Review Summary: Ends strong, but doesn't recover from a clunky, uneven and nearly-ridiculous first half.
Going into Samson, my expectations were pretty low considering the reviews. And by the time I came out of the film, I felt like I had watched a movie of two halves. And indeed, the tone of the second half of the film is definitely much different than the first.
And that first half of the movie is pretty mediocre, and really uses artistic license (the amount of Scripture based around Samson isn't enough to justify a feature-length movie). I get the idea that Pure Flix was trying to make Samson into a superhero of sorts. And even though he does call upon God for his powers, the way his power is portrayed feels way too Hollywood and superhero-like. It's a bold move, but just not done correctly.
Not to mention, Samson himself has become a self-centered, Han Solo/Tony Stark-like womanizer. Now, true, he certainly has more respect for others than those two do, but it's an idea and persona that feels very out of place. There's also one or two plot points that are so lazily-written, they are almost laughably ridiculous. A lot of the scenes during this half of the movie have some awkward camerawork, and a lot of the scenes feel very stagy.
It isn't until after Samson takes on a thousand Philistine warriors (an entertaining fight scene) that things finally start turning in a positive direction. Taylor James and Jackson Rathbone grow into their roles, and are given a handful of good scenes in the second half. The scene where Samson's hair is cut and when he is captured is actually pretty well-executed.
The final scene of the whole movie is pretty good. Samson's bringing down of the Philistine people is nicely-done with a good blend of practical and visual effects. An emotional scene earlier between Samson and his brother also succeeded in keeping me glued to the screen. Will Musser's music appropriately accommodates some of the epic scenes late in the film. And the film's ending shots do a nice job connecting Samson's story to another famous figure later in the Bible (perhaps a nod to Marvel's post-credit scenes?).
But, the overall production design and visual flair is a mixed bag at best. At times the set design and practical effects are very convincing. Sometimes they aren't and come across (like I said earlier) as very stagy. A few of the costumes seem pretty cheap-looking as well.
I do commend Pure Flix for trying to take a different approach with Samson here. They certainly took cues from many recent Hollywood blockbusters to try and put a new twist on the famous Biblical character. And thankfully, the film manages to still keep the main events in Scripture intact (in spite of all the artistic license taken).
However, I wish the film wasn't so uneven in its' tone. The first half is pretty bad. And while director Bruce Macdonald does manage to solidly change course, it still doesn't leave the overall film in good shape. Perhaps a simpler approach with more traditional ideas would have worked much better here.
My Score: 5.3/10
Content Concerns for Family Viewing: Samson is rated PG-13 for "violence and battle sequences". There are several scenes that are violent and may be way too intense for younger viewers. Several people are killed throughout the film (punched, snapped, and impaled), sometimes with a little bit of blood involved. Samson wrestles a lion to death by snapping its neck (we later see the lion's decaying corpse). Samson uses a bone to help fight off the Philistines (he has blood stained all over him by the end of the scene). Two women are thrown off a wall into a fire. Samson pulls a door out of place and later pushes pillars to make an entire building crumble and fall (many lives are lost bloodlessly during this catastrophe). Samson's eyes are burned out by a blacksmith tool (we only hear screaming as the action is offscreen, but then see two burned sockets at a distance). Samson is also beat up in prison by a whip several times.
Besides that, soldiers drink wine. Samson steals tunics off dead bodies. The villain is incredibly merciless with lots of insane orders. Samson ogles women in one scene, calling it the "best view in Judea". His brother notes that he goes from "one bed to another". Couples kiss a few times. Characters lie and deceive.
