With all the hype surrounding this spring's release of the feature-length motion picture Son of God, a movie-length extension of the popular TV mini-series The Bible by Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, when the opportunity came in one of my classes this spring to earn extra credit through completion of a movie review this seemed like a great combination of opportunities. But since there were a lot of movie reviews out there already offering up people's impressions of the film, I decided to take a different approach and instead saw both Son of God and the 1979 classic Jesus film and from that I have done a comparative review. That said, there are a few things that this review is and isn't:
-It isn't a complete review of either film. More could be said about both that did not fit within the scope of the comparative nature of the review.
-It isn't an effort to promote or bash one or the other film. Both have positive and negative aspects to them, particularly in today's context. Ultimately what the reader will find is that I want people to get back to the actual text of the Bible itself to learn about Jesus, though I do recognize that a visual medium such as a film can be a great starting point for discussion and learning.
-It is an attempt to fairly look at several key elements in the consideration of either film - background, content, accessibility, and utility for the church.
-It is ultimately written with that final point of consideration in mind. This is not an assessment from an entertainment perspective, but the value of these films for use by the church and believers for the glory of God and the furtherance of his kingdom.
That said, you can find the review after the break.
