Is God Is: Strong Potential Goes Unfulfilled on a Bloody Road to Revenge (Blu-ray)

The Film:

Earlier this year, a little film with the bizarre title of "Is God Is," based on the acclaimed 2008 Off-Broadway play of the same name by Aleshea Harris, landed in theaters to a rather fascinating split reaction between critics and audiences. The former praised it for the most part, while the latter had a far more mixed reaction, that is, from the very few that went to see it. Despite being in a decent amount of theaters, the film was only able to garner about $5 million total, with various reasoning being cast on its strange title (which led many to think it was a religious film), poor marketing, and its violent themes, but whatever the cause, it ended up being a rather significant box office disappointment. Now that the film is getting its Blu-ray release, the public will get another shot at seeing what critics had declared a great film, but is it actually worth it, or were audiences right to avoid it in the first place?

The film follows twin sisters Racine (Kara Young) and Anaia (Mallori Johnson), who have been left scarred by a fire started by their father when they were kids, a fire that they believe to have killed their mother (Vivica A. Fox). This is what makes it such a shock when they receive a letter from her asking them to come and see her, which they do. She has been left quite disfigured by the fire, but is able to explain that she didn't want to cause them further trauma, so she left them in foster care. However, her real reason for summoning them is to ask that they take up the mission of killing their father for what he did. They are hesitant at first, but after seeing the true extent of her injuries, they agree, putting them on a bloody path of revenge.

Working from her own play, writer/director Aleshea Harris sets up her dark tale of vengeance with some pretty strong potential in regards to the different paths this journey could put its two protagonists on. Of course there have to be certain complications along the way to shake things up, for having an easy journey that's a simple drive from point A to point B wouldn't be particularly worth taking, so naturally we're well-aware from the outset that this is going to be more of a hunt than a mere execution. As such, one has to expect an element of mystery to enter the equation, one that will have the twins following clues as they proceed on their mission from "God" (aka their mother, for she's the one who "made them").

With all that in mind, the success or failure of the entire endeavor ultimately comes down to how well-executed the journey is, that is, how compelling its various twists & turns are, how well Harris is able to grab the audience, and perhaps most important of all, how much she is able to make us sympathize with these sisters as they attempt to locate & kill their psychotic father. With all of these questions considered, it's unfortunate to have to say that the film stumbles a fair amount on all of them.

For starters, the twins' journey is never particularly compelling, simply because it has them going from one location to another before reaching their goal rather easily (someone does try to stop them at one point, but they're rather clumsy about it), subsequently leading to being somewhat disconnected from them throughout. As for sympathy, obviously there's going to be a certain amount regardless for what their terrible father has done, but their eventual encounter ends up leaving a lot to be desired, as does the random-feeling conclusion that ends up being a bit rushed.

In the end, "Is God is" had quite an intriguing idea at its core, but Harris just didn't know how to fulfill the most important requirements for a story like this. Given that the play won a handful of awards, perhaps it's simply the case where the idea worked better on the stage than it did as a film, which is certainly not to say that it didn't have any elements that worked in the latter medium. The performances are fine all-around and the film does have a few amusing moments throughout, but it's simply not enough to make up for its sluggish and somewhat perfunctory approach to the story, which ultimately leaves us with another instance of strong potential that goes unfulfilled.

Video/Audio:

"Is God Is" comes to Blu-ray in a 2.39:1, 1080p High Definition transfer of excellent quality, presenting a perfectly clear & sharp picture throughout the entire 99-minute duration. Likewise, the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track is fantastic, giving you all of the dialogue & music in outstanding quality. Overall, MGM has done a wonderful job in both areas for the film's physical debut.

Special Features:

None.

Conclusion:

Aleshea Harris' "Is God Is" sets out with some strong potential in its tale of twin sisters on a mission to kill their father, who had nearly killed them & their mother in a fire, but sadly it stumbles quite a bit in terms of making this a compelling journey & pulling the audience into its protagonists' road to revenge, ultimately leaving us with a potential-filled tale that doesn't live up to its intriguing possibilities.

Score: 3/5

Available on Blu-ray starting tomorrow.

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