People are voting emotionally.

Am I Missing Something?

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Great acting, great perspective, great story.It is strange that this idea could put a bad taste into someones mouth- that it is OUR responsibility to save the world - pretty much the opposite message of "sola fide" - the doctrine introduced by the Lutheran church that it is only through faith in the divinity of Jesus alone and not through works we achieve "salvation". Centuries of self-identified "Christians" with no real love of peace, truth or compassion at the helm of the West and look where it has gotten us... millions of Christians await Christ's return yet make no serious effort to live by Christ's teachings. That is the sore thumb and the tragedy of many of the efforts of modern evangelistsIronically, a movie that is supposed to be about Mary Magdalene is the best cinematic telling of the Jesus story that I have seen - it takes care to communicate understandably how Jesus's real teachings could become skewed by disciples who had their own ideas about the way they thought things should be, or would prefer them to be. They helped create in their folly a system of belief which removes personal responsibility and promotes complacent self righteousness in apathy which seems so common today. The message of personal responsibility is so crucial in these times when it feels like the world is speeding ever so quickly towards irreversible change - where that change is directed is up to us and if we are all sitting on our thumbs we may neglect our own responsibility and contributions in the matter. That someone could be made angry or put off by this idea seems incomprehensible to me

Set in the year 33 we meet Mary of Magdala, or Mary Magdalene, struggling to find her purpose in life. She brings shame on her family by refusing an arranged marriage and by praying in a synagogue at a time of her choosing rather than the set time for women.Believing she is possessed by a devil for her rogue behaviour her family attempt to cast out her demons by nearly drowning her. During her recovery, she is introduced to a rabbi called Jesus who opens her eyes to the possibilities of a new Kingdom to come. Believing she has found her purpose Mary, against her family's wishes, joins Jesus and his apostles to help bring the word of God to the masses. Her arrival causes conflict within the group, particularly between Peter (an excellent Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Judas, as Peter feels he's being pushed out and Jesus's impact won't be taken as seriously with a woman present.What follows are a lot of meaningful, lingering looks, long pauses and a lengthy build up to the last few days of Jesus of Nazareth's life on earth. The big events leading up to His crucifixion such as the last supper and the events in the Garden of Gethsemane are rushed and lack the emotional impact you would normally associate with them.Rooney Mara puts in a strong performance as Mary. Whether she's sympathetically tending to the sick and dying or being an early advocate for women's rights, she performs her role with gusto, but her character, sadly, takes a backseat to Jesus in the final third of the film. Joaquin Phoenix as Jesus is miscast in a role where he comes across as the love child of The Dude and Hagrid. Looking far more like 43 than 33, his American accent jars amongst the other more appropriate tongues and you can almost hear him muttering, "dude", at the end of his sentences.Director Garth Davis offers us an alternate take on Judas Iscariot, played brilliantly by Tahar Rahim. Desperately longing to be reunited with his dead family his reasons for betraying his Master, the one man who can apparently make this happen, are heart-breaking and understandable given the circumstances. Rahim's thoroughly engaging performance encourages sympathy rather than scorn.Mary Magdalene is an interesting film with some fine turns, but one that fails to deliver in its overly-long two hour run time.

I do not believe in the bible or organized religion. I watched this movie because I love period movies and Joaquin Phoenix. It was so subtle. It did not beat you over the head with blood and pain like Passion of the Christ did. It showed Jesus conflicted, sad, angry, and scared. He somberly walked to his final days. He accepted a woman despite protests. Though the dialogue was sparse, I felt it more profoundly than any church sermon I have ever sat through. I was moved to sobs several times, especially in today's political climate. The acting was perfect, the scenery breath taking and it was beautifully quiet movie, definitely worth the watch.

Yet another popular take of the story of Jesus and his followers, well put and with a slight feminist angle. But I wonder: why does nobody seem to have the interest and/or courage to put to film an alternative Jesus story -- think, for example, Gerald Messadie's classic book "The man Who Became God" which resonates later findings by researcher Holger Kersten. I would like very much to see a movie version of Messadie's account and I am quiet sure it would cause some stir -- something a quasi-traditionalist and complacent narrative such as "Mary Magdalene" fails to accomplish.