the players in this one were also in that one. He laughed at some of the humor in this one while I mostly had a serious face until the end. There's an elderly woman who tries to help a much-younger one deal with her hubby's constantly being on the road and therefore, also possibly committing adultery. I don't want to reveal everything, just that it seems to work out at the end. Maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised or not. As for me, I think I mostly enjoyed it. Yeah, that woman talking to God and the devil while by herself seemed over-the-top, but otherwise, I rather enjoyed War Room.

The War Room Is The Best Christian Family Movie Ever. It will enchant you with its magical theme of an integrated family . Every member cares for the other. In this film you will clearly witness how the strong faith in God and Jesus will bring you all the unprecedented joy and peace of mind. You can see in this movie the sense of humor between family members and how they all respect each other (something is so rare to see nowadays with the presence of a corrupt society). God may inflict pain on pious people in order to test their faith and even if they suffered in this life, heaven awaits them when they die. The main characters of this movie had faced difficulties and sorrow in their life and fortunately their true faith in God and Jesus had made their life so significant.

This is a must see PG Family movie for every sad individual in the world whose life has been miserable.

Walking into the cinema... Christian cinema is not one of my favourite genres. The expectation is a predictable storyline with a even more predictable ending is the norm, but the Kendrick brothers have earned a level of respect in this area of cinema. So, I enter the theatre with a skeptical hope.

Overall Rating: 3 stars* Cinematic rating: 2 stars Bigger questions rating: 4 stars

War Room comes from the team that brought Fireproof and Courageous to the cinemas. It is a faith-based drama on the lives of Tony (T.C. Stallings) and Elizabeth Jordan (Priscilla C. Shirer), who seem to have it all. A beautiful home, great jobs and what seems to be an ideal family life, but their lives are not what they seem to be on the surface. They have lost sight of the value of their marriage and amongst the relational battle zone of their lives, their daughter has become the victim of the not-so-friendly fire. As a real estate agent, Elizabeth comes across a mature, Christian woman who begins to mentor her on how to save her marriage, save her family and save her faith. Miss Clara (Karen Abercrombie) shows her the value of prayer and the impact it can have on their lives and the world around them. The challenge is turning Tony away from his deceitful ways and to determine if he is able to come along on this new found journey. Elizabeth has to begin to stop relying on her ability to change Tony and trust that God can do this work, but it begins with her on her knees.

Alex and Stephen Kendrick have proved that they can provide quality cinema for Christian audiences. Each of their productions have moved up the scale of quality without sacrificing the Biblical messages. War Room keeps their track record alive. It does not break any new ground in the realm of cinematic performances, but it shows that with the right direction, Christian cinema can be better than its reputation. The performances were entertaining and provided the drama, the humour and the power for this style of film. Stallings and Shirer were believable in their roles and provided the necessary angst to drive the story along. But it is Karen Abercrombie as Miss Clara that delivers the passion and heart of the film. The quality of the production was sound. The Kendricks deliver a solid script with decent cinematography, but fall into some of the typical traps that define Christian dramas. Even though they confront real life issues, the lifestyle and the ultimate results of the film are predictable, but do provide a satisfying ending. Another difficulty with War Room is seeing how this will resonate with audiences outside of the Christian faith. It does not really matter, because these talented siblings know their audience and they are unapologetic is preaching to the followers of Christ. In the end, it is an entertaining film for Christians with a direct challenge for more fervent prayer. The message is a good one to hear and is played against a backdrop of a slightly better than 'made for television' production.

When reviewing films like War Room, it requires two perspectives. The first being the evaluation of the film's quality and the second is evaluating the quality of the Christian message, not necessary in that order. Christian cinema tends toward the formulaic and these films are usually produced on an extremely low budget. The Kendrick's have broken new ground over the years with scripts that are more realistic, surprisingly entertaining and pleasantly humorous. To be fair, their films are better than the vast majority within this genre, but they fall short when they are put up against mainstream films. The message is strong and will appeal to the market that they are trying to reach, American Christians. The challenge for them in the future will be to move past the world of Christianity in the US and look to deliver a film that will have appeal to audiences around the world. Prayer and the Bible are universal, but their style of filming do primarily market themselves to an American audience. As a film reviewer, the work that this team has achieved within their genre is admirable and hopefully they will continue to stretch their talents and the viewing expectations of the Christian viewing public. As a Christian, the message of prayer and the Gospel are worth seeing on the big screen and hope is that the Kendricks continue their work and deliver even better quality films with these timeless messages of biblical truth. Leaving the cinema... *A rare moment where the bigger questions portion strongly influenced the overall rating.

No surprises. Tears came, laughter ensued and redemption occurs. Nothing wrong with the message of the film, but nothing exceptionally new about the delivery. My hope as I entered into the theatre has not wained, merely continues that the Southern-based siblings will continue to stretch this genre to new lengths.

Reel Dialogue: What are some of the bigger questions to consider from this film? 1. What is the power of prayer? (Mark 11:24, Romans 8:26, Philippians 4:6) 2. What does the Bible say about the value of family? (Proverbs 3:5, 1 Timothy 5:8) 3. Can prayer change things in life? (Matthew 7:11, James 5:15-16)

Written by Russell Matthews based on a five star rating system @ Russelling Reviews #russellingreviews #warroom

The Kendrick brothers are improving with each movie they do. This one is the best I've seen of theirs. The story is well written with a great message. There is some fantastic humor in it as well. Priscilla Shirer is not only an excellent teacher but this movie shows she is also a great actress.

This movie is a great movie for anyone struggling in marriage. I'm sure that the professional reviewers won't have much good to say since they have traditionally shown their distaste for anything Christian but for those of us looking for a good movie with a good message, this movie delivers. Alena Pitts is the cutest little darling and knows how to melt your heart with her eyes.

The Jordan family is a typical family in many ways including marital struggles. Miss Clara is an caring and powerful older woman who shares her wisdom in wonderful ways. She's a brave Christian who isn't afraid to share her faith and what's she's learned about fighting for a marriage. GREAT movie!

I know there are a lot of critics out there who may say horrible things about this movie, but if you are a practicing Christian and consider reading the Word of God and Prayer for others a worthwhile pursuit, then this movie is the right one for you! I will not spoil the movie for you, but really listen to what the old wise woman, Ms Clara, had to say because it is So very tried and true in my own life as well.

As for those who call themselves Christians and continue to criticize, mock and make fun of the movie, I can only point out Psalm 1:

1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!

2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.