On Thursday we took our kids to see the new David movie, from Angel Studios. We had already watched the “Young David” episodes streaming on Angel and were favorably impressed. I went because my kids asked me to go, but I was not particularly excited to see another sterilized version of a favorite Bible story. Like many of my generation, we have had so many childhood IP’s ruined by, well let’s face it-Disney-that I am reflexively cynical. Ruining Star Wars is one thing, but I don’t know if I can handle ruining a favorite Bible story. But instead, I found myself engaged and even moved by what turned out to be a two-thumbs up production from Angel Studios.
Story
A surprising large amount of David’s life is covered, from his anointing as a boy to his establishment as king. While there is necessary condensing of source material, the Biblical plot is largely preserved. Most of the violence of the era is sanitized for a young audience, but the emotional and relational complexities of the characters are exposed as the plot unfold. While the theme of warfare runs throughout the movie, the only death actually shown is the death of Goliath. Even the concluding scene replaces a bloody battle with an act of courageous self-sacrifice that may have been more harrowing for my kids than the violence depicted in the Battle of Helm’s Deep. As we were leaving the theatre, my seven year old commented on how David’s song helped them defeat the Amalekites, to which I responded, “Yes, but keep in mind that in real life, they probably would have had to cut off some heads.” With as much territory as the movie covers, the pacing doesn’t lag and essential scenes from David’s life embody the biblical plot well.
Characters
One reason I am so reluctant to watch “Bible movies” is because I don’t want the characters ruined. But in this case, the character depiction was the strongest feature, helping ease some of the plot gloss that was necessary for condensing the material to 2 hours. While aimed at children, the writers don’t shy away from making the characters complex, especially in the relationship between Saul and David. David’s genuine anguish and frustration at the injustice committed against him comes through, along with Saul’s tortured soul. I appreciated the portrayal of Jonathan so much, having loved him since I was a kid for his friendship to David and his faithfulness to his father. His fate in the movie evoked the same feeling in me when I cried as a boy reading through 1 Samuel. David’s relationship with his family, especially his mother – who serves as his spiritual anchor – doesn’t feel cheap. And though he doesn’t have a lot of screen time, Samuel appears as the Merlin-esque figure that I wanted him to be.
Animation
The animation is fantastic. It doesn’t feel “AI”. Particularly impressive is Samuel’s beard, along with Saul’s facial expressions. The storyboards shown during the ending credits are beautiful. The sheep felt like they had personalities. Saul’s “palace” and the temple felt rich. The Amalekites evoked a sense of evil. Just one example of how the animators worked to tell the story is that as David gathers stones from the brook as he prepares to face Goliath, he walks across a field strewn with red poppies. Later, when Goliath thuds to the ground, his body scatters red poppies into the air: an age appropriate substitute for blood and gore that worked beautifully. Nothing felt pre-packaged, but as if a genuine vision for each character and landscape elevated the animation.
Music
If the characters were my favorite aspect of this movie, the music would be a close second. Miri Mesika, an Israeli singer, voices the character of Nitsevet, David’s mom, while Brandon Engman voices young David and Phil Wickham the adult David. Brandon is really talented and his solo songs as young David are fantastic. Miri’s vocals brought a real sense of Jewish passion and faith, elevating “Tapestry” sung with Brandon and “Why God” sung with Phil Wickham. To be honest, I thought the start of “Why God” was a bit operatic and over the top until David’s questioning faith was answered by Miri’s responsive “My God”. Vocally, Miri rescued that song, but more than that, Nitsevet’s determined faith in the midst of sorrow contrasted so well with the younger David’s anguish. Brandon and Miri both deserve a lot of credit for their performances.
Conclusion
This is the best animated movie I have seen in years. Not just a movie that I enjoyed, but genuinely good. Not just Christian animated movies, but all animated movies. It’s a movie that spurs a sense of courage and adventure while still wrestling with the reality that life is messy and even the best of intentions can’t protect us from sorrow and death. A movie that reminds us that we trust God even when we don’t see the plan. Without being over the top, the storytellers even foreshadow the coming of a greater Shepherd King. This is the kind of movie that I want my kids to see. And in truth, it made me feel like a kid again. A kid reading the story of David and Jonathan, and king Saul, and falling asleep to visions of adventure.
Nathan Writes 