The Second Coming

Stephen Baxter claims to be The Son of God, explaining that The End of Days is near, unless the people of The World can unite, and produce a Third Testament.

It's hard to believe it's twenty years old, it's a drama that's held up well with time, it was and still is controversial and thought provoking, but it's certainly a dramatic and entertaining watch. You can definitely see 'fantastic' elements that would follow in Doctor Who, Russell T Davies and Christopher Eccleston certainly made a formidable team.

Very well produced, it looks good, especially episode one's dramatic conclusion.

It's certainly well acted, Eccleston is terrific, he's very well supported by Lesley Ash, Mark Benton and a good few others, it's such a good cast list.

I would say I think Part one is definitely the better of the two episodes, most if the good content is there, those scenes where The Demons appear, the man begging for money, and the woman in the car, those are chilling moments. Episode two lacks some of the pacing, but it's still good.

7/10.

Apparently the son of god has returned for a second coming. First, will anyone believe him, including the person he is returning in? A couple of miracles later, and people are starting to take him seriously, but he has a message for the world. A few days to write the Third Testament, or its all over.

I thought it was a very interesting drama, that kept me hooked to the end. Some interesting issues approached, and taken on in a new way. Nearly two years on, and still some of the details are quite memorable. The conclusion is quite powerful, but probably not what anyone was expecting, which I think is also good in a drama.

It obviously has religious overtones, and depending where you are on the scale it may or may not fit with your views. However its written as drama, and it keeps the attention focused to the end.

Well worth a watch.

I have to say that I found this TV drama to be enormously good - such an original, inventive screenplay. I began watching with my finger poised about the channel-change button, half expecting something very conventional - the jesus wannabe is a looney (but there there is some (un)subtle suggestion toward the end that he might be a little more than that) - or or a final sequence in which jesus karate-chops demons and departs, granting us another two thousand years, but pleading that we try harder at being good. Instead something entirely unexpected - and challenging - is served up. So good to see that some people who write TV screenplays are not only thinking, but want to make us think too. It's also marvellously well acted.

Just discovered The Second Coming as a new release in our local DVD store. Was intrigued by the synopsis and thought it was worth watching. I'm so glad we did. Why hasn't this thought provoking film been aired in Australia? This is the sort of drama that would have fallen in a heap without the right lead and Christopher Ecclestone doesn't put a foot wrong. He is an excellent actor and this part allows him to show his range. (Can't understand why the Brits don't like him as Doctor Who!) He is ably supported by Lesley Roache in particular.

Other reviewers have criticised the ending for being lame compared with the rest of the movie. But surely after all you'd been through you didn't want a typical "Hollywood" candy coated ending? This makes you talk and think long after watching.

Highly recommended for anyone who can keep an open mind.

I rented the dvd (appropriately enough) over the Easter weekend and it made for a very interesting diversion from the usual sappy, soppy, silly "resurrection" of religious movies we get bombarded with at this time of year. The acting was very good and the premise even better. Episode one was excellent and I wondered how the director was going to bring this to a resolution in episode two. Well, I loved the ending but I am, like other viewers, foxed as to how it came about. The peculiar logic of the film was compromised by a sudden revelation I'm not convinced the character would have(or could have) had. Nevertheless, I recommend this to anyone who has had their fill of the Mel Gibson/right wing/heaven- forbid-we-have-an-original-thought treatments of spiritual subjects.