Comments about ‘Hollywood looks to connect with mainstream moviegoers and religious Americans through Bible-based films’

I am an atheist, but I have always enjoyed both Ben Hur and the Ten Commandments because of the great dramatic spectacle and top-notch production values evident in both stories. Those are great examples of Underdog vs. Authority, Good vs. Evil, huge sets, sweeping vistas, a cast of thousands, that sort of thing.

If the performances, direction and cinematography deliver a compelling, well-scripted story, that's awesome and the religiosity of the film is largely as irrelevant as whether or not the physics of Star Trek movies make sense.

But let's face it - motion pictures, whether mainstream Hollywood or independent, that attempt to preach through their films are generally flops at the box office. Audiences expecting to have their faith affirmed usually do, even if the film is a stinker, but that's not enough to make a commercial success and encourage follow-on films in the genre.

People love their stories, and good fiction often is more inspiring than good history, so a movie about Noah's Ark? OK, bring it.