"How do we explain God to his own son?"
In the last days of Mary, Joseph and Jesus being in Egypt, Jesus (Adam Greaves-Neal) is blamed for a bully's death (the bully trips on an apple thrown in the middle of the road). Jesus then brings the bully back to life. In response to all this, Joseph tells Mary its time to return to Nazareth (he was notified of Herod's death). Through the midst of these miraculous happenings during the trip back to Nazareth, Jesus wonders where he got his abilities from.
The overall production is lovely. Cinematography, costume design, and production design is great. Many scenes are realistic and beautifully-done. Also, a couple of scenes near the Jordan River almost feel like classic paintings or illustrations based on Scripture coming to life. Director Cyrus Nowrasteh essentially makes the film look very authentic, which is a huge plus.
Greaves-Neal's debut acting performance is very effective as the young Jesus. He's convincing and emotionally sincere in several scenes. The other actors do decent jobs. The only real recognizable name in the cast, Sean Bean, does a nice job as the centurion Severus. He's not quite Joseph Fiennes as far as doubting Romans are concerned, as he's not given as much to do, but he's given a few good scenes. I also enjoyed Sara Lazzaro as Mary and the actor who played Jesus' uncle.
John Debney's music score appropriately accompanies the film with some dramatic and soft pieces.
On the downside, the script does feel a little episodic at times. We go through various miracles and adventures with Jesus and his family. While these adventures are intriguing, they sometimes feel like you're going through episodes of a limited TV series than a major film. Also, the British accents of the characters are slightly distracting, as they certainly aren't representative of the time as well as the country it takes place in.
The Bible doesn't take a lot of time to talk about Jesus as a child. There are hints that he "grew in wisdom and stature" (Luke 2:52), as well as his visit to the temple. The Young Messiah attempts to fill in the gaps left in Scripture about what could have happened during Jesus' childhood. A certainly very intriguing concept.
And, thankfully, The Young Messiah pleases more than it causes people to scratch their heads (like Exodus: Gods and Kings). There is very little here that contradicts Scripture. The only question many believers may ask themselves at the end of the film is whether or not Jesus was aware if His divinity at a young age. But, at the same time, the Bible doesn't really have a clear answer to that question.
In this case, the movie invites us to imagine what His life could have been like at that age.
Based on the novel Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt by Anne Rice, this film adaptation won't be memorable for many (as the faith-based movie market is more crowded than ever nowadays), but it's still worthwhile. Despite a scattershot script, The Young Messiah is mostly what you hoped it would be. A respectful, genuine, and often engaging work of fiction.
Score: 7.4/10
Content Problems Families Should Be Aware Of:
Language: A single use of "d---".
Adult Content: Someone is looking as if he may rape a young woman. A busty, cleavage-revealing maidservant is seen twice. The second time she's dancing suggestively, with someone watching lustfully. He pulls her onto his chair, apparently starting foreplay.
Violence: The film is less violent than some Biblical films, but there are a handful of scenes that warrant the PG-13 rating. In flashback, we witness the slaughter of the 2-year olds and under (we hear people scream and squirts of blood on pillows). A couple of scenes we witness people crucified. These crucifixions don't involve nails surprisingly, but they are still grimacing to witness. A witness to Jesus is crucified and then impaled (effects off-screen). Someone trips on an apple and dies. Someone is stabbed. We see a brief scene of Jerusalem burning (possibly referring to that city's destruction in AD 70). A snake makes a brief appearance, and is stabbed.
Drugs/Alcohol: Wine is served a couple of times in sachels.
Other: There is a bully at the beginning of the film. Herod is a very worldly, secular individual. Jesus' brother says, "I hated you since the day you were born". A couple of characters lie. A dark character (implied several times to be Satan) deceives and tries to discourage Jesus.
