The Visual Bible: Matthew

As with most of those here commenting on this, I am blown away with the power and grace Bruce Marchiano brings to this masterpiece. The depth of power of his heart and eyes is so overwhelming as to be almost too great to bear; I think my heart will burst under the load save that He carries me with my light yoke (6:34 & 11:30). That it is utterly unknown but to Christians is of course the same story as with Jesus Himself, He Whom the pagans would co-opt to their own agendas and uses, a tactic that only backfires in the end as they prove from their folly that they know nothing of Him.

One point I must make against those who use the profound depth of this as a platform from which to condemn Mel Gibson's equally (though differently) anointed masterpiece, The Passion of the Christ, with priceless Jim Caviezel (though I'll always regret dear Mel didn't play the title role himself which would have been beyond awesome): they're quite wrongheaded on the score, for the testimony of Bruce and his company and Jim and his company are one in describing the divine (and therefore the counterattacking demonic) manifestations so present in the making of these jewels in our Lord's crown. What great grace the Lord has brought us in these precious brothers so to condescend to grace our lives with such inspiration according to His Perfect Word.

This movie is amazing. Absolutely amazing. It's easy to tell that the actors and the people that worked on this movie really have a heart for the message. I'll start with the drawbacks.... It's rather obvious that there was not a "Passion of the Christ"-amount of money put into the movie. Maybe more people in some scenes would make them more powerful. But most of these drawbacks are only cosmetic. It's a great idea to only use the Bible-text. They used the NIV (New International Translation) for this movie, and I believe it must have been a true challenge to make the words come alive so much. But they REALLY do it. I love the way Jesus is showed here. The way he laugh with people, and the way he cries when he speaks of the ones who will not hear the call. It is a Jesus that is close to the people. See it!

Let's face it; if you have ever read a book before you saw the movie, the movie always paled in comparison. Some say that's because the movie could never do justice to what our own minds have pictured. The movie is destined, to some degree, to disappoint our vision of what things looked like as we read the authors words, and none of the actors will look or say things just as we envisioned it. Well if that's true, what would be the hardest book to film in the history of mankind? You guessed it, the Holy Bible; the best selling, and most widely read book of all time. And making matters more difficult is the fact that even those who haven't read the book will be comparing your portrayals to any of a half dozen that have come before.

Well, considering such extreme challenges, somehow director Reghardt van den Bergh, producer Dan Johnson and adapter Johann Potgieter have served up a miraculous production. It simply is a movie that rises above others on this near and dear topic. From the actors they selected to the locations, the resulting movie is simple and unadorned, and in this critic's opinion, the most easily received rendition ever produced. Devout and skeptic alike can enjoy this portrayal of a loving and greatly empathetic Christ. Bruce Marchiano, who plays Jesus, plays Him full of love and compassion. He's down to earth (no pun) and personally involved in the well being of everyone He meets. The viewer can feel His caring. It's simply the best portrayal to date. The supporting talent is also excellent in this production, which is so realistic it seems to be quiet. Now, as we all know, there is trauma in this story, and when appropriate, it does get uncomfortable to watch. but not gratuitously. They simply got it right. I realize that in the millions, or billions of other readers of this story, there's room for differing opinions, but upon second or third viewing, I think many would lean in this reviewer's direction. and I score this film a perfect 10.

I've seen many of the movies made about the life of Jesus from the "Greatest Story Ever Told" to "Jesus Christ Superstar". I would have to say that Bruce Marchiano's portrayal makes Jesus as being very humane and compassionate about the suffering of the community. The Jesus he plays steers away from the stoic Shakespearean-type portrayals by Max Van Sydow and Robert Powell, making the character very accessible and someone you care about. In addition to Bruce Marchiano's pretty watchable performance, it was good to hear the late Richard Kiley's narrative of the Gospel, his rich unique voice (we'll miss it) enhancing the treatment of the story. Overall, I liked this film which is underrated and less-watched in comparison to the other more famous depictions of Jesus' life.

Having watched this film recently has encouraged me to want to watch Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" when it comes to Singapore next month. It would be interesting to make comparisons between the two films. I speculate that the films probably would complement each other, providing different perspectives to Jesus' character and life.

Yes, Christ was probably somebody like this movie shows.

Loving people, loving life, very accessible, feeling sorry

for the people when when criticizing them. Word by word,

the Gospel of Matthew. I would be very pleased to see the

other Gospels from these film makers and actors. I hope, they will make them. It is also a great idea that the name of the actor who is playing Jesus is not shown anywhere. Even International Movie Database does not show that. I had to search the internet to find the actor's name out.