BodEquip Ministries - Equipping the Body of Christ to Live Abundantly.

Movie Review: Beyond the Gates of Splendor

Quick Plot Summary: The powerful documentary-like story of Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, and others that went to share the gospel with a remote Ecuadorian tribe in the 1950's and how God redeemed a terrible tragedy.

Rating: Worthwhile
Suggested Ages: 9+

Beyond the Gates of Splendor is an engaging feature-length documentary that tells the true story of 5 missionaries who went to share the Gospel with a barbaric, extremely violent, remote indian tribe in Ecuador in the 1950's. There is a tragedy that occurs, but how God redeems that tragedy and brings things full circle - into the present day - is absolutely awesome.

End of the Spear tells the same basic story in movie format rather than documentary. Although I generally am pre-disposed to not care for a documentary as compared to a movie, between the two, the documentary "Beyond the Gates of Splendor" is overall much better in my opinion. The documentary explores much more of the lead-up and follow-up, whereas the movie's focus is almost exclusively on the central events. The documentary is also better than the movie in exploring the religious elements/motivations, though in my opinion it also falls short in this regards.

Reviewed by Christopher Long,
BodEquip Ministries

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