As Bad As I Heard It Was
I really didn't think it could be as bad as I had heard. This was an obvious attempt by the filmmakers to cash in on some of that "God's Not Dead" revenue. I'm wondering if the production company that made this is going to turn into the Asylum of Christian movies? Anyone who watches horror knows what I mean.
Why do Christians think evolution explains abiogenesis? Evolution is not a creation theory. It does not explain the start of the universe, or even the start of life on the planet. But how the first life forms evolved into something else. Also, that entire ape argument. What don't people get about common ancestor? Why do they deny that homo sapiens are the highest order of primates in taxonomy?
It was sad to see Harry Anderson in this movie. He must have really been strapped for cash. Also, did anyone else notice that the make up or lighting they used made him look jaundiced? There was definitely a yellow tinge, especially on his cheeks.
The rest of the cast, the woman playing Rachel has the emotional depth of a mud puddle, the guy playing her father was a poor man's Dean Cain, the mother was a Stepford Wife, the jocks were all stereotypes, and then there's Evan. Could they have found someone with less of a serial killer/cult leader look? He came off as slimy, an opportunist, and a creeper. The character was manipulative, arrogant and pure ego. Of course Ken Ham loved this movie, they basically based Evan on him, right down to the weird beard.
This is supposed to be a state university, but there is one biology professor, two people on the school newspaper and about 100 students total? Have the makers of this movie ever been to a state university? There would be far more than two people on the school paper and they wouldn't be the only journalism majors.
The entire premise is silly, too. Her father would have been told to get lost, his daughter is an adult and can learn what she wants in university. But her course load sounds more like a community college. Algebra, government, intro to biology? And she wants to be a pharmacist? This was filmed in Michigan, where the School of Pharmacy at the University of Michigan offers a BS in pharmacy. You don't need a BA in biology to get into the PharmD program. And Algebra? Did the school decide she was gifted, so they enrolled her, but are making her take community college level courses to get up to speed, after an obvious Christian school education? I say obvious because public high schools have biology classes, which are prerequisites for the college track. Yet she has never heard of evolution and she is taking remedial math. I really do wonder if this movie is actually supposed to be the fever dream of a junior high school Rachel, dying of some disease she got from that boy in the park when she was 10.
The entire bit with the fired and discredited professor bugged me too. No state university would allow someone teaching biology to teach intelligent design and creation science instead. That would be a separate course, if it was offered at all. But his career was ruined? He could have made a huge stink about it in the Christian press and gotten a job at Liberty University or something else of the sort.
This is just a terrible movie and not even in a so bad it's good kind of way. It is just awful. Strawman arguments and a script that seems to have been penned by someone with an 8th grade education.
The best part is, this was filmed at Aquinas University in Michigan. A private Catholic college that actually does teach evolution. Because Catholics are allowed to study evolution and accept it as fact, unlike fundamentalists.