The Forge (2024) [Blu-Ray]

Director: Alex Kendrick

Cast: Cameron Arnett, Priscilla Shirer, Aspen Kennedy

Release Date: December 3, 2024

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 6/10
Disc Rating: 8/10

Synopsis:

Isaiah Wright has some growing up to do. A year out of high school with no plans for his future, Isaiah is challenged by his single mom and a successful businessman to start charting a better course for his life. Through the biblical discipleship from his new mentor, prayers of his mother and a prayer warrior named Miss Clara, Isaiah begins to discover God’s purpose for his life is so much more than he could hope for or imagine. From the Kendrick Brothers, the creators of the No. 1 hit WAR ROOM, comes THE FORGE, a faith-filled new movie with familiar friends and inspiring new twists.

‘The Forge’ tells the story of Isaiah Wright, a young man a year out of high school who is struggling to find his purpose and place in life. After being challenged by his loving single mother to step up, Isaiah sets out in search of a job and meets a successful businessman who takes him under his wing and gives him both a job and a purpose. Accepting the man as a mentor and exploring a new course of biblical discipleship, Isaiah begins to find himself and embraces the new path that seems far too perfect to disregard, but changing his ways and path will still take some hard work and dedication.

Directed by Alex Kendrick (War Room, Overcomer) from a screenplay written by Alex Kendrick and Stephen Kendrick (Fireproof), Alex Kendrick does a capable job at the helm of ‘The Forge’ guiding along the tale with heart and hope, even if it will probably be far too preachy for generic audiences. The film’s cast includes Cameron Arnett (Overcomer), Priscilla Shirer (War Room), Aspen Kennedy (A Day to Die), Karen Abercrombie (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3), Tommy Woodard (Family Camp), Ben Watson, Ken Bevel, T.C. Stallings (Redeemed), and BJ Arnett (Tulsa) who each offer solid and capable performances for the most part in their respective roles.

‘The Forge’ offers an inspirational and at times very heartfelt and hopeful tale of a young man who became lost in his simple life and decides to chart a new course for himself with the help of a successful businessmen who he develops a unique connection to. It has a solid premise and the majority of characters are relatable and easy to root for, while there are plenty of powerful and standout moments within that will give folks reason to cheer. It does run a tad long and at just over two hours it’s hard not to imagine how much better it might have worked to general audiences had they at least mildly trimmed some of the excessive praying and religious-discussions while still managing to retain the overall message but for those who know what to expect from the Kendrick Brothers and enjoy their work, this one will probably be a winner.

As someone who is largely unfamiliar with the filmography of the Kendrick Brothers, it’s worth noting that I didn’t initially realize prior to perusing the bonus content that ‘The Forge’ appears to be at least a spiritual sequel to their 2015 film ‘War Room’ in many ways and is also apparently the first time that characters from one of their previous films returned and while I was unable to appreciate this, it seems safe to say that this will be something that will prove quite a treat for fans of their work who should enjoy seeing some fan-favorite characters returning and advancing at least some elements of the other film.

The key audience for religious films such as ‘The Forge’ will almost surely enjoy this one more than those who don’t fit the key audience demographic and while those who do will likely have far fewer complaints, many others are liable to be turned away by the aggressiveness of its Christian ideals and focus which is hammered quite consistently into the viewer along the way and can definitely become somewhat tiresome. As a film itself it has its strong points as well as a capable and talented cast in addition to a worthwhile story to offer, yet at times feels far more like a Sunday sermon than it does a piece of cinema intended for entertainment. If you’re a fan of similar films or of the Kendrick Brothers in general then ‘The Forge’ should be right up your alley and will offer plenty to appreciate, yet for those of you who aren’t typically intrigued by heavily religious films you’re probably better off skipping this one as it’s likely to frustrate more than impress.

VIDEO:

The Blu-ray release of ‘The Forge’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation with the film’s original 2.39:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks great as a whole and provides a nicely detailed, clean and sharp presentation from start to finish that never suffers from any substantial troubles or faults to be located along the way. Detail is impressive throughout and characters, scenery and everything else on display typically shines, while colors are clean and vibrant when intended and black levels and shadowing hold up well. Overall, this is a very nice high definition presentation that shouldn’t have any trouble pleasing fans and newcomers alike.

AUDIO:

The Blu-ray release features a 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This multichannel soundtrack offers a clean, crisp and at times fairly immersive audio presentation throughout. It utilizes all five available channels somewhat regularly in order to send music, some crowd chatter and nature effects, plus a few other tidbits throughout the various speakers whenever appropriate, while never allowing any dialogue or other audio elements that might be occurring simultaneously with one another to become negatively affected or distorted in the process. Overall, this is a solid 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack that delivers in every way required of it and nicely complements the tale.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Blu-ray release of ‘The Forge’ features a handful of extras that fans of the film should appreciate. Included on the release is an ‘Audio Commentary with the Kendrick Brothers’, in addition to some ‘Deleted Scenes’ from the film (running approximately 13 minutes altogether) and ‘Outtakes’ (running approximately 4 minutes). Also included are some Behind the Scenes Featurettes including ‘The Making of The Forge’ (approximately 16 minutes), ‘Discipleship in The Forge’ (6 minutes) and ‘The Heart of The Forge’. A promo for some ‘Lifeway Resources’ (2 minutes) is also included.

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray and resized. They will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Film Rating: 6/10
Disc Rating: 8/10

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‘The Forge’ is Now Available to Own on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital from Affirm Films & Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

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You can purchase ‘The Forge’ on Blu-ray at Amazon HERE!

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