What makes a great film based on a true story? In my opinion, the film is great if it follows the actual story and doesn't deviate from the course that someone actually lived. Louis Zamperini is a man whose story shaped much of my teenage years and continues to influence the man I am becoming. I learned a lot of lessons from his stories. That nothing in life is ever too hard to overcome. That resiliency, faith, courage, and strength can get you through anything. That forgiveness can set you free from a dark past. And above all else, God is in control of everything and uses everything for our good, yes, even our pain. I know that not everyone believes in God, and many reject His existence. But the story Unbroken is incomplete without God in it. I, like so many others, felt empty after the first Unbroken film in 2014. While the movie was mostly accurate, it left out so many important details. The last half of Zamperini's story is summed up in a sad two sentences at the end of the film and God was swept under the rug. So once again, I like so many others felt utterly relieved when it was announced that a sequel was in the works to finish the story. I am proud to say that this movie exceeded my expectations and finished a story that much needed to be told. While what happened to Zamperini in the war was a terrible and unforgettable story, his time after the war was much darker. Louis Zamperini went from being a man unable to be broken by his captors to a survivor haunted by nightmares that leave him reduced to an alcoholic. But it is such a beautiful moment both in the book and in the movie to see Louis lay all his burdens down at the alter and become an entirely different man, free from all his pain. Again, I know that not everyone believes in God, but it was undoubtedly God that freed Louis from his own war. You cannot remove God and faith from this story and have a good movie. I feel that this movie did justice to Zamperini and his legacy.
Review of Unbroken: Path to Redemption
