Publication Date: 02-19-2026

I Can Only Imagine 2 (2026) review

Dir. Andrew Erwin and Brent McCorkle

By: Steve Pulaski

Rating: ★★

I Can Only Imagine 2 is so germane to its protagonist that it comes across as ironic. The sequel to I Can Only Imagine — a runaway success back in 2018, and a shockingly sturdy biopic about Bart Millard, the frontman for the Christian band MercyMe — tries to follow up a smash-hit. Much like Millard, screenwriter Brent McCorkle struggles to find the kind of dramatic urgency and interpersonal conflicts that made the first film so easy to embrace. There’s simultaneously too much and too little going on over the course of nearly two hours, and if the faith-based genre has taught us anything over the years, not only will all get rectified, but it will end with a concert that feels more like a gathering at a megachurch.

I Can Only Imagine told the story of Bart Millard’s pre-MercyMe days, which were defined by his abusive father. Millard tried out for school plays, played local gigs, and eventually wrote the titular song, which remains the bestselling Christian song of all-time. It was an inspiring story thoughtfully told by the Erwin brothers, Andrew and Jon, the duo responsible for some of the contemporary faith-based genre’s best works (American Underdog, Jesus Revolution). Following up a monstrous hit, when lightning in a bottle was a key ingredient, is a challenge no matter the medium, and McCorkle (who replaces Jon as co-director) and Andrew Erwin valiantly try to give this sequel dramatic heft. However, even they can’t shake the feeling that the best of Millard’s story, at least from a cinematic standpoint, has already been told.

Reprised by the talented John Michael Finley, Bart is now a father to Sam (Sammy Dell), who has Type 1 Diabetes. Sam’s lackadaisical handling of his blood-sugar tests and insulin shots drives both Bart and his wife, Shannon (Sophie Skelton, replacing Madeline Carroll), nuts, and through repeated flashbacks, it’s as if McCorkle is trying to draw similarities with how Bart’s father (played by Dennis Quaid in the first film) treated him. It’s an uneasy comp to say the very least. Moreover, with fear of further estrangement clearly on his mind, Bart brings Sam on the road with MercyMe during a pivotal moment as him and the band struggle to find their next hit. On the road, Sam bonds with singer-songwriter Tim Timmons (Milo Ventimiglia), the band’s opener, who remains a steadfast, positive mentor for the teen despite battling his own health issues. Also back in tow is baritone-voiced country singer Trace Adkins as the band’s manager “Brick.”

The clear struggle in making any of these plot-threads sustainable is evident in how much McCorkle flashes back to the previous film. By trying to serve both Bart and Sam’s flailing relationship and Tim’s own origin story and personal diagnosis, McCorkle effectively marginalizes both into a smattering of oversimplified platitudes. For one, the ennui and overwhelming emotions, and sometimes lack thereof, Bart is experiencing could reasonably considered anxiety or depression, but the film never so much as utters those dirty words. Tim’s story is the more compelling one by a longshot, especially considering that while Sam’s diabetes diagnosis is serious, he’s also not a child, and his lack of personal responsibility is more of an indictment on his character than Bart’s.

MercyMe’s song “Even If” winds up being the anchor tune of the film, and naturally, the band performs it during a sold-out concert at Colorado’s uniquely beautiful Red Rocks Amphitheatre. I have my doubts that MercyMe actually debuted the tune at that venue, but it’s so pretty and loans itself to sweeping drone shots and photogenic visuals, so creative liberties had to be installed.

Erwin and McCorkle succeed with I Can Only Imagine 2 insofar that their worst crime is intense mawkishness, which is far more palatable than the sort of Christian persecution propaganda the genre typically feeds its pews (the God’s Not Dead series being the chief offender). I’d take dull over delusional eight days a week. That said, with I Can Only Imagine being one of the genre’s most accomplished films of the last decade, this sequel truly underwhelms in its ability to inspire all over again. Imagine that, if you will.

My review of I Can Only Imagine

Starring: John Michael Finley, Milo Ventimiglia, Sammy Dell, Sophie Skelton, Trace Adkins, Arielle Kebbel, and Dennis Quaid. Directed by: Andrew Erwin and Brent McCorkle.