Son of God (C or 2/4 stars)
Famed Reality TV mogul Mark Burnett & his wife, Touched by an Angel actress Roma Downey, made 2013's 10 hr. miniseries The Bible, which was a huge hit last year on the History Channel. Now, the team has turned the miniseries into a 138 minute truncated cash grab and renamed their venture, 'Son of God'. This abridged version begins with the nativity, proceeds with the betrayal against Jesus, culminates in his crucifixion, then finnnnnnnally concludes with his resurrection. But let me backtrack just a bit. The film begins with gospel scribe John quickly taking us through the tales of Adam & Eve {boy, was she hot}, then zips through Noah & Abraham, then through to the birth of Christ in Bethlehem -- all of this takes place in 5 or so minutes.
Necessary reflections on his formative years have been passed over/deleted (from the miniseries), particularly Jesus' temptation, reportedly because the actor portraying Satan was said to resemble President Barack Obama {uh ohhh, controversy ... so Satan had to go}. So the narrative REALLY kicks into gear as Jesus (Portuguese model-turned-actor, Diogo Morgado) starts spouting his ministry; calling forth his disciples at the Sea of Galilee. Jesus exudes serene compassion, magically feeds 5,000 hungry followers, heals a paralyzed man, walks on water, sermons on the mountainside, eats his last supper, endures carious miseries, etc, etc, etc.. So you know the drill from here on out. When he finnnnnnally arrives in Jerusalem, he exposes the interdependent relationship btwn. tyrannical Roman prefect Pontius Pilate (Greg Hicks) & the loathsome Jewish high priest, Caiaphas (Adrian Schiller), which subsequently leads to his demise.
I shouldn't be so surprised that this religious epic is as lethargic, distilled, & fragmented as it is. The filmmakers assembled the story into a greatest hits package. And you can't take a fleshed-out 10 hr. miniseries & expect a cohesive 138 minute film to just materialize out of that (for instance, Jesus with Satan in the Garden of Gethsemane is pivotal in understanding the way Jesus saw his role & his sacrifice ... yet, it's missing here). You know, when I think of such biblical epics as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur, The Last Temptation of Christ, Passion of the Christ, and on ... those films had depth, opulence, spectacle, superb performances, gravitas and, most importantly ... conviction. This film is well-meaning, inspirational, yet overly simplified, colorless, & listless. Cecil B. DeMille would be appalled.
Wrapped in sand-colored muslin, with his sand-colored locks cascading over his shoulders & blending with the sandy landscapes, Diogo Morgado certainly looks the part -- but his performance is one-note. He's dignified, but bland & vacant-eyed. And that's not good when you're portraying the most charismatic, persuasive, majestic person of ALL-TIME. Roma Downey doesn't fare much better. All she seems to do for 45 minutes is stream tears down her face & whimper out, "My Son!". I found it irritating after a while. In fact, the script (by several writers, problem #1), offers very little in engaging, rich dialogue. I think I heard one particular character utter the phrase "Blasphemy" about 45 times. Speaking of other 'characters', all the apostles are interchangeable when they should be anything but.
Really, 'Son of God' is a film aimed at 'true believer' audiences. Its faults will be glossed over by church-going viewers who will sniffle, weep, cheer, & say "Amen" at various dramatic beats. But I don't see how anyone who isn't religious will get ANYTHING out of this movie. It's too dreary, too stilted, too mediocre on every level. There's nothing cinematic about it other than the subject matter. Even the production design, costumes, & CGI effects are of a lower level than one would expect. The best aspects of the film are Hans Zimmer's music & some stellar make-up work on the lashed/strung-up Jesus. But that's grasping at straws. Here's hoping that such biblical enterprises as Darren Aronofsky's Noah & Ridley Scott's Exodus (both due out this year) bring more to the table. I'm quite sure they will.
Necessary reflections on his formative years have been passed over/deleted (from the miniseries), particularly Jesus' temptation, reportedly because the actor portraying Satan was said to resemble President Barack Obama {uh ohhh, controversy ... so Satan had to go}. So the narrative REALLY kicks into gear as Jesus (Portuguese model-turned-actor, Diogo Morgado) starts spouting his ministry; calling forth his disciples at the Sea of Galilee. Jesus exudes serene compassion, magically feeds 5,000 hungry followers, heals a paralyzed man, walks on water, sermons on the mountainside, eats his last supper, endures carious miseries, etc, etc, etc.. So you know the drill from here on out. When he finnnnnnally arrives in Jerusalem, he exposes the interdependent relationship btwn. tyrannical Roman prefect Pontius Pilate (Greg Hicks) & the loathsome Jewish high priest, Caiaphas (Adrian Schiller), which subsequently leads to his demise.
I shouldn't be so surprised that this religious epic is as lethargic, distilled, & fragmented as it is. The filmmakers assembled the story into a greatest hits package. And you can't take a fleshed-out 10 hr. miniseries & expect a cohesive 138 minute film to just materialize out of that (for instance, Jesus with Satan in the Garden of Gethsemane is pivotal in understanding the way Jesus saw his role & his sacrifice ... yet, it's missing here). You know, when I think of such biblical epics as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur, The Last Temptation of Christ, Passion of the Christ, and on ... those films had depth, opulence, spectacle, superb performances, gravitas and, most importantly ... conviction. This film is well-meaning, inspirational, yet overly simplified, colorless, & listless. Cecil B. DeMille would be appalled.
Wrapped in sand-colored muslin, with his sand-colored locks cascading over his shoulders & blending with the sandy landscapes, Diogo Morgado certainly looks the part -- but his performance is one-note. He's dignified, but bland & vacant-eyed. And that's not good when you're portraying the most charismatic, persuasive, majestic person of ALL-TIME. Roma Downey doesn't fare much better. All she seems to do for 45 minutes is stream tears down her face & whimper out, "My Son!". I found it irritating after a while. In fact, the script (by several writers, problem #1), offers very little in engaging, rich dialogue. I think I heard one particular character utter the phrase "Blasphemy" about 45 times. Speaking of other 'characters', all the apostles are interchangeable when they should be anything but.
Really, 'Son of God' is a film aimed at 'true believer' audiences. Its faults will be glossed over by church-going viewers who will sniffle, weep, cheer, & say "Amen" at various dramatic beats. But I don't see how anyone who isn't religious will get ANYTHING out of this movie. It's too dreary, too stilted, too mediocre on every level. There's nothing cinematic about it other than the subject matter. Even the production design, costumes, & CGI effects are of a lower level than one would expect. The best aspects of the film are Hans Zimmer's music & some stellar make-up work on the lashed/strung-up Jesus. But that's grasping at straws. Here's hoping that such biblical enterprises as Darren Aronofsky's Noah & Ridley Scott's Exodus (both due out this year) bring more to the table. I'm quite sure they will.