SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

My opinion is nestled somewhere between the glowing reviews and the scathing rebukes of others.Marchiano's Jesus isn't completely repugnant (as is Jeremy Sisto's air-headed "Jesus" insulting portrayal), but I am never left feeling inspired or edified after viewing, either. I neither love nor hate the fact that I bought the movie prior to knowing anything about it. I'm filled with ambivalence about this film.It's impossible to mess up the script since it's word-for-word from the NIV Bible (which might repel KJV purists), but it is possible to mess up what is revealed about the character of the Christ. Horse-play with the guys, Bruce? Really? Did He really fancy Himself a stand-up comedian during His magnificent Sermon on the Mount? What was the director thinking? What was Marchiano thinking to not mutiny at this point? Did either of them think at all? I find the scene based on chapter 7 unsettling and more than a little insulting, so I fast forward through it.I don't need Jesus to be robotic like Robert Powell's depiction, and certainly not a childish flirt like Jeremy Sisto's Jesus, but something was also missing for me in Marchiano's performance, which cannot be blamed on bad scripting.I know what my problem is with this "Matthew": The first of the Visual Bible trilogy that I watched was "The Gospel of John" with Henry Ian Cusick in the role of the Christ. He became my personal gold standard for a wonderfully balanced presentation of the Son of God. Layered and nuanced to perfection, not inappropriately morose, and never silly, but showing a full range of expected emotions, actions and reactions to 1st century Israel dwellers. He covered all the emotions with great respect and reverence. I like that! It's my prayer that Marchiano realizes he's now aged out of repeating the role of Jesus and looks for more appropriate scripts to toy around with. For all the experience he's had in sundry Jesus roles (I really liked his contemporary Jesus in "The Encounter"), you'd think he'd have it honed to perfection. There's no rehearsal time left, Bruce; your Jesus days are over. Let's see you try to act as playful and frivolous with John the Revelator in a production of The Apocalypse!

I've seen both the Passion and this movie. In the Passion, Jesus is joking with Mary about a table he had just built. It was a segment that warmed my heart, made me smile and pulled the GOD Jesus a bit closer to me , making it easier for me to touch. BUt that was about it as far a warmth. I absolutely was blown away by the Passion. After seeing THIS movie, I realized how the the Passion could, in fact, be a FAR FAR BETTER movie if it blended a bit more of THIS Jesus.I shake my head because now I realize that THE PASSION could have an EVEN GREATER impact on my heart and emotions if THE Christ in the PASSION was portrayed a bit more like Bruces, Christ. I would have fallen in love with the Christ in the PASSION even MORE. Thus making the incredible suffering he endured even more shocking and regrettable.

If ever there was a visual account of Jesus that should be used as an evangelical teaching tool, (second to the Bible) by any Christian believer - THIS IS IT! I would recommend and use it quite easily over Mel Gibson's The Passion. Thankfully, not too much time is given to Him suffering before and at Calvary. The Passion, I think, overdoes it and tells the viewing public that a good man died a too harsh a death.This DVD/Video uses the N.I.V. Bible line for line, and is enacted out as though you were there in the presence of the Saviour Himself. It also shows Him to have emotion. Suddenly, the Gospels come alive! This visual account easily over-rides any account of Jesus Hollywood has ever tried to create.

Whether you're crazy about Jesus or not, this is an eye-opening film. It is so different to see an extremely warm, passionate, human, divine, and SMILING Jesus! The movie, which uses no other words than those found the Bible (New International Version), tells the story of the humble Jewish carpenter who changed the world forever. The director doesn't try dazzle the audience with "eye-popping" angles or camera tricks, but rather shows the life of Jesus in a simple way.The are several little highlights that decorate the picture. One, for instance, is when Jesus and his buddies play under a waterfall like a bunch of kids. Another is when they all decide to have a little wrestling brawl just to be goofy. Throughout the picture, it shows Jesus teaching his disciples (the buddies) in a way that a father teaches his child the things of life. With all its color and fun,however, the film can get serious real fast. Constant death threats are made against this new Rabbi. Jesus bashes the Jewish religious leaders and publicly announces them as hypocrites. The line is drawn, and the road to Golgotha begins. The film shows the brutal reality of the crucifixion, and the incredible hope that came through the resurrection. The movie ends almost with a question from Jesus himself. "Ok," says Jesus. "You've seen the movie about me, but who do YOU think I am?"Like I said, whether you're crazy about Jesus or not, it's an interesting movie to look at (if you don't mind the length!). It shows Jesus as he was from a Biblical perspective. Funny, kind, patient, a friend of the friendless. Check it out! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.