Well, religious films is a very broad category, so you might want to clarify what you mean here. This article gives a good rundown of the different kinds of movie that could be described as religious films. 

Where Are All the Great Christian Films? - An Unexpected Journal

If I understand you correctly...I definitely like some "religious films." The 1927 movie, The King of Kings, is great IMO. It's a silent movie so a lot of modern people aren't going to want to watch it, but I'd encourage Narniawebbers to keep an open mind and check it out. The Prince of Egypt (1998) has also really grown on me in recent years. 

That being said, I wouldn't describe these movies as helping me in my faith at all. They were made by secular companies for the purposes of making art and money. Not really the best way to create something that nurtures faith. (Thought The King of Kings does begin with a note saying that the makers hoped it would play a part in fulfilling Jesus's command to carry His message to the uttermost parts of the Earth. So there is that.)

Incidentally, if anyone's a fan of movies like that, I'd recommend they check out the scripts for The Man Born to Be King by Dorothy Sayers, a series of radio dramas about the life of Christ. It's similar in spirit to the recent show, The Chosen, but IMO more consistently well written. The whole thing can be read here though I prefer physical copies for stuff this long.

The Man Born To Be King : Sayers Dorothy L.. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

That might depend on what your definition of "religious" is.

I've watched movies like The Prince of Egypt, Ten Commandments, King of Kings (the 1961 with Jeffery Hunter), Jesus of Nazareth, The Bible In The Beginning, Left Behind, Flywheel, Facing the Giants, Fireproof, Courageous, War Room, Overcomer, I Can Only Imagine, Ben-Hur, Jeremiah, and Barabbas.

As a child, I've watched Veggie Tales. Bob and Larry receive a letter from a kid who faces a dilemma, and they tell a story. At the end, they give the moral of the story and the verse. I've also watched a series called Superbook, where two kids each face a dilemma and a thing called Super book shows up to take them and a robot back in Bible times to be taught a lesson.

@jasmine_tarkheena 

I think Ben Hur and King of Kings were the same movies that you watched. I own both of them on Blu-ray.   Jeffrey Hunter and Charlton Heston were very good actors.

I watched Quo Vadis again tonight. It is about the persecution of Christians under Nero.  Parts of it are quite disturbing including people being left with lions in the arena and Christians burning on crosses. But the film is quite accurate historically since those events did happen. I wouldn’t recommend showing the film to children since its content is rather disturbing.  But it is a very good film. It promotes Christianity as the other ones I mentioned so it is religious in that sense.  It isn’t preachy but shows how history actually happened.

@col-klink 

The 1961 King of Kings is much more well known than the 1927 silent film so I think more people will watch it. I have it on Blu-ray and am amazed at how good it looks.  I liked Prince of Egypt when I saw it a theater about twenty years ago and thought the animation was beautiful. It’s been years since I seen any other new film based on a Bible story. It would be nice if something new were made of that quality.

Sometimes the films have poor acting and other flaws. In The Robe Richard Burton’s acting is rather stilted and artificial. In The Bible: In the Beginning there are departures from the story with Abraham (George C. Scott) wandering aimlessly through the ruins of  Sodom and Gomorrah. Yet movies based on the Bible made during the 1950’s and 1960’s were often artificially done. The interpretation of Scripture was much like the way church going people lived at that time. The films have an endearing quality which is not always found in today’s cinema.

It honestly depends on the film. Some are made better than others, but that's the same with any media. And what counts as "religious" may vary from person to person, but I definitely feel the films you mentioned fit the bill in general.

But yes, I personally enjoy them, again quality can vary, there's some that can be very cringy and just not very good, but others that are really touching. Some do manage to be very inspiring to me, so I would say it can help my faith. I also love when seemingly secular films surprise you with spiritual aspects, I almost find that subtle touch sometimes even more powerful than an outright religious film, probably because it's both unexpected and because it's just a dash it feels more genuine. 

To build off what Kokoro said, some are very cringeworthy while others manage to be very inspiring. 

I am a believer myself, but I tend to struggle with the films where the protagonist obeys God (as they should!) and gets their prayers answered exactly the way they were hoping, because it rarely works out that way in real life (God's Not Dead and The War Room come to mind here - may be harsh but it's just my opinion/personal experience).  

Basically if the writing is bad, the plot clichéd,  and the characters flat, the film won't get a free pass from me just because a Christian studio made it (and that's not to say that all of them are like that 😃). 

I've grew up watching Veggie Tales, a fun show for kids with talking vegetables that gives valuable lessons.

@jasmine_tarkheena 

We have the Veggie Tales series on DVD in our church library.  It is a well liked children’s program which will provide many hours of good entertainment. 🙂

I enjoy watching Christian films, whether they are distinctly Christian/biblical, such as The Ten Commandments or "hidden Christian" such as Facing the Giants, Princess Cut, or the Love Come Softly series. Some of the Christian movies do help me with my Christian faith and walk. For example, Facing the Giants. Yes, the movie has a very happy ending that will probably not be everyone's reality. However, movies like that just remind me that life is full of ups and downs and I have the choice to focus on the positive or the negative. Other TV series (and now made on DVD) such as Promised Land show both the mountains and valleys of life. Even on sad episodes, the overarching take-away, for me anyway, is that even in the hard times God is still present.

Weekend movie nights are a regular part of my family's life. While we do watch plenty of movies that are not Christian, we also watch a lot that are. So, I could go on and on about Christian films 🙂

Posted by: @col-klink

Incidentally, if anyone's a fan of movies like that, I'd recommend they check out the scripts for The Man Born to Be King by Dorothy Sayers, a series of radio dramas about the life of Christ. It's similar in spirit to the recent show, The Chosen, but IMO more consistently well written. The whole thing can be read here though I prefer physical copies for stuff this long.

Ah, I missed your mention of this, @col-klink! I've got the book of the scripts for The Man Born to Be King — it's a while since I read the whole thing, but I haven't forgotten how deeply moved I was by it. I hadn't known until I came across the book (secondhand, some years ago) that Dorothy L. Sayers, who happens to be one of my mum's favourite classic mystery writers, was also a Christian scholar! I don't entirely agree with a few of her choices and interpretations, but overall it's just beautifully done.

The plays were actually aired on BBC Radio during World War 2 — yes, around the same time as C.S. Lewis's talks that were later published as Mere Christianity — but, in the grand tradition of the Beeb taping over or destroying archival material, none of the recordings are known to still exist. It's never been recorded again since then, either, to my knowledge. I'm not sure why — it would be a wonderful project if someone could get together a really good cast and re-create it! But possibly there are copyright issues, and of course it would cost money...

And of course, a Christian doesn't always just watch religious movies. They want to watch wholesome, family entertainment. Here is something to consider:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8

And of course, what Christian would want to watch trash on TV or movies?

I watch Hallmark movies, and while Hallmark is not a religious TV station, they do have clean wholesome entertainment. For instance, while their Christmas movies don't necessarily talk about baby Jesus, they do touch on the importance of family.

@jasmine_tarkheena 

I am afraid that there aren’t too many new shows with family values like The Waltons or Little House on the Prairie was back in the 1970’s. Today’s television is dominated by reality shows which try to influence us with what the networks believe is talent. Their perception of reality is something which may not be what we want in our life.  Most television shows do not even have a story anymore, and it’s mainly about competition for money or something about thrills, e.g., Dancing with the Stars or Survivor. I think vintage television is more wholesome and much better. 🙂

@narnian78 

There's very precious few wholesome family entertainment nowadays. And I don't really watch reality shows because it's too much drama.

And of course, the definition of "family entertainment" may have changed over the years. It probably depends on the family.

I don't know if this is still a thing, but Focus on the Family had a website Plugged In, where they give reviews of a movie from a Christian perspective and lets you know if it is family appropriate.

Posted by: @narnian78

I was wondering if the people here enjoy watching religious films such as Ben Hur and The Ten Commandments. During Easter weekend I watched these films again and also some other classics such as The Robe and King of Kings . Are these films reasonably close to the history of the Bible and do they help you with your Christian faith if you are a Christian?  Or do you simply enjoy them as classic films since they are interesting as films based on history?  They are also good clean entertainment and like many old movies they are usually completely safe for family viewing,

'Religious subject' or 'Bible story blockbuster movies made by secular producers, writers and directors were famous made a great impact in the 40s and 50s on the big screen. Few had a solid Christian message, even though they were based on Bible stories.

But they did try showing aspects not recorded in the Bible - such as an early scene in The Robe where a main character encounters a severely distressed man in the street: it is Judas who has just seen the result of his betrayal of Jesus.  As Judas runs off one way, the character goes into the place Judas just left, and the story gets under way.

If nothing else, these religious films introduced some people to Bible stories. 

@coracle 

Yes, I remember that scene with Marcellus meeting Judas in The Robe.  I thought it was one of the better parts of the movie since it added some sadness to the drama. Of course it is not in the Bible, but it is good drama in the movie. The film is actually based on the history of the Bible and was not intended as a strict adaptation. But then the viewing audience should know that parts of the movie will be fiction before watching.  I have the film on Blu-ray and find it very enjoyable to watch during the Easter holiday even though some of the acting is a bit artificial (especially Richard Burton’s). The story is intriguing, though, and the film was beautifully photographed.  🙂