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The Ultimate Life Blu-ray Review


     Actors: Drew Waters, Ali Hillis
  • Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
  • Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
  • Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
  • Dubbed: English
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Rated: PG
  • Studio: 20th Century Fox
  • Release Date: December 10, 2013
  • Run Time: 110 minutes


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            The Ultimate Life is the follow-up film to The Ultimate Gift, both adapted from the best-selling Christian books by Jim Stovall and made for nobody but fans of the franchise. The faith-based film industry often makes these movies with missionary attempts at saving mainstream audiences, but they make the films in such a way that insures only an ability to preach to the choir, so to speak. This type of insipid tale of religious affirmation hits the same notes repetitively in an overlong screenplay and dull direction. In other words, this film is suitable only for your religious grandmother who’s TV always seems stuck on the Hallmark Channel.

     

             The themes of The Ultimate Life are rather clear, repeating what was already learned the first time around. Money cannot buy happiness. If you truly need a film that is nearly two hours long and filled only with poorly written dialogue that is stiffly presented by the cast to tell you that money won’t buy happiness, this film may be able to teach you something. I imagine that this kind of lesson will only be interesting to those who don’t need it, as is the case with most Christian entertainment.

     

            I don’t mean to bash the attempts at cramming religion into the field of entertainment, but I find it offensive when tripe like this is released. It should offend all Christians when this type of one-dimensional entertainment is all there is to represent them. If you used these films to judge the religious, it would lead you to believe that anyone who believes in God is very stupid and has bad taste.

     

            The Blu-ray release also comes with a digital copy to watch anywhere. The special features include interviews with the cast, author Jim Stovall and producer Rick Eldridge, along with a featurette, deleted scenes and a music video.

           

    Entertainment Value: 2/10

    Quality of Filmmaking: 2/10

    Historical Significance: 2/10

    Disc Features: 4/10

     

     

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