Christian Movie Review

So I watched the movie “One Night With the King” this week with my wife and mother in-law. I was excited to see a full-length picture on the book and life of Esther (Hadassah). Sadly, by the time the movie ended I was very disappointed (this was the consensus of everyone who watched the flick as well). I do not recommend you invest 2 hours to watch this movie.

Why? I understand that when you take something from black and white (the Biblical text) to color, that you are going to have some interpretation. I’m talking about poetic license here. Sometimes you have to try and interpret how someone said what he or she said (what was the fluctuation in their voice, etc, etc); Even in Biblical exposition we must admit this often (needs to) takes place. I did not mind this aspect of the film (in my mind the director has to make an educated interpretation in certain places). The first hour of the film was dedicated to the first two and half chapters of Esther. The second half of the film covered ch 3ff. In many instances, the second half of the film did not stick close to Biblical text. As I was following along in my Bible I found myself saying that’s not what happened too many times. The romance story between Esther and the King (Ahasuerus) was (in my opinion) not very well done. It made a great romance story look cheesy (think Star Wars 2 cheesy). That is the potential danger (especially) with small budget films like this one.

The one thing I love about movies like this one is that they motivate me to be more familiar with the Bible (or with church history in the case of “Luther”). This movie pricked my interest numerous times. I hope to spend some time in the book of Esther in the near future. It really is a neglected book in the neglected Old Testament.
With that said, I believe the story of Esther is not so much about Esther’s faith or Mordecai’s courage but about the invincible hand of Providence (Gen 50:20, Rom 8:28, Esther 4:14). It is also another powerful illustration of how God always provides for His covenant people (Israel). The Jews have been hated throughout history (Egypt, Babylonians, Assyrians, Romans, Germans, etc) yet God has preserved a remnant (Rom 9-11, Zech 12-14). Esther is a wonderful real life story of how God uses an amazing woman to preserve His chosen people from the genocide of Haman.