The Christ Slayer

My favorite of the trilogy. Melissa Anshutz portrayal of Mary was beautiful, loving and pulled me in. DJ Perry was amazing as Jesus. This film stirred my emotions and left me happy that I finally watched.

What a long stretch. It is advertised as a 'mix' of legend and scripture. You should never 'add' to scripture like this. It was going good until all of a sudden they merged the story of Longinus (and was he really blind?) with the Road to Emaus (Cleopas). How do you all of a sudden just change your name to fit the script? Then it was slow and boring and downhill from there. This is blasphemy to scripture and should not be considered a Christian film. In addition, discrimination for the down syndrome people by saying 'your kind' when he wanted him to stay behind. Not good. Stay away.

A 'believer' is a person who knowingly and arbitraily decides to believe in something, God and Jesus being two examples of objects of belief. The difference between this method and superstition is impossible to discern from any rational standpoint, but or indiscernible reasons, belief is a virtue and superstition is frowned up, considered primitive and irrational This movie, the Christ Slayer, has the merit of trying to swindle disbelievers by not sounding preachy and not pleasing to believers, by not sounding preachy. Make of that what you will. I would have wanted my money back, because halfway through I walked out, but I got in for free.

Carl Weyant aptly plays Longinus, a blind Roman soldier (kept in his position only because of an influential father) partly responsible for the execution-death of the Christ who struggles with overwhelming guilt and darkness attempting to snuff out his life. Coming to the end of his tortured self, he leaves Jerusalem, with his servant Albus (played by Josh Perry), in order to find peace in the land of his relatives. Along the way, he meets a Stranger (DJ Perry as Jesus) who begins to open his eyes and renew the man's purpose. We also catch glimpses into the spiritual realm with Gabriel (Shane Hagedorn) and the Devil (Taymour Ghazi) discussing the worth of humanity despite their flawed and contradictory natures. It's a well done film about the Christ done with a unique Biblical slant. Josh Perry's portrayal as Longinus' servant is a delight to watch and gives some laugh-out-loud moments.

This is the third film of "The Quest" Series ("40 Nights" and "Chasing the Stars" being the first films) put out by a studio that's punching above its weight by creating thoughtful, unique content.

I recommend The Christ Slayer. It's both interesting and well done! Perhaps it will also draw out discussions and reflections on our own life journeys.

What started off slow soon took me on a journey of mystery and emotions. This familiar tale told from a new perspective was refreshing and brought new insight of why things happened the way they did. The actors did an amazing job of portraying the characters they played. The addition of just the right amount of humor added a refreshing and comforting feel to a not so comforting subject. This is a truly joyful film to share with family and friends.