One of the selling points of this movie was "Made entirely apart from Hollywood," and, boy, does it show. So much so, I only sat there for the first third of the movie.
As an actor and soon-to-be filmmaker, I was interested in the whole "apart from Hollywood" angle. As a Christian, the idea of a modern Gospel intrigued me. Both parts of me were offended by this well-intended turkey.
The filmmaker in me was offended by the tedium of the story - this is the Greatest Story Ever Told, and they couldn't make it interesting. The acting could only be likened to bad community theater put on film.
The Christian in me was offended by the treatment of various parts of the telling. First of all, Jesse (Jesus) was a sensitive, weepy-eyed Gap ad, not the strong, passionate carpenter of the gospels. The point at which I walked out was this: At the transfiguration, Jesse reveals his true self, glorified, to the apostles. Two of the apostles do a jaw-drop-then-faint-like-a-board take, like a WB cartoon, with similar sound effects. Wow. This proud-to-be-Christian director reduced one of the high points of Jesus' life to a slapstick routine. Revolting.
The Christian filmmaker in me was offended because all I could think was, "OK, great. Now everyone who sees this is going to think that THIS is what Christian filmmakers do - make crappy movies."
As an actor and soon-to-be filmmaker, I was interested in the whole "apart from Hollywood" angle. As a Christian, the idea of a modern Gospel intrigued me. Both parts of me were offended by this well-intended turkey.
The filmmaker in me was offended by the tedium of the story - this is the Greatest Story Ever Told, and they couldn't make it interesting. The acting could only be likened to bad community theater put on film.
The Christian in me was offended by the treatment of various parts of the telling. First of all, Jesse (Jesus) was a sensitive, weepy-eyed Gap ad, not the strong, passionate carpenter of the gospels. The point at which I walked out was this: At the transfiguration, Jesse reveals his true self, glorified, to the apostles. Two of the apostles do a jaw-drop-then-faint-like-a-board take, like a WB cartoon, with similar sound effects. Wow. This proud-to-be-Christian director reduced one of the high points of Jesus' life to a slapstick routine. Revolting.
The Christian filmmaker in me was offended because all I could think was, "OK, great. Now everyone who sees this is going to think that THIS is what Christian filmmakers do - make crappy movies."