Disciples in the Moonlight 2024 Movie Review

On July 17th, “Disciples in the Moonlight” hits theaters. Love Thy Nerd was given the opportunity to screen this film ahead of its release. Here is the synopsis of the film, followed by our review.

In the not-too-distant future, the United States has banned the Bible for its “offensiveness” and replaced it with a government-approved version. A small group of Christians is recruited to smuggle God’s Word to underground churches throughout the Midwest. With a ruthless federal agent in hot pursuit, the believers must choose between following the law or honoring and trusting God.

When I was a teenager, I remember going to my local Christian bookstore and seeing all of these “cautionary tale government conspiracy” movies. They starred the likes of Mr. T and Gary Busey. They were filled with impossible, ridiculous future technology. And someone, somewhere turned out to be the Anti-Christ or a human possessed by a demon or some-such. They were over-the-top, badly acted, poorly funded, Biblically-questionable, hard-to-watch movies that were memorable for all the wrong reasons.

Much like “The Shift” that we reviewed in 2023, “Disciples in the Moonlight” continues to showcase the massive leap in quality we’ve seen in the current generation of faith-based films.

This movie’s premise is essentially a “what if” scenario that many Christians (especially those who are politically conservative) have speculated about before, perhaps one many fear will one day happen.

The premise was perhaps my biggest gripe about the film. It’s not that something like this couldn’t happen, but the idea that it would happen in this manner. Essentially, within a single presidential term, the Bible is banned (with the Enlightened Truth Bible put in its place) and so much of the country goes along with it that actual Christians are essentially pushed underground. That’s a fast turnaround in a republic that is still largely considered a Christian nation.

This isn’t to say the premise is wholly unbelievable. In fact, this very thing has been happening in China for decades. The government controls the printing and sale of Bibles in China. Many Christians are forced underground and fear being caught. And even as recently as July 2023, the Chinese government has been seen publishing rewritten versions of the Bible to squash the rise of the church and lift up the Chinese Communist Party.

Had the premise of this movie been presented as “this slowly happened over the course of a few generations” or “this is an alternate reality where Hitler won WWII” or something along those lines, I would’ve been a bit quicker to acclimate to the narrative.

However, once I could let go of that gripe, I was able to immerse myself in the storyline and try to imagine myself in this situation. I’m happy to report that this film seeks to present a plausible storyline that doesn’t rely on demons in disguise or over-the-top miracles to tell its story. The realism of the situation is perhaps this movie’s biggest draw.

This “small group of Christians” are not superheroes. They have no Christian John Wick. Each of them doesn’t come with their own particular set of skills. They are just believers who are being called to do the right thing. They are normal, flawed, scared people put in a situation where they aren’t entirely sure what to do.

Jake, a husband and father, is a flawed man unsure what the right thing to do is, or at least how to go about doing it. His wife is clearly against him putting himself in harm’s way. His mission is causing him to be neglectful of his spouse and son. While not as life-or-death, this is a situation faced by many in ministry. When we feel we’re doing the Lord’s work, we may not realize we are sacrificing our family on the altar of ministry. Seeing his struggle with this balance was very real and raw to me.

The contrast between the “Disciples” and those hunting them is pretty stark. The “Disciples” are presented in a way that is very realistic. Their secret planning meetings happen around a kitchen table (and like with every good evangelical meet-up, there are always snacks on the table). But the government agents hunting them are in a dank, shadowy basement tech center. This is where my only other real gripe comes in: The villains are too villain-ish.

These are people who should have convinced themselves to think that they are not only doing the right thing, but that they are good people at heart. But they present themselves as obsessed puppy-murderers. The head of the division even gives off Lex Luthor vibes. It feels over-the-top compared to the relatively normal way the Christians (and other non-believers) are presented. Still, a minor gripe overall.

I won’t be spoiling the rest of the plot for you here, just some quick thoughts on the back half of the movie. This comes down to, essentially, a backwards heist film—different “Disciples” trying to deliver the real Bible to several underground churches. I found this portion of the film very compelling and very well executed. I truly didn’t know what was going to happen at any given moment and was surprised more than once. The climax of the film delivers in every way you’d want it to.

Like all the best Christian movies out there, everything isn’t wrapped up in a neat little package either. I appreciate that because it again adds to the realism of the film.

Overall, if you enjoy this flavor of Christian film, it’s one of the best ones in the genre and I’d recommend you check it out in theaters on July 17th.