Messiah

Of course this will be sensitive viewing for devoutly religious people and some are automatically going to hate it because many parts rely on subtitles. A pity.

Give it a try. It is a different and interesting premise, well acted and well filmed.

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.

Great original concept and intriguing storyline. I'm not religious, so I look at this as Sci-fi, but let's just imaging there is a god and a messiah. Is this how the world would react? Is he just a fake? Love the mystery.

It's a real shame this wasn't continued..as a non religious person it was thought provoking and very interesting, I was looking forward to the next season. I thought it was well shot and well researched and addictive to watch, I'd like to know the reasoning behind the cancellation of the 2nd series. There was another series of this nature with Christopher Eccleston called the Second Coming, about Jesus coming back to the earth which was also very good. It's a shame some series are cancelled after kne or two seasons when viewers are already committed, like the recently cancelled series mindhunter.

I normally don't like to use captions, but you will need them for about half the time through this series, and it didn't bother me at all! It's a very intriguing series that makes you want to know "what's going to happen next". Makes you think and is very entertaining. If you need a series to get away and enjoy, I would recommend you give it try.