Chosen by God: Biblical Tale of Samson Comes to Life on Big Screen

The biblical story of Samson hits the big screen Friday. The movie is an action-packed cinematic tale about a champion chosen by God to deliver Israel.

The film stars Taylor James as Samson.

"I grew up being a Christian, used to attend Sunday School and go to church. The morals and ethics that are instilled in you in religion – they stayed with me," said James.

God called Samson to free his people from the Philistines. The king of the Philistines realized that Samson could lead a Hebrew uprising and sent 1,000 soldiers to defeat him.

"The odds were against Samson: He was outnumbered. The Philistines had a bigger army – how did he defeat so many?" asked CBN News.

"Clearly the strength from God," James replied. "It was fundamental for Bruce, the director, that we saw that Spirit leave Samson. We saw the moment where God comes into him and the moment where God leaves him. God is always with us – don't get me wrong. But it was the power, the raw strength that got him through that and it was clearly from God."

Following their defeat, the Philistines were determined to uncover Samson's weakness, which they eventually did and took him prisoner.

"In one final calling to God, he said, 'God give me strength one last time. Let me die with the Philistines,' " James said. 

The story of Samson's journey of passion, betrayal and ultimately redemption aims to inspire audiences.

"The ultimate message is no matter how many times we fail or feel like we're floored or done something wrong, we must always finish strong because God will love us no matter what," James said.