Paul, Apostle of Christ

As a christian, I totally recommend this movie for people who read Paul's letter and know about his life with the early christians communities. The screenplay was well written and was faithful to the scripture, which makes the movie a great witness to the life of Paul who changed after the apparition of Christ to him when he was on the way to persecute believers in the middle east.

This movie is far better than your typical Bible or 'faith-based' movie; I admittedly had some low expectations going in to see it and was very surprised by a quality film with a beautiful message. Not for one second did I feel that this was preachy or 'Bible-beating'... it was more pure and authentic and humanist. The acting is top notch, with Jim Caviezel, Faulkner, and Olivier Martinez really giving some nuanced and layered performances. Nobody phoned in their roles, you could sense a level of passion and commitment to the story. The music was also excellent, a gorgeous score that was paired with some nice cinematography and production design. The movie looked good and sounded, but importantly - it felt good. Lots of films in the devotional genre tend to end up being mere dramatic recreations of the gospels, but this one, while delivering authenticity, was not as concerned with delivering a 'live-action experience of the Bible' so much as striving to express the true message of Paul. That message, the one that is basically Christ's Sermon on the Mount, is the crux of the film. This gives it an emotional heft that is quite poignant. I wasn't so moved by the characters' actions and the story in so much as what they were feeling in their hearts and what they were expressing. Dammit this movie hit me right in the feels and I already know it will linger with me for days. That is a good sign that I just participated in some human art. Won't win any Oscars, and sadly probably won't light up the box office but this is a fine and beautiful movie with an important and relevant message for the world today.

This is definitely a religious movie but isn't overwhelmingly so. For example, it doesn't have the overbearing smugness of the protagonist Christians versus incredibly stupid or evil non-Christians. The characters have much more believable and complex motivations, with the Christians mostly (and properly) motivated by their beliefs. There's enough gray in the characters to make the movie interesting. The suffering of the Christians in Rome sometimes goes a bit over the top but not terribly so. The "miracle", which in many faith movies leads to the dramatic conversion of the antagonist, is well done in this movie and should appeal to a wider audience. The back-story, supporting scenes and resolution are quite believable. One pleasant aspect is that the "miracle" doesn't require divine intervention or stretching credibility but is due to believable skills and application of good Christian values, and is done with credible tension you'd expect from a first-class movie.

Would a non-Christian enjoy the movie? I think so. There's definitely a good story here and the movie is well done. Some reviews note that this may have lessened the religious story and/or focus on Paul, but it makes for a watchable movie without the cringe-worthiness of some more religiously focused movies. Judging from reactions in the audience it's clearly most immediately satisfying for the most faithful and will be well received by that group. For Christians who aren't the most faithful the movie has powerful messages to take away for further reflection.

This movie has Paul in prison for the second time, in a Roman pit of misery. He is often beaten, often wondering what God's plan is. Yet, he is convinced that he is where the Lord wants him to be. Paul's life reminds us that the early church suffered much for the sake of the Gospel. Why would these men and women risk their lives for "fake news"? They would not. It was because the Son of Man came, lived and died to be resurrected after 3 days and is now seated at the right hand of the Father that Paul, Luke and others risked their lives.. Paul's life was totally given over to proclaiming this Good News. "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Philippians 1: 21. Wonderful movie, filled with GOOD NEWS!!!

I saw this movie today and thought it was good, with excellent acting, and location (filmed in Malta which was the place of one of Paul's journeys). The movie doesn't sugar coat the persecution the Christians of that era had to endure, shirk away from divisions within the early church community or difficult questions being asked by those living in those times. The story line drags in a few places but for the most part it is a movie worth seeing in a theater.

I saw a 5pm show and sadly there were only about 10 people at the most there, so hopefully more will attend future screenings.