karenn1 Quite possibly the worst Jesus movie I've ever seen. I know "artistic liberties" are taken in all movies, but this script molested the Bible, and the writer should be called before a Tribunal at the Hague for torturing Scripture.I didn't mind Jesus being considerably more light-hearted than in most movies (even though Isaiah describes Him as "A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief"), but I did resent the gratuitous liberties taken with actual Bible accounts.Whether it's the depiction of the Christ announcing his impending death to His mother, the death scene of His earthly father Joseph, the timing and method of choosing the 12, the extremely poor sound mixing ... well, it would take a pamphlet to cover every insulting aspect of this illegitimate facsimile of a "Bible" movie.The kindest thing I can say for this production is that Debra Messing made a drop-dead gorgeous hooker, Mary M. From all other errors in this movie, I wouldn't expect the writer to do a bit of research and discover that Magdalene actually wasn't a prostitute.I turned it off after Jesus told His mother that He would die in a couple days. So, I agonized through much of it, but enough was enough.I don't know what Suzette Couture is doing for a living nowadays, but it should be criminal if she is still trying to impersonate a writer.I don't want to sell the movie on Ebay; my conscience wouldn't let me do that. Maybe I'll sail it like a Frisbee and let the pieces fall where they may. I do know I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

Max Kämmerer Where I did not like this movie's depiction of Jesus so much, I prefer its Roman scenes over "Jesus of Nazareth (1977)", which has the better Jesus but the weaker Pilate. Especially the theater scene was very original. And then there are the flash-forwards to the Crusades, inquisition and world-wide war. The costumes, style and scenery are nearly perfect.Actors: Jeremy Sisto does an okay job as Jesus, looks the way you'd expect him to. Thomas Lockyer plays a convincingly guilt-stricken Judas. Jeroen Krabbé as Satan fulfilled his duty as well. The one who steals the show and the movie's big selling point, of course, is Gary Oldman as Pontius Pilate. A most intriguing villain.The idea of Pilate plotting Jesus' death after the Jews' backs also worked for the movie, but it is not very Biblical. In fact, the gospels state that Pilate tried to have him freed (John 19:12). There are other nit-picks I could offer, but I'll refrain from it.Some other lasting images include the Last Supper scene and the movie's unconventional devil. Satan's presence in the movie is stretched out very inventively, but failed to convince me fully.But, then again, will we ever have THE perfect Bible movie? Still, I definitely recommend this one.

MARIO GAUCI Needless to say, I was somewhat wary of going through yet another 3-hour visualization of Christ's life (which had been partly shot in Malta, by the way!), especially as the other efforts I had previously watched from this "Bible-In-Pictures" TV series were hardly inspiring! That said, this emerged a somewhat more successful venture with some unexpected and rather interesting touches (but more on that later) to complement an authentic sense of time and place (actually a common trait throughout the series).To begin with, this presents an over-age Joseph (Armin Mueller-Stahl, who is oddly shown to die – presumably of a stroke or heart-attack – when his hope of the Jews' deliverance are quashed by his laid-back and apparently indecisive son!) and Mary (Jacqueline Bisset – who, for no very good reason, follows Christ through most of his exploits) to Jeremy Sisto's boyish (and, frankly, too human) Jesus. In fact, the latter seems just as ready to engage in a dance and games-playing as he is in healing or generally spreading the Word of God (he is also involved in a romance – which, of course, he has to suppress – though not with Mary Magdalene but rather with Mary, sister of Lazarus)! Incidentally, the first half of the film does seem like merely a succession of miracles with little concerning what Christ was really all about!; of course, this aspect is adequately addressed in Part II – but I think that His 'mission statement', so to speak, should have been upfront rather than feeling like an afterthought! Thankfully, to liven things up lest the over-familiarity of it all should render events stale and dull, the supporting cast is an eclectic bunch of actors. The more notable were Gary Oldman (as a rather depraved Pilate), Luca Barbareschi (yes, he of CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST {1980}, as Herod Antipas!), G.W. Bailey (whom I basically knew from 5 "Police Academy" movies where he had been a rather memorable foil to the gang, as a fictional and wittily shrewd Roman adviser to both rulers – to the court's delight, he even turns Jesus' outburst at the temple into a mini-play!) and Jeroen Krabbe' (as a flamboyant Satan, appearing to Jesus intermittently throughout – sometimes replaced by a sultry-looking female! - in modern dress and leading him through pages from future history to make a case that Mankind would prove ungrateful for His ultimate sacrifice).The apostles, of course, get their due (notably Peter, Thomas and Judas – it is intriguing that his betrayal is depicted here as having been an attempt to provoke the Jews into a collective uprising against the oppressive Roman forces!) though, typically, a few of them emerge as mere ciphers. The passion and death sequences are par for the course, though this particular Jesus does seem to externalize the bodily harm somewhat more vociferously (again, perhaps as a sign that he was not merely divine).For the record, director Young also tackled the lives of Joseph – the one who was sold to Egypt by his brothers, that is, not Jesus' adoptive father – and Moses (both in 1995), Solomon (in 1997) and Saint Paul (in 2000). Incidentally, the series also individually tackled the characters of Saint Joseph and Mary Magdalene (both in 2000) as well as Judas and Thomas (both in 2001)! In the end, while many of these historical figures have been revived in TV mini-serieses over the last two decades, hardly any have left a lasting impact (unlike the admittedly less realistic and usually more naïve examples from the Golden Age of Epic movie-making!)...

dizo32 When attending my religion class I was very bored. The moment my teacher mentioned a major motion picture about the life of Jesus, I was rebellious and saddened by the idea of watching this for two hours. When my religion teacher began the DVD, amazement came upon my eyes. The brilliant acting and incredible good looks of Jeremy Sisto overcame me and resulted in a high amount of concentration that was later commended by my teacher. Jesus' American accent was a great idea of Richard Young to reach the viewer more (I believe). Also the fact that Mary had an English accent, John the Baptist had a Scottish accent and Joseph had a German/Dutch accent believe is a trend that will banish historical accuracy in movies and will allow us (Americans) alter international theater. Halfway through the movie an appearance by Jeroen Krabbé (Satan) was an award worthy acting appearance which displayed a black wrinkle-less suite that was not introduced into society until 1932, but Richard Young decided to Stick it to the man and put it in anyways. Jeremy Sisto, God Bless You Richard Young, God Bless You Jeroen Krabbe, God Bless You