Rated PG for thematic elements including some peril and brief incidental smoking.
Directed by Gary Wheeler (First Feature Film)
Starring Malcolm McDowell, Chuck Carrington, Hilarie Burton and Will Patton
The List is another lame “Christian” film.
In 1863 a group of wealthy Confederate landowners form a secret society in Georgetown, South Carolina. One man refuses to sign, uttering a dark prophecy against the dangers of greed and black magic. Ignoring the warning, the men pool their gold in a desperate attempt to smuggle their treasures to Europe. 140 years later, Renny Jacobson (Chuck Carrington), a young Charlotte lawyer, is shaken by news of his father's mysterious death and the discovery that his father has left his substantial estate to charity. Renny sets out to learn the truth about The List. Along the way, he meets Jo Johnston (Hilarie Burton), another descendent of a family bound to the secret society.
I can’t begin to tell you how disappointed I was in The List…and believe me I had very low expectations. I’m not sure why the vast majority of “Christian Films” are so bad, but they are clearly inferior to what Hollywood is producing. I think the only fair comparison is the Hollywood big budget production and a Sci-Fi Channel Original (if you have 2 hours to kill, watch one…you will laugh the entire time).
In The List, Chuck Carrington phones-in his performance while Malcolm McDowell maintains his same creepiness we have seen before. The editing is just horrible; it almost seemed like they filmed every page of the novel and then cut an eight-hour movie into an hour and half. Honestly the only bright spot was Will Patton who is on screen a total of ten minutes.
Not worth your time…use it as a Coaster instead.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
The movie brags about suspense and black magic but never really delivers, in fact the scariest looking person is the one Christian woman who prays for Renny. So although there is nothing offensive for your kids to see in this movie, it really just wouldn’t be worth their time.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
