David

Directed by Brent Dawes and Phil Cunningham, David follows the title character (Phil Wickham) as he reluctantly agrees to become the new King of Israel. Filmmakers Dawes and Cunningham, armed with their own screenplay, deliver a periodically watchable yet predominantly underwhelming endeavor that contains few attributes designed to capture (and sustain) the viewer’s interest, as the narrative’s lack of context (or even an entry point) makes it more and more difficult to connect to the central protagonist’s ongoing exploits. (The film does, ultimately, feel like the middle installment of a long-running series.) It’s clear, then, that David’s sporadically tolerable vibe is due mostly to its impressive, vibrant animation and smattering of admittedly engaging interludes and sequences, with the latter particularly true of a compelling digression detailing David’s storied confrontation with an enormous warrior named Goliath (Kamran Nikhad). The palpable degree to which the picture subsequently runs out of steam, however, ensures that David‘s second half feels a little endless (and the bloated 115 minute runtime does little to allay this vibe), and it’s clear, in the final analysis, that the movie will fare best among viewers already well-steeped in complicated Bible lore.

*1/2 out of ****