The King of Kings

I was really looking forward to this animated version of the story of Jesus Christ, but despite the potential, the film left me a bit disappointed. There are some positive points, of course, but it also made a few narrative choices that stopped me from fully connecting with the story.

I appreciated the lighter and more accessible approach for a younger audience. It's appropriate for children and gives them a chance to learn about Jesus in a softer way, without hiding the harsher and more violent parts, but also without showing them too explicitly. That's definitely a good thing, especially considering how intense and heavy this story can be at times.

However, the big issue here is the way the story is told. The idea of having Charles Dickens narrate the life of Jesus to his son ends up being a poor choice that takes away from the immersion. Just when we start to get fully involved in Jesus's journey, we're pulled out by scenes of Dickens or his annoying son, breaking the rhythm and emotional flow. These constant interruptions really hurt the film's impact.

If the goal was to bring a new angle or add a clever twist, it didn't work. Instead of feeling fresh, the side story with Dickens and his son weakens the main plot and sometimes even confuses it. It steals time from what really matters: the life of Jesus and the key figures around him. Mary, for example, is barely developed and ends up feeling like a background character, when she should've been emotionally strong and central. And the apostles, who should've played an important role, are rushed and shallow. They show up, say a few lines, and disappear.

If all those Dickens scenes were removed and the film focused more on Jesus's path and character development, we could've had something really powerful.

Still, I can see its value as a light introduction to Jesus's story for younger viewers. It looks good, has a nice rhythm... but it lacks soul. It didn't have the courage to truly focus on what mattered most.

In the end, it's a pleasant film, but far from being the king of Jesus movies.

A good touch adapting Charles Dickens' own story about Christ as told to his children and including his family as this is how this depiction of the Savior is presented.

I have seen quite a few depictions of Christ and the vast majority are live action. This animated feature aimed mostly for the younger audience is not too serious, nor is it too watered down for the said young audience.

Christ's birth to his preaching at the synagogues at the age of twelve, to his ministry, to his passion and resurrection are captured real well for all ages to enjoy.

If you are a spiritual or religious person, you will feel the spirituality in this work.

While it doesn't include everything in the New Testament (then again, there hasn't been anything on film that has), this is an ideal film to introduce one to the Scriptures be it a young child or older.

I can't say enough about how wonderful this movie was. It is a joy looking through the eyes of Dickens youngest & exuberant son Walter. The story is told in such a way that isn't too heavy for children yet conveys the story without watering it down The animation was superb, the humor delightful the flow rhythmic.

I wasn't prepared for the opening scene, but once I understood, about 5 sec in, it became one of my favorite humorous scene. It makes for a impactful & entertaining family outing. We had 4 children in tow ages almost 3 to 11. They all enjoyed it & the almost 3 yr old did not get fidgety until the last 15 min.

I'm a huge fan of Angel Studios. I watch every movie they come out with. I'm a member of the guild.

When I first saw this movie preview I was excited and then skeptical. The movie looked great in the preview but I wasn't to sure about it being made by Seong-ho Jang. He is amazing with visual effects, but a South Korean telling the story of Jesus with a release date near Easter, made me a little skeptical. Well, he knocked it out of the park.

The story telling using the Princess Bride type narration was brilliant. It keeps the audience engaged and was very easy to understand for kids. It was all around great for family friendly.

If you purchase tickets through Angel they were doing a buy an adult ticket get a kid ticket for free.

LIKES: Good Message Very Good Delivery Great voice Acting Authentic Emotion Liked The Presentation Cute/Funny Very Friendly Family Good Pace/Entertaining Meaningful Great Music DISLIKES: A Tad Preachy Character Usage is Uneven Lots of Material In One Movie The Animation Is A Tad Off Does Not Have The Full Movie Magic

Summary: The King of Kings is a movie about one of the most powerful stories in the history of the world. This movie translates it quite well into a piece that feels welcoming to a wide variety of audiences, with kids and adults alike getting ensnared in the powerful prose of Dickens' storytelling. It's a solid delivery and presentation of the material, a combination of what feels like a good Christmas tale that mixed Sunday School and a sermon into an engaging narrative to a boy more impressed with Medieval tales. Inspirational, powerful, and motivational, The King of Kings intertwines the majestic tale of Jesus with a very adorable approach to learning from a child's perspective. Jang and his team (alongside the studio they bought) have managed to keep the magnitude of the miracles and the cute comedy in check, and in allowing the interruptions and jokes, it shows a clever character progression that feels almost as magnificent as the story being told. The emotional moments hit very hard, in particular, the ones where the fantastic musical score mixes with the perfect animation moment to give goosebump-raising moments that feel so in tune with spirituality. As for the voice acting, it's pretty good, with many of the characters brought to life with powerful delivery, especially Isaac and Branagh, who have this command of their figure's emotions and qualities. The poetic dialogue of Dicken's spin of the story sets up Jesus's commanding, yet calm, lines as he teaches his subjects the words of God. Such engaging delivery keeps the deep emotion flowing, presenting that prowess of the moment and, again, not becoming so ensconced in it to be too intense for kids. Especially at the end, where the story comes together full circle, and you are left with this aura that makes you feel lighter. And all of this is at a pace that moves to keep your attention and not feel like attending a bible study for nearly two hours.

Yet, the movie does still cross into preachiness at times, losing the balance and becoming more of a Sunday quoting session. These moments are limited in distracting, but still sometimes trip up the building moments of the movie. Past that, the movie struggles at times with character usage, so many of the members in the Bible feel diluted despite how much each of them contributed to Jesus' life. There's a lot of material in one movie, and so many scenes seemed to be as simple as the sentences in the good book. While this is accurate to a degree, I think that the movie could have used the movie design magic, adding a little more of that musical interlude, a bit more vivid imagination in the miracles, and some slight build-up of moments to fully add that oomph. I know it probably undermines the point of the tale, but just a little more detail or design could have gone a long way. Finally, the animation, at times, feels a bit off. Not in terms of lag, but more so in that the emotion doesn't match the feelings of the words, or maybe it's the opposite point around. At times, the characters seem to have extra words that don't have the delivery to match what they were trying to convey. Something just felt off to me, and though most will not care, that slight difference in delivery is enough to lose a little bit on the score.

The VERDICT: The King of Kings will accomplish a lot for the target audiences of this movie and seems to be quite a force from my time at my theater. It was a wonderful work that blends entertainment and religion to a level that serves the time of the year, establishing hope, faith, and joy in what this story means. It's cute, but not to the level that makes being an adult stink, as it balances fun and seriousness in a nicely paced movie to entertain everyone. And the voice acting is just stellar on many levels, the two lead roles in particular unleashing their characters to amazing levels. Sure, the movie does get preachy at times, and the character usage and content are uneven, given how much happened during Jesus' first walk on Earth, and the animation/feel of the lines is off at some points. However, most of these moments are forgivable when you get those perfect moments of musical and visual splendor colliding to give you that amazing feeling this story brings. Is this the theater movie? Yeah, I have to say it is for a lot of audience members, with those who don't like this subject material or believe in it need to steer clear of this film. The movie's scores for me are: Animation/Family: 8.0 Movie Overall: 7.5.