FILM FRENZY

David (Photo: Angel Studios)

By Matt Brunson

DAVID
★★★ (out of four)
DIRECTED BY Brent Dawes & Phil Cunningham
STARS Phil Wickham, Brandon Engman

The role of the Biblical David has been played on screens both large and small by various actors, including Gregory Peck, Richard Gere, and Max von Sydow. And, lest we forget, Junior Asparagus in an episode of Veggie Tales titled “Dave and the Giant Pickle.”

In David, the role is played by — or rather voiced by, since this is an animated feature — Brandon Engman as the young David and Christian musician Phil Wickham as the adult David. The PG-rated tale begins with David as a young shepherd who’s about to be anointed the future king of Israel by the prophet Samuel (Brian Stivale). This means an eventual demotion for Saul (Adam Michael Gold), but for now, the temperamental king only knows David as the kid who soothed his savage breast with his music. Of course, David will soon be known by everyone for what happens when the Philistine army pits its most fearsome warrior, the massive Goliath, against anyone from Saul’s side. It’s David who steps up, armed with only a sling and a prayer.

The “David vs. Goliath” headliner occurs halfway through this 112-minute movie — from there, the story moves on to document David’s acceptance by Saul, his friendship with Saul’s son Jonathan (Mark Jacobson), his standing in Saul’s army, and Saul’s realization that David is the one chosen by God to replace him. As presented by writer-directors Brent Dawes and Phil Cunningham, the first half is on balance more entertaining than the back end, yet the entire project succeeds based on the smoothness of the storytelling and the vibrancy of the animation. The visuals initially don’t seem too attractive — I was distracted by young David’s eyebrows, which look like two leeches that escaped from the Puppet Master series — and details are too often smoothed out to a distracting degree. But the overall design works, with some of the character renditions quite effective — I was particularly surprised by and impressed with the look of Goliath, designed not as a bearded behemoth but rather as a pasty-faced refugee from an ‘80s action yarn.

It’s understandable for reasonable folks to be wary of David, as it hails from Angel Studios, the outfit which has had no problem making movies with QAnon conspiracy theorists or with groups championing white nationalists. Rest assured, though, that David is respectful to all and appropriate for everyone (e.g. there are no scenes of David accusing Saul of murdering children and drinking their blood, and no shots of Samuel sporting a red MAGA cap). Some have complained about it being too preachy, but what else did they expect from a religious flick? David can be accused of having — to paraphrase Jesus Christ Superstar — too much Heaven on its mind, but if the sandal fits…

(David is now streaming and will be released on Blu-ray next month.)