On Dec. 19, “David” was released in theatres. The directors of the movie were Phil Cunningham and Brent Dawes. It is an animated movie and musical that is re-telling a story from the Bible. This movie involves themes like bravery, courage, purpose, faith, and God’s plan. There were also some scenes of violence. The pace was not rushed, which was nice. It felt like there was a lot of time and thought put into it.
“David” shows how the viewers can use those themes to succeed at something difficult that seems impossible. It shows how no matter how small or big the audience is, it’s not impossible to lose, you just have to have faith and trust in what you believe in. The film does a great job of showing this. The main character, David, who is voiced by Phil Wickham, is a shepherd boy in Bethlehem who defends his flock against a lion. On his way back home he meets Prophet Samual, voiced by Brian Stivale, who anoints him to be the new king. David is confused because he was just told he was the new king but he still has to serve the old king but he is reminded to trust in God to direct his path. After David puts his trust into God, he hears Goliath, Kamran Nikhad, taunting God and he decides he wants to challenge Goliath. Once David got the approval, he went onto the battlefield with only river stones.
Goliath found it insulting but once David threw a river stone, it hit Goliath’s head and killed him. David is praised but he tells the people to look to God and be loyal which is one of the main themes in the film. Later, David gets accused of betrayal by Saul so he and his family had to go on the run. David went into the desert where he nearly died of thirst but he was found by outlaws who saved him. David realized that he needed to be a shepherd for his family to lead them to freedom just like he did for his flock. After Saul comes looking for them he decides to flee to a place Saul would never check. This is where they found out a war was about to happen and they needed to prepare. Once the war was finished, David went back and found that the citizens were taken. He decides to go get them alone but he gets captured and crucified. Right before he gets executed, David’s men come and save him and he is reunited with his family. At the end, he is given a purple robe and David cuts off a piece of it and lets it go into the air to symbolize his kingship towards God.
The directors of the movie do a good job with the themes and how they showcased them throughout the movie. Some ways the directors presented this was when David was going up against Goliath with leadership, bravery, and faith and he was able to succeed. It teaches a lesson to the viewer and it’s a nice touch to the movie. Another scene in the movie that goes well with representing the themes was when David was losing faith and he was confused, he was reminded to trust God to help him through it, which is what led him to success.
One of the biggest focus points on this movie was David following God and his journey throughout the film. The way that the directors showcased his journey in the Bible was accurate and well done, it was definitely well thought out and there was a lot of time put into the story.
There was one thing that threw me off that I think others would agree with. I think that some of the songs were not entertaining to listen to because I don’t really like musicals overall. For people who enjoy musicals, I would recommend this movie. They didn’t overdo it with the songs, so it didn’t have too much screen time and it wasn’t overwhelming.
The animation of the movie was surprisingly well done. It was smooth and high quality. I expected something that was rushed and cheaply made, but it really surprised me when I watched it. You can tell that the directors really put thought into it and they actually cared about making the movie which made it a lot more enjoyable to watch. The animation and the plot are probably some of my favorite factors in the movie.
I thought the movie was well-written and well thought out, There were quite a few people in the audience that enjoyed it too. I think another Christian audience would definitely enjoy this movie and I think that this film could be good for everyone despite religious affliction. Personally, my favorite parts about this film were the themes that they used and the time that was put into the plot. Overall, You don’t really see movies like this that are released in theatres so I’m happy I got to watch and I would recommend others to watch it- PG, 7.5/10.
