War Room

War Room

Starring Priscilla Shirer, T.C. Stallings, Karen Abercrombie, Alena Pitts

Directed by Alex Kendrick

The Story:
Real estate employee Elizabeth (Priscilla Shirer) and her pharmaceutical salesman husband Tony (T.C. Stallings) have a beautiful daughter Danielle (Alena Pitts), a big house, and a lot of money.  However, their marriage is slowly falling apart, and Elizabeth is at a loss about what to do.

Then she meets elderly Miss Clara (Karen Abercrombie), who is trying to sell her home.  She is full of love and friendliness, and shows Elizabeth her most favorite room in her house - her War Room.  An empty closet where she spends a lot of time in prayer.  She agrees to help Elizabeth with her marriage through the power of prayer, and having God be the defender and fight for her.

As Elizabeth delves deeper into her faith, her struggles begin to disappear and her marriage begins to come together, and everyone around her - and Miss Clara - are changed by it.

The Synopsis:
The Christian-themed film industry is a very niche market.  They're typically not very well-received, they don't have any really big named actors (unless Kirk Cameron counts - and he doesn't), and the production values are slightly above your average B-rated horror flick.

Recently, there's been several Christian-based films that have surprised general audiences.  Films such as "God's Not Dead" and "Heaven is For Real" have turned into blockbuster hits, and "War Room" could be listed as the biggest hit of this subgenre.  In the second week of release, it shockingly overtook "Straight Outta Compton" as the number one movie in America, the first time a Christian film achieved that (unless you count "The Passion of the Christ," which I do not).  This piqued my interest, and I finally was able to see it.

A film like this is very hard to review.  I've been a Christian for over fifteen years, so the concepts the film are things I can relate to and appreciate, but for a "non-believer," they could be seen as outdated, corny, and downright ridiculous.  So I will be as unbiased as I can in this review.

The overall message of the film is that God will do the fighting for you - you don't have to fight alone.  This concept is a comforting one if you believe it, because life can be extremely difficult if you have to go at it alone.  In a world that's becoming more and more negative, a film like this is what people need to lift their spirits.

As far as the production goes, it's your typical Christian film.  Slightly above a Lifetime Original, but nowhere near the spectacular blockbusters that grace the silver screen.  Still, it wasn't as bad as other Christian films, and director Alex Kendrick - along with his brother - also worked on Christian films "Fireproof" and "Courageous," and this one is ten times better than both, and not just in terms of production.

The actors in the film give great performances, but it's Karen Abercrombie's Miss Clara that steals the screen and makes you want to go up to the screen and give her a big hug.  Her overly positive attitude throughout the film makes you feel good, and makes you want to know that kind of woman - someone who never gives up on you, prays for you, and is always there for you. 

Overall, the story is very contrived and cliched, but it didn't matter because I found myself moved by it in ways I wasn't expecting. 

The Summary:
When it comes to Christian-based films, "War Room" deservedly is one of the best, and at its heart an unforgettable performance by Karen Abercrombie.

The Score: B+