Escape to the Movies: Son of God

[emeraldrafael]

I'll still probably go see the pixels movie more for adam sandler than the actual short its based on. I find him genuinely amusing still though I will say his jack and jill movie deserved the hate it gets.

 

[PunkRex]

I wonder or it?s possible to make a Jesus movie that non-Christians can enjoy, I guess there?s always life of Brian.

I'm a palaeontologist who studies evolution and the processes of the 4.6 billion year old Earth, not to mention I believe that the pyramids were built MOSTLY by farmers paid for their time.

Yet this is still one of my favourite all time films, not Jesus, but close.

 

[fnartilter]

Its almost like they are taking advantage of the calendar to release every single epic religious movie they couldn't remake from the 50s.

Pssst, they have been remade since the 50s.

Never new this movie existed, or that it was a mini-series before that. Until now.
The quarry joke, and the money sleezing on a high holiday irony made me laugh.

Thanks for the funnies, Bob! Wouldn't see this movie anyway. Unless they paid me.

 

[Darth_Payn]

Funny review, Bob! That twist at the beginning with Jesus on the Avengers got me howling, while also sparking a comparison between superheroes and Biblical figures. What did you mean by "revisionist" when you showed the poster for "Last Temptation of Christ"? And why did you not review Non-Stop instead of this?

 

[Wandrecanada]

Ok who's going to make a 'Jesus table flip' animated gif?

 

[daxterx2005]

Baby Godzilla > Minya

 

[hentropy]

Yeah it seems like Jesus movies have to have some sort of gimmick, like the Passion. Otherwise it turns out like any other biopic that tries to do the person's entire life, crap. If you want to do an artistic Jesus movie, I would probably do JUST his time in the desert. Hallucinations, emotional trauma, etc. You can take liberties without technically being completely non-canonical (like The Last Temptation of Christ).

My parents watched The Bible last year and tried to get me to watch it. I went to bed because I had to work that night. /csb

I'd really like a good new movie to come out now please. I've seen The Lego Movie.

There's The Wind Rises. Just sayin'. Bob did a column on it last week but it wasn't really a review of the movie, more of an weirdly anti-Japanese tag-team rant.

 

[JenSeven]

Kinda disappointed that you didn't make the pun with your name at the end as "A Very Naughty Bob".
At least that way Life Of Brian would have been referenced in this episode.

 

[Jupiter065]

I worked at a movie theatre when Passions of the Christ came out, and I can confirm that a very large portion of the population will come in well-organized droves to see any old drek they put up on screen that has a pretty white Jesus in it.

Also, they never buy popcorn. Not one of them.

 

[UNHchabo]

I think the transition could have been better managed with the sound of a phone ringing and us only hearing your side of the conversation. But otherwise I found it pretty funny.

Yeah, a more "John Stewart getting notes through his earpiece" delivery probably would've been better, but oh well.

You know I'd like to see the Jesus story told from a non-mythological perspective, portraying his life as a series of incidents that while not supernatural, some might exaggerate to the point that when someone got around to writing his tale a century or more later it comes out sounding like he's got super powers. I'd like to see him portrayed as something of a rabble-rouser, definitely aimed at doing good but ultimately merely human and burdened by his frustrations with the corruption running society around him until ultimately he's labelled a criminal

I think this is essentially what Jesus Christ Superstar did, between Judas being afraid that Jesus' fame and cult of personality would overshadow the good he did, and Herod's interest in Jesus' miracles as mere parlor tricks. About the only "supernatural" aspect of the musical is when Jesus speaks to God in the Garden of Gethsemane, asking him why he needs to sacrifice himself.

 

[scw55]

I wonder or it?s possible to make a Jesus movie that non-Christians can enjoy, I guess there?s always life of Brian.

If they created a Movie based off a Story from a different religion's book, would you also not enjoy it?

I think your faith is irrelevant to your enjoyment of a Movie based off a narrative from a Religion.

I mean, Thor was popular and that came from a comic that was loosely based off the Norse Mythology. Likewise with movies based off Greek myths. Yes they are myths, but back in the time, they were part of people's Religion.

At the end of day it's a story.

 

[Sanunes]

What is it with movies these days? Or what is it with MovieBob schedule, for that matters?

I get that with the Oscars just around the corner, the release schedule is poorer than ever, but... first Pompeii, now Son of God and then Noah? Where there no screenings of Non-Stop near you, Bob? Did you thought we wouldn't be interested in Wind Rises?

Its almost like they are taking advantage of the calendar to release every single epic religious movie they couldn't remake from the 50s.

It could be he couldn't get to see them in time and this was the only new release for this week that Bob could see to make his deadline with the Escapist. Studios will sometimes not have a critic review either because they have zero faith in a movie or make it next to impossible for a critic to review and make a deadline, for its a complaint I have heard about movies from various podcasts over the years, heck I remember Roger Ebert at one time giving "a finger waving of shame" to movies that didn't offer a critic preview.

 

[hermes]

What is it with movies these days? Or what is it with MovieBob schedule, for that matters?

I get that with the Oscars just around the corner, the release schedule is poorer than ever, but... first Pompeii, now Son of God and then Noah? Where there no screenings of Non-Stop near you, Bob? Did you thought we wouldn't be interested in Wind Rises?

Its almost like they are taking advantage of the calendar to release every single epic religious movie they couldn't remake from the 50s.

It could be he couldn't get to see them in time and this was the only new release for this week that Bob could see to make his deadline with the Escapist. Studios will sometimes not have a critic review either because they have zero faith in a movie or make it next to impossible for a critic to review and make a deadline, for its a complaint I have heard about movies from various podcasts over the years, heck I remember Roger Ebert at one time giving "a finger waving of shame" to movies that didn't offer a critic preview.

Yeah but, on the other hand, his previous intermission was an intervew about Wind Raises, so he obviously saw it that week.

 

[Thunderous Cacophony]

Just saw the first commercial for this yesterday during the Vikings premiere, and I was thoroughly confused. Glad to know that this is just the recut miniseries, and not a full-fledged Jesus movie I somehow missed for months on end.

Does anyone else want to see a movie based on the Apostles? Christ is Risen and gone to heaven, and they are charged with going forth and preaching His message with their human faith no longer buoyed by His presence. I think it could be a really great character drama, and you can have fancy special effects for things like the Conversion of Saul/Paul [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conversion_of_Paul_the_Apostle].

Could be really interesting, but there is a much higher chance whatever plot or drama it would have would be hijacked by a christian apologist agenda either during of after release and we would end up with a propaganda-piece masquerading as art.
For example, in your idea the apostles' faith would be tested because Jesus's presence no longer anchors them. This would be a very interesting concept, but it will never fly because it would require the movie being ambiguous about the existence of God and Jesus being the messiah we know him today (otherwise there would be no crisis of faith), which would never ever be accepted by the studio execs since they make this movie to sell it to the christian Average Joe who would be alienated by the very concept (or, at the least, they would think so).

I could see it happen in an indie-film though...

I think it could be straightforward about God and still be a good story. They might know that God exists, but there's a big step between that and laying down your life for the cause, being imprisoned or tortured for your preaching, when you could just go home and live a devout life.

 

[Tanis]

Even Russell T Davies has done a better Jesus than these people did.

To be fair:
Christopher Eccleston did a fantastic job, so that's probably why.

 

[fluxy100]

So is the initial joke that Bob would of given the movie a free pass if it was a Marvel movie meant to be funny, cause it felt like it was just pointing out one of Bob's most annoying biases