I Can Only Imagine

I Can Only Imagine Review: A heap of melodramatic drivel

Brighton Nelson

19 Mar 2026 — 3 min read

As a lifelong MercyMe fan and somebody who was delightfully and warmly surprised by I Can Only Imagine 2, I just had to go back and experience the original. I tried to watch this one first, but unfortunately, the Blu-ray arrived late, so alas, that was not the case. So, did this film hold up to the quality of its sequel and respect the band's legacy? That's what I, Brighton Nelson of The Reel Ranker, will be covering today. Thanks for coming along for the ride, and I hope you enjoy this article!

At least Dennis Quaid did the melodrama well haha.

The biggest highlights of this film for me were Trace Adkins's and Dennis Quaid's performances as Brick and Arthur Millard, respectively. They both do such a great job of bringing these characters to life through their performances, even though they get far less runtime than they deserve. The film also excelled in its technical aspects, even if its direction remained rather generic.

Nevertheless, all that being said, this movie has a lot of issues and was a massive disappointment after checking out the second film. The film relies far too heavily on melodrama throughout to convey emotions. This is unfortunately most evident in Finley's performance, who is the weakest link in both films. Without Sam and Tim and a bigger focus on the band members themselves, he's left carrying too much of the movie when he's not all that impressive as an actor. I'm sure he's a better performer in his other roles, but his performance and the film's script leave Bart feeling so completely unlikable that I really had no reason to care about what's happening on screen. While it didn't bother me as much in Imagine 2 since Tim Timmons and Sam carried so much of that film, Bart was so rude and emotionally unintelligent to everyone around him here that I didn't even care that he was going through any of these tribulations. Obviously, I feel bad for the real Bart Millard, but not this version of him. This version of him? He's just as bad as his dad!

I love MercyMe's music and am a big defender of faith-based films, yet the story here is presented so uninterestingly that I couldn't care less. While the second film has solid pacing, here it feels like every important plot element is rushed through to the point that nothing has any room to breathe. Since this rushes through so much of Bart's life, nothing feels earned or deserved. By contrast, the second film thrives on its small elements and the fact that it's just a single tour. By the end of this film, I was left so unsatisfied because it felt bogged down by what doesn't work in most faith-based flicks. I wanted to love this one, but it was a cinematic mess.

This is probably the best shot in the movie haha.

The Reel Ranker Verdict

Reel or Unreel? - Reel
The Reel Ranker Score: 82%
Letter Score: A
Star Ranking: 4 out of 5

Unlike its superb sequel, I Can Only Imagine rushes through plot points in the most generic fashion without providing any breathing room. Unfortunately, the acting and script here make Bart Millard feel like a monster, even though it's supposed to make him sympathetic. By the end, I was completely dissatisfied with how unceremoniously drab its story was told, especially given how great the sequel is.

Check out some of my other Christian film reviews below! I'm sure there'll be something interesting to read somewhere in there!