"Their empire. His Kingdom."
The movie adapts the Bible, showing Jesus' (portrayed by Diogo Morgado) birth, miracles, crucifixion and resurrection.
As far as production values are concerned this movie is a treat at times. The depictions of Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and other Biblical places is exquisite. The cinematography crew did a terrific job of bringing the stories to life. Hans Zimmer brings a solid music score. The sound effects add to the realism that the movie carries. The screenplay adapts the Bible and authentically brings it to life.
The acting is also terrific, with Morgado bringing Jesus to life in an emotionally-compelling way. Other standouts include director Roma Downey as a very convincing Mary, Amber Rose Revah as Mary Magdalene, Simon Kunz as Nicodemus, and Sebastian Knapp as John. To have John narrate the film's events is a smart move, giving a more personal reference to what is in the movie. The movie ends with the start of John's Revelation visions, another interesting move the filmmakers took.
On the downside, being mostly a recollection of the TV series The Bible, the movie's overall pace is shaky. For the first 45 minutes to 1 hour, we just see brief glimpses of some of Jesus' miracles without anything to really connect the dots on when it occurs. Then the next hour focuses on the end of Jesus' life. Its not a huge error (Passion of the Christ never had any of those miracles), but those hoping for more than just the emotional ending to the story may find themselves a bit disappointed.
I watched the first episode of The Bible a year ago, but I didn't tune in again due to being overwhelmed by the graphic violence and depictions of Biblical stories. It wasn't because of having doubts, it was because I can be a sensitive viewer sometimes, and watching that stuff isn't easy. Hearing this movie, my original decision was to skip it. But, I'm glad I ended up going.
It is always good to be reminded of the reason why I have my faith. Jesus' death on the cross and resurrection is a reminder of why I live today for God. The crucifixion made my heart heavy, and the resurrection took the heaviness away. Through that and some really good production values, Son of God works on nearly impeccable levels.
However, not taking anything away from its positive points, personally, it isn't a movie experience I would want to go through again (and other sensitive viewers might agree).
Score: 7.0/10
Content Problems Families Should Be Aware Of
Language: None
Adult Content: Herod's wife is seen in a cleavage-revealing gown. Someone is called an "adulteress" (but she is forgiven by Jesus).
Violence: The sequence of Jesus' crucifixion is both intense and scary. We see blood dripping from his mouth and lots of whipmarks all over his body. He is whipped and tortured prior to then also. Other scenes of violence include a clashing between Romans and Hebrews, resulting in one unfortunate rebel being impaled (some blood gushes out). Someone has his ear severed, and a boy is run over by a cart. A lamb's throat is slit. Judas hangs himself.
Drugs/Alcohol: Wine is used during the Last Supper.
Other: None that I can recall.
