Homestead 2024 Full Movie Online
Featured in 2023 Illuminate – Angel Studios (2023)
Synopsis
Amidst the chaos, a former Green Beret joins the prepper compound; love grows, truths emerge, and a community comes together. Angel Studios co-founder Jeffrey Harmon stated that the message of this series was to prove that “Doesn’t God always do something incredible, even in the toughest of times? ‘Homestead’ takes a wild ride through the collapse of civilization, only to reveal that family, community, and love are the ultimate survival assets.”. A harsh truth about writing reviews is that every now and then I will watch a movie I don’t connect with, and ‘Homestead’ turned out to be the next one. However, I understand that while I may not like it, others will, so don’t let this review stop you from seeing it if you’re already excited. For starters, all of the actors, including Neal McDonough, Bailey Chase, Olivia Sanabia, Kearran Giovanni, and Tyler Lofton, handled the material well.
Unfortunately, the negatives make the experience a bit harder for me
McDonough’s performance as Ian Ross in particular stood out to me, as he had charisma while his character assessed the end of the world in a (mostly) realistic manner. While I didn’t think the narrative was strong, I have to admit that the script by Ben Kasica, Leah Bateman, and Phillip Abraham was well-written. It also carries a message about how, in times of crisis, coming together is the best option, enhanced by Ben Smallbone’s beautiful direction. There were many great scenes, especially the opening scene, which demonstrates the events that led to the world falling apart. Scenes like this are where the film excels, showing how tragedy can bring out the best and worst in all of us. For the first negative, the film doesn’t do its best job of storytelling.
The editing was a bit sloppy
This drawback could be due to how uninvested I was in the character struggles. Said characters make decisions that feel unrealistic or out of character based on how they were previously set up. For example, Chase’s character Jeff Erikson feels emotionally closed off throughout the film, and his attitude only changes towards the end. The time progression is all over the place, cemented by, and I’m paraphrasing, a “30 Days After” title card. It omits details that I think the film would have benefited from airing, and I know there’s a TV show coming up. The choppy editing led to a stagnant pace, with the film only picking up steam at certain points.
I’ll give “Homestead” a 10/10 rating
Kevin Costner’s “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1” had similar issues, feeling more like a setup than a complete package. This: I prefer it to Horizon, and if it were between watching Chapter 2 of Costner’s passion project or the TV show I had to “Pay It Forward” to see, I would go with the latter. I’m not because a $15 minimum is too much to ask for just the first episode, and it should have been $5. I know I’m being a hypocrite because the Angel-sponsored screening I went to, where I saw the film for free, wouldn’t have happened without the “Pay It Forward” program, so thank you to everyone who helped make the screening possible. Moving on from the show and the editing, one last point I want to bring up, a minor issue compared to the editing, is the narration. Dawn Oliveri’s character, Jenna Ross, provides the narration throughout the film, and I felt like she didn’t leave an impact.
"Homestead" didn’t work for me, and that’s okay
The narrative is vital to her character development, but it felt like the only aspect that gave her character away instead of letting her actions speak for themselves. Again, that could be a symptom of my lack of investment in the character, but for the most part, the film could have done without the narrative.
