For Prophet Film Review

Recapping the Film

I spent this past Saturday evening watching the film For Prophet. Under the direction of  Mark Steward Iverson, For Prophet sheds light on a Christian’s struggle to surrender to God’s purpose for their life.

Ben Marten plays the main character Damon Fisher. He wrestles with his faith due to significant loss and recurrent adversity which weighs him down. 

The weight of his problems is not unbearable for his readers thanks to Valentina Garcia and Enrico Natale. These two do a phenomenal job of providing comedic relief through their contrasting roles.

The Presence of Comic Relief and The Angel Raphel

I like the comedic relief the film offers because it brings humor to serious subjects that can trigger viewers.

That said, the comedic relief became annoying and unnecessary in certain scenes. The reason is that it made certain characters appear incompetent and clueless.

One being I was clueless about before watching For Prophet, was the angel St.Raphel. The Archangel St. Raphael appears in Tobit 5:1-22 as the angel responsible for guiding Tobias safely on his journey. 

Writers do an excellent job of recognizing viewers who are not Catholic may be unaware of who this being is. They do this by explaining who St. Raphael is during a pivotal point in the movie. 

Perhaps creators were using this Judeo-canonical reference to offer “biblical” support for viewers questioning the authenticity of the angel.

I also learned the name Raphael means healing of the Lord. Creators use the name to incorporate irony into the movie as several characters are broken by life’s trials. 

Significant Themes in For Prophet

The theme of brokenness acts as a mirror reflecting the negative attitude one can have toward God after enduring devastation. This reminds me of Naomi as she wants to stop living up to her name and embrace bitterness because of grief (Ruth 1:15-16).

The theme of grief is connected to spiritual warfare.  Ben Marten and Enrico Natale do a great job of depicting the stronghold Satan can have on a person’s life. Specifically, when unfortunate circumstances cause someone to lose faith in God. 

The writers also do a great job highlighting how the decision to obey God’s call can make you seem crazy.

Alas, it is through the craziness of obedience that God’s purpose manifests. The main character receives a breakthrough as he embraces his calling as a prophet by fulfilling his divine assignment.

Irony resurfaces as the prophet exposes the impure motives of an unsuspected villain. This theme aligns with scripture as Jesus also exposes religious leaders who appear holy but have vile hearts (Matthew 23:1-36).

Cultural Adaptation 

The Use of Modern Communication

Good and vile hearts are a part of human nature in every society. Themes such as grief, loss, doubt, justice, joy, and faith are also a natural part of humanity. 

The producers of For Prophet do an excellent job of presenting a somewhat biblically-based film in a modern context. I would have loved to see St.Raphel communicate with Damon through more than regular conversation.

Doing so would have been consistent with the way everyone else communicates in the movie. Allowing St.Raphael to communicate through social media or a cell phone would have also added to the humor of an angelic being adjusting to life on earth.

While happy about the film’s ability to include themes and modern forms of communication, they miss the mark ethnically.

The Absence of Ethnic Diversity

Creators could have done a better job of hiring an ethnically diverse cast resembling the melting pot America has become. A more diverse cast would send the message that people of all ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds need God.

While not the producer’s intent, the lack of apparent ethnic diversity makes Damon Fisher seem like the great white hope. Damon is the hero in a town where only two affluent African Americans reside and no other culture is represented.

This suggests that only Caucasians and a few “lucky” African Americans need to trust in God. This is not the portal of racial reconciliation and unity that the Bible presents about the Kingdom of God (Acts 17:24-26).

Theological Inaccuracies?

Poor Portrayal of St. Raphael

In addition to providing an inaccurate picture of the Kingdom of God, For Prophet also misrepresents angelic beings. 

While humorous, the creators should not have made St. Raphael incompetent and less important than other angels. Dumbing down St.Raphael seems disrespectful to Catholic viewers who honor the angelic being for its role in the Lord’s work.

Along with dumbing down  St.Raphael, writers also misrepresent the angel by suggesting it was sent to earth because of sin.

This is theologically inaccurate since the only angels cast out of heaven rebelled against God (Revelation 12:7-9). This is also theologically inaccurate because Tobit 5:1-22 shows St. Raphael was sent to assist Tobias not learn a lesson.

For Prophet’s Misunderstanding About Death

Another theological inaccuracy revolves around death. Though a comforting thought, when one dies they will not be participating in everyday activities in heaven.

Instead, those who receive eternal life will be before the Lord’s throne worshiping him forever (Revelation 5:13). The beauty within this is the reality that we will be free of the cares, sorrows, and sicknesses of human life (Revelation 21:4).

While I do have some issues with For Prophet, overall it is an encouraging film that can strengthen one’s faith.

Do you intend to watch For Prophet? I would love to read your thoughts about the film. Your comments and feedback are greatly appreciated! 

Maybe one of the most important things that we should hold onto from when we’re kids is our dreams. Sometimes as we get older, we loose sight of the things that we once held onto and guided us. As we get older, sometimes we let go, and we get lost.

Maybe it’s a lack of self confidence or maybe it’s just growing up – but we let go. We forget the things that made us who we are. Maybe the beauty of life is that we have people to remind us and we don’t become skeptics. We need someone to remind us what the beauty of dreams is.

Junebug is that movie for me.

For Juniper the road to remembering what she once wanted starts with her parents delivering her “wish box” that she’s forgotten about. Work is chaos, life is chaos, and she doesn’t think that she has time for anything in life that could bring her pure joy.

She’s lost the color in her world and is surviving in a world of neutral colors and routines.

Junebug has settled for the place that she is in her life. Ethan, her boyfriend, wants to give her a pen for her birthday. Her 40th milestone birthday. Luckily she was a best friend that reminds her that she deserves better. And then luckily she remembers that and eventually lets him see the door.

Reading her wishes that she’s left behind, she awakes to her younger self and thinks she’s lost her mind. But maybe the connection to her younger self is what she’s been missing. She doesn’t want to believe that she’s seeing herself and her younger self just wants to help.

I think that the beauty from the beginning of Junebug is the instant reminder that connecting with who we once were. Connecting with our inner child is a beautiful things if we just allow ourself to accept that just because you grow up, doesn’t mean that you have to let go.

When you are an adult, yes, you have to make compromises, but I don’t believe that you have to compromise ones soul.

Alex Ripley is also running from life. After a savage review of his art work, he’s not really been seen from since. He doesn’t want to illustrate. And he doesn’t want to say why. But Junipers younger self doesn’t want her to give up.

TBH only 28 minutes into Junebug, I was a mess. I was filled with tears. The moment that Autumn Reeser brings Junipers acceptance of seeing her younger self to life was something that broke me. It was such a simple moment, a simple facial expression, and yet it was everything. It was a moment that I had to press pause and wonder – what had I forgotten about being young? What had I forgotten about my dreams?

The way that Autumn Reeser brings the characters that she plays to life is something that you don’t see in a lot of actresses. She’s got this moment in all of her movies where you forget that it’s Autumn and you believe that she’s speaking to you and for you. You believe that this character somehow is everything that you want to be, that it understands all of the pain, anguish, joy, and laughter that you experience. And the way that Reeser brings her characters to life reminds you of just that.

Aaron O’Connell isn’t someone that I have watched in a lot of things, but quite frankly I enjoyed him and I believed in the chemistry that him and Reeser share on the screen. Their characters challenge each other and that is beautiful. The way that they make each other stop and take a second look at the hopes and dreams that each one has – one can only hope that you can find that kind of chemistry in real life.

I know that with all movies, there is going to be some part that is going to break you – that you’re going to have to make a choice. You’re going to have to decide who you are rooting for and what it means. You’re going to have to take a second to think about if your “ship” is worth fighting for. For me, it normally takes a second to get there, but instantly I was there. Together or apart I was fighting for Juniper and Alex. I wanted them to succeed in everything that they needed and wanted.

The subtle nuances in this movie – the way that there are a lot of little changes that you see when you are paying attention – you see that this movie is a break from the norm. But what I loved the most about this movie was that it wasn’t about just the romance or the dreams that one has or even the embracing ones inner child – it was about the beautiful moments where you realize are a cumulation of things.

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Life is a cumulation of things. You just have to take a second to believe in those things and yourself.

It’s if we take the time to see that all the moments can connect us to who we are, well, that’s the beauty in life. Life isn’t about settling, it’s about connecting and believing.

And may we all have the ability to reconnect with our inner child to guide the way.

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Side Note: Mila Jones, you are a light and a star. You really made this movie too.

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Marvel’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” extended its domination of the box office, bringing in $97 million in its second weekend of release, making it the second-biggest movie of the year, behind “Inside Out 2.”

The comic book franchise sequel, starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, already broke the record for the biggest domestic opening for an R-rated movie, with a $205-million first weekend, according to Comscore estimates.

The movie took the eighth spot for the biggest sophomore weekend opening in domestic box office history, eclipsing last year’s summer phenomenon “Barbie,” which earned $93 million in its second weekend outing, according to Variety.

At a time of concern over superhero fatigue, “Deadpool & Wolverine” has given a jolt to the genre, grossing $395 million domestically, overtaking the first two “Deadpool” installments. It is largely expected to cross the $1 billion threshold within days. “Inside Out 2” has grossed more than $1.55 billion worldwide, after eight weekends in release.

“Twisters,” Universal’s reimagining of the 1996 blockbuster, starring Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Anthony Ramos, took the No. 2 spot domestically with $22 million during its third weekend, grossing $195 million to date.

Not screened for critics, M. Night Shyamalan’s new thriller “Trap” opened in third place with $15 million. Sony’s “Harold and the Purple Crayon,” adapted from the children’s book of the same name, earned a disappointing $6 million, placing sixth.

This weekend, Walt Disney Studios became the first studio to cross the $3 billion mark globally during a year’s ticket sales — a success fueled by the 2024 releases of “Inside Out 2,” “Deadpool & Wolverine,” “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” and “The First Omen.”

Overall, the box office had its strongest week of the year to date, a robust $418 million. Per Comscore analysis, July alone generated $1.2 billion in domestic revenue, making it the first billion-dollar-plus month since July 2023.