This entire movie could be summed up as someone who doesn't like, or understand, the book of Esther; so they decide they will plug their own invented story into the backdrop of a Biblical setting. I might expect this from a secular movie company that arrogantly thinks their storytelling is more relevant and interesting than a Biblical account that has stood for thousands of years; but to see a supposedly Christian movie making company do this is mind-boggling. They are suppose to have respect for the source material, but so far they have been the ones to butcher it more than any other Esther movie I've come across.
The production values are rock bottom. The acting is terrible. That would be forgivable if they actually made an effort to faithfully convey the account of Esther based on the Bible and history.
They've tried to invent a story they probably think is more relevant to a modern American audience. The entire point of the Biblical story is lost, and it's full of anachronisms from modern American culture and values.
Rather than an accurate picture of ancient middle eastern culture where Esther could be killed for entering into the presence of the king uninvited, we see a modern American woman who suggests that things are going to have to change once they are married to be more of an equal partnership; to which the king aquieseced somewhat meekly.
Rather than an accurate story about a woman who is taken to be a concubine for a despotic king, in which they may only have on sexual encounter with her never seeing the king again unless he decides to marry her; it is replaced with a modern American tale of a woman who is getting older wondering when she will meet the right man, and involves her insisting to the king that they will have to wait before they are married before they will have any kind of physical romance.
If you want to make up your own story, with it's own values and message, then go do so - just don't force this pablum into a setting that claim to be based on the Biblical book of Esther. Although they do have a disclaimer about some things being changed, what they don't tell you is that nothing of significance about the original story has been retained aside from names.
The production values are rock bottom. The acting is terrible. That would be forgivable if they actually made an effort to faithfully convey the account of Esther based on the Bible and history.
They've tried to invent a story they probably think is more relevant to a modern American audience. The entire point of the Biblical story is lost, and it's full of anachronisms from modern American culture and values.
Rather than an accurate picture of ancient middle eastern culture where Esther could be killed for entering into the presence of the king uninvited, we see a modern American woman who suggests that things are going to have to change once they are married to be more of an equal partnership; to which the king aquieseced somewhat meekly.
Rather than an accurate story about a woman who is taken to be a concubine for a despotic king, in which they may only have on sexual encounter with her never seeing the king again unless he decides to marry her; it is replaced with a modern American tale of a woman who is getting older wondering when she will meet the right man, and involves her insisting to the king that they will have to wait before they are married before they will have any kind of physical romance.
If you want to make up your own story, with it's own values and message, then go do so - just don't force this pablum into a setting that claim to be based on the Biblical book of Esther. Although they do have a disclaimer about some things being changed, what they don't tell you is that nothing of significance about the original story has been retained aside from names.