The Visual Bible: Matthew

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.

Forget the Passion - THIS is the film to view if you really want to know more about who Jesus is, and His life here for 33 years on this planet. Unlike any other version I've watched, the producers, directors, most of the main actors and supporting staff of this film were ALL Christians themselves, who prayed regularly over every single scene AND again unlike any other edition, they held EXACTLY to what scripture said as the ultimate script - absolutely nothing was added in - some occasions required a voice over where to reenact the scene may have proved somewhat inappropriate (e.g. the Angels at the Tomb), but other than that, this is absolutely categorically the best one in my view. Sad that it's often neglected or overshadowed by more 'secular' versions. Bruce Marchiano who played Jesus in this one continues on to have an awesome ministry following his portrayal of a 'different' Jesus to the stereotype.

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.

I didn't like this movie at first. The production quality is that of a "B" movie and I let that get in the way of my objectivity. I was also not used to seeing Jesus portrayed as...well...human! This Jesus laughs and hugs and enjoys his friends. We are usually treated to a Jesus that is somewhat detached or "royal" in his bearing (think Jeffrey Hunter in "King of Kings"). This is not the case in this film. Once I got used to it (and IMHO this is a more accurate representation of Jesus) I really liked it!

I couldn't believe that this movie follows scripture line for line. The scripture verses are actually displayed (in the lower left corner as I recall) as they are being portrayed. I expected that approach would make the film disjointed or uninteresting. But it really works well.

This has become my favorite "religious movie", and I watch it with my family every Easter season.

This is the BEST Jesus movie I have ever seen. Everything said by Jesus and the narrator in this movie are exact words that come directly from the Bible. This also greatly portrays the actual character of Jesus Christ I highly recommend this movie.