Reviews

Most of the other reviews here have mentioned the main flaws of the film. For me, the primary difficulty was with the setting.

There is no reason for this story to take place in Washington, D. C. There is nothing particularly DC about it, which is only amplified by the fact that it was clearly made somewhere else (the CGI insertions of the Capitol building were... laughable?).

What's worse, is that the DC setting appears to facilitate a certain laziness in the script. The protagonists all live in Chevy Chase, DC (upper northwest along Connecticut Avenue). The implication is that they are generally uninvolved with the troubles that afflict other parts of the city. But because the writers don't seem familiar with DC at all, they talk about "gang activity" and other issues that are not as prevalent in city life as people assume.

The willingness of the characters to assume that the Black character was in a gang or did drugs ignores the reality of one of the largest and most prosperous Black middle class populations in the country. Furthermore, the police detective's statement that he had "24 homicides this month in this district alone" is ludicrous. DC has seven police districts-such a total in what is the most affluent area of DC-would mean that at a minimum there were 2,016 homicides in the city a year. (City wide this year, there are 130.)

I know this seems like a small point, especially since most movies get things about DC wrong, but in this movie it revealed a certain laziness that was an undercurrent to the whole film. It was almost as if the producers felt that the idea and a likable cast were enough to propel this film. But everything comes down to the writing, and the treatment of the setting, the ultimate irrelevance of that setting, and many of the other points raised in other reviews betray a lack of effort into crafting a compelling and thoughtful story.

It's no accident that Batman premiered in Detective Comics and this movie harkens back to the character's roots.

Gone are the massive city-wide devastations of recent DC installments (though there is action and spectacle enough). Instead we get a more down to earth caped crusader, slowly working crime scenes, gathering evidence, and trying to solve the puzzle. By eschewing the big explosions and over the top action of other superhero films, The Batman distinguishes itself as a gritty, well-written, and well-acted thriller pitting a tortured vigilante against a psychotic madman. Well worth the watch.

As an ordained clergyperson myself, religion movies are often hard to watch because they get so many things wrong or treat subjects with an overly simplistic take. The writers of Messiah have not only crafted a well-written, compelling story with interesting characters and terrific acting, they've included real substance and authentic representation of religion.

The religious characters--Muslim, Christian, Jewish--are sympathetically presented with dignity and complexity. The religious texts and varying theologies are sensitively handled and respectfully addressed. Nor are religions presented in stereotypical ways: for example, Islam does believe that Jesus will return to herald in the end times, something not often known outside of Islam. But here, in Messiah, it is Muslims who first begin to follow al-Masih, believing him to be Isa (Jesus) returned.

At no point did I hear a character say something about a religious idea or do something in the guise of religion that was outlandish or the usual Hollywood version. The writers of this show clearly know what they're talking about and should be commended for that.

Further, the geopolitical, cultural, economic, and other issues are addressed in thoughtful ways that are not dumbed-down or simplified. They even manage to take on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in thoughtful ways.

In addition to all of that, the story is gripping and keeps you guessing all the way through. As one who believes that authentic faith requires embracing uncertainty and doubt, in many ways, this representation of lots of different people struggling to figure out whether al-Masih is the messiah or a charlatan was pitch perfect.