David review – biblical Goliath-slayer animation offers upbeat boybandish worship musical

. UK edition

Scene from Christian animation David, showing the young hero singing with a sheep and his sister.
The boy who would be king … scene from David. Photograph: Courtesy of Angel Studios

Christian kids’ movie is entertaining during the big battle, but the older bouffant hero’s lack of depth is distracting and the worship songs a weak link

U2’s Bono once described King David as “the Elvis of the Bible” – but in this musical kids’ adaptation, David is more boyband than rock’n’roll, with voluminous bouffant hair and a soundtrack of upbeat worship songs. The singing is actually a weak link in what is otherwise an unexpectedly entertaining film, with better than average animation and plenty of PG-approved sword-and-sandal battles. That said, David is unquestionably Christian cinema and frequently takes a preachy tone (often in song form); how much you enjoy it will probably depend on your tolerance for a bit of God.

The Bible’s inconvenient plotting means that David’s takedown of the fearsome giant Goliath (voiced by Kamran Nikhad) comes relatively early in the film. We hear Goliath before we see him, ground trembling, as shepherd boy David (voiced by Brandon Engman) steps on to the battlefield armed with an only slingshot and stone. He has already been anointed by the prophet Samuel (Brian Stivale) as the future king of Israel. David has said he doesn’t want the job, which as Samuel sagely points out, makes him an ideal candidate. After his surprise victory against Goliath, David is brought by current ruler Saul to live at the royal palace.

Years pass, and David (now voiced by Phil Wickham) grows into a devastatingly handsome young man raised as son by Saul (still unaware his young charge is earmarked to be king). Meanwhile, the kingdom is under threat from the Philistines and the nomadic Amalekites, brilliantly animated as a terrifying tribe of warriors in battledress of horns and animal pelts. There’s plenty of brotherly betrayal, double-crossing and other juicy Bible stuff, but it’s let down rather by David’s woefully bland characterisation: pretty to look at, brave, and possessing the psychological depth of a daisy.

• David is in UK and Irish cinemas from 21 August.