Review: War Room

We will be having regular book and movie reviews, done by both our staff and the members of this church. If you have any further questions about what is being reviewed, or the subject matter within the reviews, please email the church. 
warroom

An Uplifting Experience

When was the last time you walked out of a movie theater motivated to discipline your prayer life or disciple someone?

That’s what the movie War Room did for me. It was totally unexpected and an uplifting experience. Having gone to the theater on opening day without knowing much about the film, I was able to experience this modern-day telling of what can happen when people put into practice the principles of prayer as taught in both Matthew 6:6 when Jesus said, “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you,”and in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” These principles on prayer are interwoven into the storyline, modeling what women-discipling-women looks like, and what speaking the truth in love – even when it’s hard – looks like for men. This alone made the movie well worth the admission ticket.

Now, because I want to encourage everyone to go see this movie and do not want to give away much of the storyline, I will just say that the movie is well-paced, very humorous, and moving. It is rated PG for mature subject matter, like the difficulties of a struggling marriage, unethical behavior, and brief scene of a crime being committed which can be frightening for younger viewers, so please use your discernment in choosing to watch this film. This movie tackles many tough issues such as the effects our busyness has on our children, the lure of material wealth and worldly success, and various other temptations we fight against in our everyday lives. Overall, I was very impressed by the realistic and believable way the makers of this movie addressed these issues.

The Power of Prayer

One of the many things that I appreciated about this movie was the fact that the Word of God and the Power of Prayer were not marginalized but rather shown as the agents of change in the hearts of the people. The name of God and Jesus was also used in their proper context with honor and respect, which was also very refreshing and filled my heart with much joy! It is such a blessing to be able to watch a movie without hearing God’s and Jesus’ name being used in vain. God was definitely honored in this movie.

As I write this review of War Room, the movie is still playing in all 4 major theaters in the South Bay going on its 7th week run. I would recommend this movie to Christians and Non-Christians alike. It would definitely be a great conversation starter for our friends and family who have yet to put their faith in Jesus. If anything, it would challenge the viewers to consider the Gospel and have a visual model of what prayer and discipleship looks like. And a final note for those who are sensitive and easily cry … be prepared to be moved to tears. A pack of Kleenex might be a good idea.


About the Author: Yosh Amano is a member of Lighthouse.