The Forge
The Forge
The Forge has a positive message to share, but it struggles to deliver it in a way that doesn’t feel like a Sunday School lesson or high-budget church skit.
About the Film
The current golden age of faith-based entertainment owes much to the Kendrick brothers. Although eviscerated by mainstream critics, pioneering films like Facing the Giants and Courageous helped establish “Christian movies” as a legitimate film genre. Since then, companies like Angel Studios and Kingdom Story Group have taken the baton and pushed the genre to greater heights. With The Forge, the Kendrick brothers show that while the industry has shifted around them, they’ve remained the same—for better and worse. The Forge has a positive message to share, but it struggles to do so in a way that doesn’t feel like a Sunday School lesson or a high-budget church skit. 
Films like The Forge are difficult to review, because they aren’t like any other films in Hollywood. The Forge is technically a movie, but it doesn’t really do the things other films do. While many Hollywood flicks have underlying themes or even overt messages, The Forge is not a “movie with a message” as much as it is “a message delivered through a movie.” Every cinematic element—characters, plot, dialogue, scenes—are secondary to that message. The movie arguably has more in common with a Bible study than it does with any of the other films sharing the theaters this week.
Therefore, perhaps the best way to approach this movie is to review it as two separate entities: a film and a message. Every film should be measured by its artistic merit, and faith-based films are no exception (arguably, they should be held to an even higher standard). But with The Forge, I suspect that many in its target audience will be indifferent toward its artistic quality and merely want to affirm (or be affirmed by) a message that aligns with their personal values. If you belong to that latter group, feel free to skip the next two paragraphs. For everyone else, it’s going to be a bumpy ride. 
I don’t want to be excessively negative, but I won’t sugarcoat this. Setting aside the edifying and agreeable nature of its core message (I’m very pro Jesus and discipleship), The Forge is subpar by every metric. It was seemingly created by pastors who love preaching rather than by storytellers who love or respect cinema. The Forge employs film as a tool, not an artform. There’s a (mostly outgrown) stereotype that faith-based movies are merely gospel tracts in disguise. The Kendrick brothers heard that critique and said, “Hold my Welch’s grape juice…” The Forge is essentially a gospel tract without the disguise. In fact, there is even a scene in which a character picks up a literal gospel tract and reads it out loud (for the benefit of the audience). The characters on screen aren’t really talking to each other as much as they are mouthpieces for the film’s sermon.
The in-your-face sermonizing would be more digestible with a bit of sugar to help the medicine go down. But amid the various scenes of characters imparting life lessons to one another, nothing much actually happens. The plot lacks tension. The first brief hint of character drama doesn’t occur until a full hour into the runtime. There’s also a surprising dearth of humor and little in the way of interesting camera shots or framing. The film is predominantly dialogue driven (frequently accompanied by tears and swelling music), and not much is communicated visually or through action. Even prayer becomes a convenient gimmick to turn otherwise silent moments of internal struggle into expositional monologues. 
For all its many shortcomings, the film is not without its positives (for those who skipped the last few paragraphs, welcome back!). To its credit, I think The Forge succeeds in being exactly the type of movie it sets out to be, and audiences hungering for faith-based storytelling will likely leave the theater with satisfied bellies. For viewers that want to see Christian values unambiguously and unapologetically declared in a movie, the Kendrick brothers have got you covered.
The Forge may be more of a message than a film, but its message is important. Although it doesn’t exclude the obligatory “Christian conversion” moment, the movie sets itself apart by continuing that story to the “what next” phase of the Christian journey. As one character says, “People want salvation, but not everyone wants to follow Jesus in discipleship.” It is not surprising that the film is being accompanied by a whole line of Bible study materials. I pray those resources will challenge and equip Christians not only to be discipled but to disciple others—particularly the next generation.
Overall, the Kendrick brothers have a worthy sermon to share with Christian audiences. I just wish they had used a better vehicle than this film to deliver it. Like Luke Skywalker in the cave on Dagobah, most viewers will get out of this film exactly what they bring to it. If you want entertainment featuring Christian people talking about agreeable Christian things, then go see this film. If you prefer films to be cinematic, then this one won’t be for you. I believe there is still a place for the “preach to the choir” brand of films the Kendrick brothers make, but The Forge feels like a missed opportunity. There is so much more potential in cinema than simply providing Christians with one more Bible study to attend.
On the Surface
For Consideration
Language: None.
Violence: None.
Sexuality: None.
Beneath The Surface
Engage The Film
Discipleship
There is nothing “beneath the surface” about this film, but there is no shortage of messages. Although it offers a scattershot of various Christian teaching topics (forgiveness, prayer, salvation, responsibility, evangelism, etc.), the central focus is the importance of Christian discipleship. The film attempts to provide a model for discipleship as a multi-generational structure in which those being discipled are equipped to make disciples themselves. 
As one character declares, “There’s a cost to discipleship.” The speaker demonstrates this lesson by giving up golf. The young adult he is discipling chooses to abstain from video games. The film attempts to show that what you gain by following Jesus—peace and purpose—is far more satisfying than the earthly things you surrender. The film provides a template for viewers to find their own “Forge” of multi-generational men (and presumably women) who carry one another’s burdens.
It’s an edifying message. But there’s one aspect that rubbed me the wrong way. No offense intended toward Baby Boomers, but there is a sort of “Boomer fantasy” about the film’s perspective on the next generation. It paints today’s young adults with broadbrush strokes as apathetic and lazy drifters who waste their time on trivial activities like video games and desperately need a lecture from the older generation to help them grow up. Growing up is important, and guidance is needed. But this film is more about talking to young people rather than talking with them. The main character’s arc is essentially becoming a “good Boomer” who has little time for his passions or friends as he develops a routine of going to church and working long hours. He becomes more responsible throughout the film, but he also loses most of his personality along the way. While well-intentioned, it’s a call to conformity that doesn’t meet young people where they are or acknowledge the complexity of their lives or the unique value they have to offer. It reminded me of an older lady who used to volunteer with my youth group not out of love for teenagers but merely to “straighten them out.”
Masculinity
In a broader culture that has attempted to redefine, minimalize, or even villainize masculinity, The Forge offers a counter-cultural picture of biblical manhood. It doesn’t do so by minimizing women or by endorsing alpha male dominance but by giving men a “tough love” challenge to step up and take responsibility: “Part of being a man is showing up.” While its depiction of young adults may turn off young adult viewers, the film provides some important “dad lessons” to young men about how to give a firm handshake, maintain eye contact, and show up on time.
