What Sets the Kendrick Brothers’ Movies Apart?
By Movieguide® Contributor
Alex Kendrick explained how his approach to moviemaking sets his projects apart and allows him to focus on glorifying the Lord and building up the church.
“We’ve been asked often why our movies may be preachy. Some people think overly preachy, which is interesting because I did not set out to make preachy movies,” Kendrick said. “I wanted them to be artistic. I wanted them to be cool. And the Lord kept guiding us to ‘You are making movies not for entertainment first but for ministry first.’ And as we made each of our films, we watched God do exceedingly, abundantly more than we could ever ask or imagine.”
“Our motive is to edify the church first, knowing that a secular audience will often come over and watch the films. And we have fruit from that as well,” he continued. “But I would say intentionally, we go after trying to edify the church and the body of Christ first.”
“Now that is for our case. I do not represent all filmmakers, so we do need filmmakers identifying different audiences,” Kendrick added. “In our case, it is the church first, and we are okay with that. You know, if the Lord’s blessing and doing more than we could ever ask or imagine, I can’t ask for a better response. So that’s what we focus on.”
This focus has allowed Alex and his brother Stephen to create amazing movies that have touched the lives of millions across the world. Their latest project, THE FORGE, encouraged viewers to take the aspect of mentorship seriously within the church.
The first act of THE FORGE is a bit slow with too much static dialogue. However, once the jeopardy starts, it becomes more exciting and finishes with a powerful, entertaining, redemptive ending. THE FORGE has a strong Christian, biblical worldview. It does a beautiful job displaying the deep need for discipleship in the Church. It spurs Christian believers to disciple and mentor the next generation. The movie also shows how prayer changes hearts and has a clear presentation of the Gospel. THE FORGE will inspire the hearts of Christians to continue being fully committed to Christ.
READ MORE: THE FORGE REVIEW
“So many movies take the Lord’s name in vain as a part of their movie — the name above every other name — they’re dishonoring. THE FORGE is going to lift up the name of Jesus and honor Him, point people to Him, draw us to discipleship to follow Him,” Alex said of the movie. “So we hope you are blessed and challenged as well as entertained.”
Not only was discipleship the focus of the movie, but the Kendricks created resources to help others connect and build mentorship relationships. They practiced mentorship on set as well to further understand how to portray it on screen.
READ MORE: THE FORGE PROMISES TO ‘LIFT UP THE NAME OF JESUS.’ HERE’S WHY.
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