Review: Our critic cannot tell a lie: 'Young Washington' is the dullest of history lessons

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Set us as preferred It’s the 250th birthday of the United States of America and how better to celebrate than with a big-screen hagiography of America’s first president, George Washington? “Young Washington” arrives in theaters just in time for the Fourth of July with a chiseled, hot young actor in the lead role and the sheen of a prestige HBO drama, though the result isn’t really big-screen spectacle or appointment television.It feels more like something to be watched on the AV rig in a middle school social studies class.

At least there won’t be a quiz at the end.But there could be, because the plot of “Young Washington” plays out with all the thrill of a textbook chapter.It takes place mostly around 1753-55, at the advent of the French and Indian War.

We open in medias res when the 23-year-old Col.Washington (William Franklyn-Miller) lurches from a dysentery-riddled nap directly into battle in the Pennsylvania woods, his battalion on the back foot, surrounded by gore and gunpowder.

Another officer describes how dire the situation is while George ponders saving his men and asks, “What could be worth the risk?” Washington steels his gaze and we cut to black.You can almost hear the eagles scream, guitars riff and engines rev.“Young Washington” is produced and distributed by Angel Studios, the faith-based movie studio that churns out films based on true stories that either feature freak accidents, strange illnesses or, more recently, unique stories from the past in which faith in God is a factor.

Apparently, our nation’s founding also falls under this umbrella.Movies From classic dramas like ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ and ‘Nashville’ to a John Carpenter sci-fi nightmare, these movies articulate a shifting national mood.The film is directed by Jon Erwin, one of the in-house Angel Studios mainstays,...