The young man with the lazy eye slips off his horse. Unpacking his hand-built pulpit, he takes in the scene below in the English countryside. A miner’s camp, straggling miners with coal-blackened faces, glaring at him. “You’re not wanted here!” they snarl. Undeterred, twenty-five-year-old George Whitefield is quick to respond, “Maybe not wanted, but needed.” He begins to preach as they throw chunks of coal at his head. Blood dribbles down Whitefield’s face, and he spits out the blood, as he tells them exactly what they need to hear. And what is that? The gospel.
Some people are mocking the title of the new film A Great Awakening, saying it’ll put you to sleep. I didn’t feel that at all. I felt breathtaking wide-awakeness. So how does someone (me) who thinks they’ve just seen the greatest movie ever (A Great Awakening), persuade you to watch it? With this article I’ll do my very best, but I think the best thing I can tell you is, go watch the movie and see for yourself!
Covering the life of 18-century English preacher George Whitefield (pronounced “Whit-field”), A Great Awakening tells the story of his huge impact as a preacher and explores his relationship with Benjamin Franklin. Playing the title character, Jonathan Blair with his booming voice and animated personality granted charisma to a role that could easily have been flat, dull, and akin to a wooden engraving. Yes, it’s a movie about a preacher, but it’s not preachy.
The story is told in flash-back form, with Ben Franklin (John Paul Sneed) thinking back about his own childhood. Next the story merges into the life of George Whitefield (Jonathan Blair). His passion for the stage takes him to Oxford where he acts as a servitor and is mocked as “Dr. Squintum” because of his lazy eye. John and Charles Wesley step in, and play a part in leading Whitefield to Christ. When he becomes a Christian, Whitefield’s desire for acting changes to preaching instead. Once ordained, he’s determined to give the people solid truth. His revolutionary preaching is frowned on by the church, so Whitefield takes his preaching outdoors where with his loud voice he reaches thousands, resulting in many being saved. When Whitefield travels to the American colonies, he strikes up a friendship with Benjamin Franklin, a printer in Philadelphia. While Franklin thinks of himself as “good enough” to get to heaven with his own “religion”, he is constantly witnessed to by the preacher.
I think this film will appeal to audiences of today for several reasons. While you might expect a story about an 18th-century preacher in his ponytailed wig to resonate more with the older generation, it actually has a lot that Gen Z will connect with. Some of those aspects are obviously the up-to-date filming, fast-moving scenes and montages, and the strong appeal to the emotions. Also, despite its being a historical drama, it will appeal to audiences of today because it has a slightly modern feel – yet it’s not going to miff the history buff. The movie has good scenes that keep you interested and invested in the story.
Hands down, this is intentional entertainment. It’s solid and unapologetically Christian. It has a depth that plummets into the gospel message, what it means to be born again, and the meaning of blood of Christ. It continuously quotes Scripture and brings up the name of Jesus as it’s meant to be spoken – with respect for its preciousness. All of this is accomplished without coming across as pious or saccharine.
Parents, good news. You don’t have to keep your finger on the fast-forward button because A Great Awakening has no profanities, and no sexually explicit content. If you’re planning to show this to your kids, you might want to be aware of some highly dramatic scenes, blood on Whitefield’s face, and his lazy eye which could be frightening to kids. There’s also one scene showing Franklin watching a bawdy play (which is portrayed in such a clearly unfavorable and distasteful light that it’s not a problem).
From a personal standpoint, A Great Awakening refreshed my soul. The film is highly glorifying to the Lord. How often can that be said about anything coming from the entertainment world? I found the acting, cinematography, dialogue, film score, and costumes all great in themselves as well. To me, one of the best aspects of the movie is experiencing Whitefield’s voice (which, by the way, could reach a crowd of up to 30,000). I admire the performance of John Paul Sneed as Franklin, who’s part of the great glue that works to hold the film together. He’s the Ben Franklin as far as I’m concerned. Sneed gave an excellent performance with his gingerness about discussing faith and his warding off of all Whitefield’s advances about faith. And obviously Jonathan Blair’s performance as Whitefield should be given two thumbs up. Together, they make a solid acting team.
A Great Awakening is heartfelt, inspiring, and has a power that packs a punch. You should feel smacked by the weight that it carries. I’m praying that this movie will go far and that God will use it mightily for His kingdom. Just see if your heart rate doesn’t rise when Whitefield raises his arms heavenward and shouts to a crowd, “ARISE OH SLEEPER, AWAKEN!”
