The Forge
The Forge
Starring Cameron Arnett, Priscilla Shirer, Aspen Kennedy, Karen Abercrombie
Directed by Alex Kendrick
Isaiah Wright (Aspen Kennedy) is a nineteen-year-old kid living in North Carolina with his single mother Cynthia (Priscilla Shirer) and who essentially has no direction in life. He spends his days playing basketball and video games, and disrespects his mother as well as others around him. Cynthia gives him an ultimatum: find a job and pay rent, or get out - so eventually he finds his way to Moore Fitness, run by Joshua Moore (Cameron Arnett) and starts working for him. After a few hiccups at the beginning, Isaiah is drawn to Joshua's tutledge and direction, eventually opening his life up to Christ through Joshua's example. Now a Christian, he changes his life and sets out to be the man he's meant to be, being discipled by Joshua and fellow converts who call themselves The Forge to be better men of God.
As I said earlier, what I can appreciate about faith based films is their underlying message, and "The Forge" has the message of being a better person through Christ, which is important in today's day and age. It features a decent cast that gives great performances (especially Aspen Kennedy, Priscilla Shirer and Cameron Arnett), and I was surprisingly drawn to the story enough that I didn't fall asleep. The production values were decent, nothing too exciting or terrible, and all around it was a good moral story.
On the other hand, "The Forge" is also a deceptively simplistic look at what it takes to be a disciple. Matthew 16:24 says, "Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me,'" and this is something Joshua referenced in the movie. Typically, this means a radical shift in life and abandoning your old self totally, turning away from sinful ways and thoughts and turning wholeheartedly to Christ. This isn't an easy conversion, but "The Forge" makes it look incredibly easy. The only thing Isaiah had to give up was video games (which, rightfully, is mentioned as not a bad thing, but when it becomes the center of your existence - if you want to give everything to God - it's something that gets in the way), and he does so with about ten seconds of doubt before never dealing with it again. Most people struggle with it, but for Isaiah it was easy.
Another thing is the deceptive way they make Christianity look. After Isaiah converts, his life becomes incredibly easy. His relationship with his mother (also a faith-based believer) is as strong as ever. He excels at his job with no issues. He finds a group of like-minded men who all mentor him, and they all gather at a wealthy restaurant twice a week with expensive suits. He doesn't experience any repercussions from his friends or anyone, and despite a few minor hiccups they're quickly resolved effortlessly. They paint Christianity as a means to be a better person, and in doing so you'll never experience hardships.
Finally, the overall feel of the film is off. The Kendrick brothers are known for their faith-based films, and "The Forge" is an all-Black cast of African American people living in society - while the Kendrick brothers are white. It seems that, at the beginning, they delve into what they think of as "black talk" to give Isaiah his sense of personhood, with his generic clothing and speaking style. However, once he becomes a Christian, he's wearing typical "white" clothes, walks like "white" people and, oddly enough, talks like "white" people. It's really strange and off-putting.
While attempting to tell an important message about being a better person, "The Forge" is hindered in the fact that it makes it seem easy, and after doing so they'll be no negative repercussions of it.
The Score: C
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