(Spoiler Free:) Mini Review
I first saw the trailer for this film when I went to see the film "Son of God" it along with "God is Not Dead" are a string of big budget Christian films to hit the big screen. Aside from "The Passion of the Christ" few Christian films are given the budget to hit the big screen. Most are B level films at best, however I'm pleased to see so many Christian films getting the big budgets for the big screen. This was the inspirational story of a young boy's trip to Heaven, based upon the book "Heaven is for Real" by Pastor Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent. I went to see this in a double feature day for me today, this was movie number one on the day and the following is my mini review (spoiler free) of the movie from the big screen. So...Here...WE... GO!
I went into the theater not sure what to expect. The trailer made the film look very interesting and I was interested to hear the young boy's vision from Heaven. The movie started a little bit slow, but once we get to where the young boy's appendix bursts his fever goes up to 104 degrees (which is about as bad as it gets for those of you who dont know) The boy goes through a near death experience, never officially dies on the opperating table but is given an amazing vision of Heaven. Through out the film he continues to tell his mother and father things about Heaven that he would have no possible way of knowing. Stories of seeing Jesus, angels, deceased grandparents, even a sister that his mother miscarried long before his birth. This film is not inspired by actual events, it is based on real events, based on a book that was written by the child's father. Anyone of us who are believers will whole heartedly believe this story, a story of hope, a story of a beautiful life after death.
Throughout the course of the film I could not help but think about my own near death experience. I'm not here to tell my whole story, I didn't see angels, I didn't see Jesus. What I saw was far more menacing. It is my belief that the devil tried to kill me in May of last year. Not because I was headed for Hell, but to destroy what was left of my family. I was in the ICU for four days, many of the people who saw me tell me stories of not knowing if I was going to make it from day to day. I know... dont ask me how... but I know that I almost died while I was there. I was told of a moment where my body was shaking so violently that I needed to be held down so the hospital bed wouldnt flip over. Only thing is I was already aware of this, I watched it happen. Not from my hospital bed, I dont remember it from my body, but I remember watching it from about five feet away outside of my body. For those of you who do not believe in life after death I can assure you from experience that their are things beyond what we can understand going on in this world. I believe the story of "Heaven is for Real" with my whole heart because I know that there is life after death. I believe that I did not die that day because it was God's will for me to live.
My story is darker, its not about seeing angels or Jesus. I saw the face of the Devil, I saw demons, and I frequently told Doctors and Family not to remove the cross that hangs around my neck because it was the only thing protecting me from the dark forces around me. Do I believe I saw these things because I was on the highway to Hell? Absolutely not, I believe it was a Satanic attack that changed my life forever. Doctors called what happened to me a "Complete Mental Collapse" and I suffered a psychotic break. This has effected my life forever, I'm now legally disabled and suffer from a (without going into detail) an extreme Adult Mental Health Disorder. This event changed my life forever. I feel it happened to destroy my faith, but to the contrary it only made it stronger. I believe I did not die because God would not allow it to happen. My connection to the film "Heaven is for Real" was something special for me. If you dont know my story and are interested in hearing about it in more detail feel free to ask me privately.
Recommendation
Defiantly see it!
Early star rating 4 out of 5 stars
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