Comments on: Why Jesus movies suck https://www.faithonview.com/why-jesus-movies-suck/ Diverse Christian News and Commentary Mon, 26 Feb 2024 14:28:56 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.2 By: Jon Tandy https://www.faithonview.com/why-jesus-movies-suck/#comments/208649 https://www.faithonview.com/?p=3612#comment-208649 Many Christian movies in general are preachy and superficial, even the good ones. But the ones that seem best to me are those that do good art (i.e., produce a quality story with quality acting and filmmaking, etc.) and let the story tell itself, rather than turn it into a glorified sermon.
Regarding Jesus movies, I’m writing this long after your original article. Season 3 of The Chosen is currently being filmed. I think Dallas Jenkins has been blessed with being able to do exactly what you described as necessary for a good Jesus movie – reworking the story artistically while staying true to the meaning, and more so, showing Jesus as a real person who had real effect on people, rather than a wooden preacher acting out the history of the Gospels in around 2 hours.

]]> By: Kirk Jordan https://www.faithonview.com/why-jesus-movies-suck/#comments/7992 https://www.faithonview.com/?p=3612#comment-7992 I think that part of the problem is that everyone seems to want to tell the big story, rather than the parts. If you were to just sit down and read any gospel (but Mark) it might take a couple hours, and these are already in “digest form.” (Does anyone really think that people came by the thousands and sat for days to hear a three minute Sermon on the Mount.) In as much as the gospels are dense, it is impossible to create any story line that does not leave huge chunks out.

To be honest, I am not fully comfortable with the idea of Jesus Movies… (I find it hard to suggest genuine Holiness and transcendence in film) but should I attempt, I would want to create a series of movies.

Dressed in Flesh: The Incarnation
the Nazareth Strain
The Wine that was Water
Synagoge Syndrome
Thy Kingdom Come…
Who do you say…

etc.

How about a film that just gives us the teachings of Jesus with respect to the Kingdom of God…

As for existing films, my favorite Jesus film of all times is Ben Hur. (But then, Jesus is a background player.) It seemed that this movie alone captures the idea of the Divine otherness and genuine authority of Jesus.

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