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Here's a look at the new movies I saw this week.

I Can Only Imagine
Starring: J. Michael Finley, Dennis Quaid, and Trace Adkins
Synopsis: Faith-based films are often a struggle for me. As a friend once said, the problem with Christian films is often that they're so focused on the first part, they forget the second part. But when you find one that remembers the importance of making a good film, it can be a really special experience. And it can bring audiences in droves. "I Can Only Imagine," which tells the life story of Bart Millard, the lead singer of Mercy Me who wrote the famous ballad, is such an offering. It is a movie about the power of faith and redemption, but it remembers what's important in crafting a great story for the big screen. This is a story of family, redemption, love, and finding your way in the world by overcoming obstacles. In a lot of ways, the story here feels similar to the way stories we've seen of secular musicians and their life stories. There's a lot of familiar themes, and it's easy to slip into the story and get connected. Quaid, who plays Bart's father, does a nice job in the role, and has some difficult scenes to play. But the film really works because of Finley, appearing in his first feature, who does a nice job in the lead role and really carrying the narrative of the film. This is perfectly timed for the Lenten/Easter season, tells a good story and connects with audiences through one of the most popular and famous songs of its type. This is one that's well worth checking out.
Rating: PG for thematic elements including some violence.
Verdict: Three stars out of four.

Pacific Rim: Uprising
Starring: John Boyega, Scott Eastwood, Charlie Day, and Burn Gorman
Synopsis: It's been five years since Guillermo del Toro offered his take on monster movies with "Pacific Rim," a big summer blockbuster that produced positive reviews and ardent fans, if an underwhelming Box Office. Now the world comes back to life with "Pacific Rim: Uprising," a sequel that features hardly any of the original actors, a different writer and a different director. But the world and the premise are the same, and thus the allure is largely the same. This new one focuses on the son of "Pacific Rim" hero Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba), Jake (Boyega), who is incredibly talented but has run from being a Ranger for various reasons. The world is seemingly at peace, but the threat is always looming. And legal trouble forces Jake back into his old duty, where he teams with his former training partner Nate (Eastwood). He does it mostly out of allegiance to his sister, Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi). And soon he finds himself pulled into a battle to save the world. I wasn't a huge fan of the original "Pacific Rim," which I thought had interesting visuals but offered a confusing story and characters I didn't really engage with. So I wasn't excited to see this sequel, but I came away pleasantly surprised. While the creativity and world building aren't unique for this film, I liked the characters and performances from Boyega and Eastwood in the lead roles, and I thought the story was more straight forward and easy to follow. Thus, this becomes a nice Spring action movie. It's easy to follow, has characters you want to root for, and enough big effects that it's a nice popcorn movie. It's not deep and it's not groundbreaking, but it feels like what the "Transformers" movies used to be before they went off the rails. And, after this enjoyable second installment, I found myself thinking this could make for a decent ongoing film franchise, something I wouldn't have pictured five years ago.
Rating: PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and some language.
Verdict: Three stars out of four.

Upcoming Releases:
Thursday, March 29 - "Ready Player One"
Friday, March 30 - "Acrimony," "God's Not Dead: Light in the Darkness"